The unanimous decision by University of South Carolina trustees to make vice president for research Harris Pastides the system's new president is reassuring.

Not ''reassuring'' in the sense of ''comfortable,'' or ''status quo.'' On the contrary, we take the selection of Mr. Pastides as a ringing endorsement of a bold agenda of academic excellence and research-based economic development that has the potential to transform our state, doing much to help us catch up to and surpass the rest of the nation in important ways.

When it was announced that Andrew Sorensen would be retiring after only six years as president of the multicampus flagship university, we were concerned that with his departure, USC might be deterred from the paths he has led it to embark upon. ...

Harris Pastides was the one candidate named in recent months who not only understood and believed in these initiatives, but already had his sleeves up working to make them happen.

As The State's Wayne Washington reported recently, in recent years, ''Sorensen thought the big thoughts, and Pastides got the ball rolling.'' ...

The challenge that now faces him as president is to bring the university's promise from potential to tangible reality. To say that's a daunting task is gross understatement, but obviously USC's trustees believe he's the one to get it done. ....

The (Columbia) State