Rose Buyck Newton elected USC Board of Trustees chair

The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees elected Rose Buyck Newton as its new chairwoman on Friday (Aug. 21).

She was elected to the USC Board of Trustees in 2018 and chaired the board’s Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee through 2022. She was elected as vice chairwoman in 2022 and chairs the board’s Governance Committee.

“Serving the University of South Carolina is an honor and a privilege,” she said. “For 225 years, USC has played an indispensable role in guiding the economic prosperity and well-being of our state, adding to its rich culture. As chair, I look forward to working with President Amiridis, the communities represented by each of our eight campuses, and leaders throughout South Carolina to ensure we continue our mission of education, research and service.”

Newton is a third-generation banker who chairs the board at the Bank of Clarendon. She holds degrees in finance and economics from Converse College and a master’s of business administration from USC. She serves on the board of the S.C. Bankers Association Bankers School and chairs the Board of Governors for Novant Health Coastal Carolina Medical Center.

Newton, a trustee of the Business Partnership Foundation at USC’s Darla Moore School of Business, was the recipient of the 2026 Moore School Distinguished Service Award. With her election as chair, USC joins a small but growing number of South Carolina college boards led by women.

Newton is married to S.C. House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton. Her daughter Reedy was USC’s student body president before graduating in 2023. Her son William is a 2025 graduate and first-year USC law school student, and her daughter Eliza Rose is a senior at USC.

Also on Friday, Reid T. Sherard was elected vice chair of the Board of Trustees on Friday. The Greenville attorney joined the board in 2023 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from USC’s Honors College in 2000 and a law degree from USC in 2004.

Newton succeeds Thad H. Westbrook, who was chairman from 2022 through 2026.

During Westbrook’s tenure as chairman, USC:

• Set records every year in applications, enrollment, fundraising, research and state investment.
• Developed the Health Sciences Campus that includes a new Floyd School of Medicine building, Brain Health Center and the state’s first neurological hospital and rehabilitation center.
• Continued to freeze tuition for South Carolina students while remaining strong financially.
• Received major gifts from donors to name four colleges.
• Expanded its economic development role and developed a statewide internship program to retain graduates in South Carolina.
• Became a founding institution of the Commission for Public Higher Education, a new accrediting body.
• Improved significantly its free-speech ranking with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression to No. 22 in the nation this year.
• Created the Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse.
• The board also approved the USC Next campus master plan, including major renovations and expansions in academic buildings, student services and athletic facilities.

When he was the board vice chairman, Westbrook chaired the presidential search that led to the hiring of Michael D. Amiridis.