Frontrunner for USC president chooses to stay at Purdue

A leading candidate for the presidency at the University of South Carolina is out of the race, his employer said in a statement.

Mung Chiang, a vice president and dean of the engineering school at Purdue University, will remain at the midwest university despite reports saying he was the favorite candidate for the USC presidency.

“Mung Chiang is one of the nation’s most respected minds and sought-after academic leaders. We are deeply grateful that he and his family, not for the first time, have chosen to decline a prestigious presidency and remain with us,” Purdue spokesman Tim Doty said in a statement.

After the news broke, USC released a statement on behalf of Chiang that said he appreciated the opportunity to be considered as a candidate, but backed out because of family concerns.

“With various family considerations in mind and after much discussion in the family, we have decided that the best course of action at this time is for me to focus on family and on current responsibilities at my home institution and not on other leadership opportunities,” Chiang said in the statement. “I am very hopeful in the bright future of USC, and wish the Gamecocks a decisive bowl win, followed by a national championship in women’s basketball.”

USC has sought a long-term replacement for former USC President Robert Caslen, who was previously the superintendent at U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Caslen, who became president in 2019, resigned abruptly after a disastrous commencement speech in which he mistakenly congratulated the graduates of the “University of California” and plagiarized a portion of his speech.

After Caslen’s departure, Harris Pastides, who had previously served 11 years as USC’s president, took over in an interim role.

This story was originally published December 5, 2021 at 4:23 PM.