Good afternoon, everyone! It is a special privilege to be here with you at the investiture of President Hsu. I am honored to offer heartfelt congratulations from President Cabrera and all of us at his U.S. Alma Mater, Georgia Tech, as he assumes the presidency of the College of Charleston.

President Hsu comes to the College of Charleston as a veteran of higher education. He has successfully navigated the winding, complicated and rewarding journey that is higher education leadership. I think he would agree that higher education is increasingly complicated to manage. It is in times like these when experience counts the most, so you can be confident that you are getting a steady hand to lead you into the future.

The College of Charleston has an extraordinary history as the 13th oldest educational institution in the nation, founded in 1770. Its origins have the mark of founders of the nation, of signers of the constitution. Traditions run deep in the College of Charleston. Yet the College has shown it can be nimble and agile when needed. From a municipal college to a private institution and then a finally public institution — very few universities have navigated that kind of change in their histories. That willingness to change and evolve is nowadays more important than ever.

Frankly, in the more than 40 years since I began my own journey in academia, I have never experienced a faster pace of change. Georgia Tech, the College of Charleston, and our university peers are contending with a changing nature of work, shifting demographics, needs, wants, and capabilities of a diverse learner population, an educational technology evolution and revolution, and prevailing issues of access and affordability. Those changes are here and the time to innovate at our institutions is more critical than ever.

I am convinced that the future belongs to those institutions that are nimble enough to stay in front of the wave of change, and willing to find ways to transform themselves in order to best serve the next generation and beyond. I believe that to be successful, universities in the future will not only meet the needs of learners to get their first job after graduation, but also achieve career changes and advancement throughout their lifetimes.

I am proud that President Hsu’s love of teaching was first discovered while he was a post-doc at Georgia Tech. Like you, President Hsu, I have never lost my love of teaching and the classroom. That love of discovery and working side-by-side with students is something that never goes away.

Effective teaching can be transformative. It can open a student’s heart and mind in a way that makes them feel differently about learning.  It changes lives.

Experiencing the joy of an individual grasping and mastering new knowledge is a privilege of us teachers, akin to the wonderous times of a parent observing a child’s development. Those moments are what excites educators like President Hsu. The drive to reach those moments is what keeps us awake at night.

These days the mission of higher education goes far beyond the classroom. The end goal isn’t just about getting a job — that will come. Education is about leadership development, nurturing a lifelong love for knowledge, taking risks, and making choices that prepare students for life after graduation. Educating people is about mentoring and shaping minds and characters in the classroom and in one-on-one situations. It’s also about teaching students to be not just problem solvers, but to be able to anticipate problems.

President Hsu knows how to anticipate problems. I wish I could say that attribute was borne of his time at Georgia Tech, but from what we all know, he has been this kind of individual his whole life. However, I can say with confidence, his time at Georgia Tech strengthened that resolve, heightened that keen sense of curiosity, and further instilled in him the grit, drive, and sense of community that I know drives him today.

That sensibility and sensitivity will serve him well as the leader of the College of Charleston. Good leaders have vision, are innovative, and are fully committed to their personal mission and the mission of their institution. But great leaders have something more. Great leaders see themselves as public servants. They are generous with ideas, with time and resources, and go out of their way to help others, and are steadfast even in the face of challenges.

But leaders do not and must not operate alone. Isolation is a sure recipe for failure. Good leaders must be able to count on a trusted network of colleagues, partners, and advisors. I urge the community to provide President Hsu with that support and advice that will be necessary to navigate the challenges that will, unavoidably, arise.

President Hsu, as part of today’s ceremony, I am proud to present you with a gift from your Georgia Tech family. On the back of this seal, it reads, “The Georgia Institute of Technology proudly salutes alumnus Andrew T. Hsu, Ph.D. AE, 1986, as he becomes the 23rd president of the College of Charleston. President Hsu is the embodiment of the Tech motto of ‘Progress and Service,’ and we know he will serve the College of Charleston community with excellence and passion.”

President Hsu, your Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket family is always with you and we are incredibly proud to celebrate you on your investiture as the 23rd President of the College of Charleston. We have no doubt of the many incredible things this community will accomplish under your leadership! Congratulations!

Rafael L. Bras, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Georgia Institute of Technology Oct. 25, 2019