Q&A with Rose Buyck Newton and Reid T. Sherard
Q&A with Rose Buyck Newton and Reid T. Sherard
New USC Board of Trustees leaders share their vision for Carolina’s future.
As new chair and vice chair of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, Rose Buyck Newton and Reid T. Sherard are leading at a meaningful moment in Carolina’s history. For Chair Rose Buyck Newton, leadership at Carolina is both an honor and part of a family legacy. Inspired by her mother, the first woman to earn an MBA from USC in 1962, Buyck Newton brings a personal perspective to her role. She and Vice Chair Sherard share their hopes for the university’s future and the alumni who help make it possible.
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USC is celebrating 225 years. What part of Carolina’s story feels most important to carry forward into its next chapter?
BUYCK NEWTON: For me, the most important part of University of South Carolina’s story to carry forward is its commitment to educating students, to creating opportunity, and to serving the citizens of our state and the people who call South Carolina home. After 225 years, our responsibility is to honor that legacy while making sure the university continues to evolve for the generations who come next.
SHERARD: The university was founded just 25 years after the Declaration of Independence, at a time when many things in our country were new – including the concept of a state-supported institution of higher education. Educating the citizens of South Carolina is as important today as it was in the beginning.
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Alumni often see USC through the memories they made here. What do you hope students will remember most about their Carolina experience?
BUYCK NEWTON: I hope they remember the individuals who shaped them—the professors who challenged them, the roommates and friends who became lifelong connections, and the experiences that helped them discover who they wanted to become. I also hope they look back and feel that the university gave them both a strong foundation and the confidence to go make a difference in the world.
SHERARD: I hope that every student reflects on their time at Carolina as I do, as the bridge between being a child and becoming an adult. The college experience is the foundation for success later in life and nobody does it better than USC!
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What do you hope alumni across South Carolina and beyond understand about the Board of Trustees’ role?
BUYCK NEWTON: The Board’s role is one of stewardship: to think beyond any one moment and make decisions that protect and strengthen the university for generations to come. We take seriously our responsibility to listen, ask hard questions, and work with university leadership to ensure Carolina remains a strong institution for its students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the state.
SHERARD: The Board of Trustees provides strategic guidance and oversight, but does not operate the university. We are thrilled to have an outstanding and transformative president in Michael Amiridis and the Board of Trustees is proud to partner with President Amiridis to continue to move the university forward.
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As chair and vice chair, how do your different professional backgrounds, banking and law, complement one another in serving the university?
SHERARD: As a lawyer I understand that there are rarely “right” answers but rather options with associated pros and cons. I use this approach to help Rose maximize her business savvy and financial acumen in providing guidance of the board.
BUYCK NEWTON: The fields of banking and law give us different lenses, but they share an important foundation: thoughtful analysis, sound judgment, and a strong sense of fiduciary responsibility. I value the way our perspectives and styles complement one another, because the institution is best served when we can look at complex issues from different angles and different voices and ultimately come together around what is best for our great university.
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Looking ahead, what is one hope you have for the university and one way you hope alumni will be part of making it happen?
BUYCK NEWTON: My hope is that the University of South Carolina continues to be a place where students receive an exceptional education while also developing the character, relationships, and confidence to lead. Alumni can help make that possible by staying connected—not only through philanthropy, but by mentoring students, opening professional doors, sharing their expertise, and continuing to be involved in the Carolina community.
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Vice Chair Sherard, from the Honors College to the School of Law and now the Board of Trustees, how has Carolina shaped the way you lead and serve?
SHERARD: The friendships forged, the lessons learned, the opportunities presented, the challenges faced, and the experiences lived during my seven years on campus are many of the most important moments of my life. Being able to give back to the university that gave so much to me underpins my board service and is a privilege for which I am deeply grateful. Every day is a new opportunity for us to get better.
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Chair Newton, your leadership adds another meaningful chapter to Carolina’s 225-year story. What do you hope young women at USC see as possible because of leaders who came before them?
BUYCK NEWTON: I want young women to see that there is a place for their voices at every table, and that opportunities for leadership are available to them as well. I was blessed to come from a household where my mother was the first woman to receive her MBA from the University of South Carolina in 1962. I had a front row seat to witnessing expanded access for women. I can only hope that my role as board chair inspires other women to pursue leadership opportunities in the future, just as my mother inspired me.
