University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides will step down in the summer of 2019, he announced Wednesday, alongside his wife Patricia Moore-Pastides.
Pastides, who has served as the school's president for 10 years, announced the news during his annual State of the University speech which he followed with a message on Twitter.
"You, the University of South Carolina students, have been our family and we hope that will continue as well," Pastides said. "You have been the life force that has kept us young and vital, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. I think this is the best time for the University of South Carolina to go out and find a worthy successor."
The 64-year-old from New York has become a favorite among students and alumni for being approachable and involved on campus.
A self-proclaimed, die-hard sports fan, Pastides' office on the historic Horseshoe is adorned with autographed baseballs on the wall.
Growing up in a bilingual household that also spoke Greek, Pastides gained his love for competition while playing games like box ball, stickball and baseball, and quickly became a fan of the Yankees, Knicks, Giants and Rangers.
During his presidency, South Carolina has collected two national championships in baseball and one in women's basketball, to go along with a Final Four in men's basketball and three 11-win seasons in football.
"The first thing is not to treat them like they're a special child; they're an equal part of the university," Pastides said a couple of years ago in an exclusive interview with Gamecock Central. "I'm not a micromanager; we have a great athletics director and I trust him. He keeps me posted. If he needs my advice, he asks for it. In that sense, I'm mainly fan No. 1. I'll be at the game screaming and yelling like any other fan, and when we lose, I feel just as bad as they do."
Pastides serves as USC's 28th president and also holds the same role in the Southeastern Conference.
His last day will be July 31, 2019, according to reports.
