COLUMBIA, S.C. — A familiar face will join the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.
Former South Carolina governor, United Nations World Food Programme executive director, and Nobel Peace Prize winner David Beasley will join USC's Law School as a Distinguished Professor of Practice and Public Service in the Department of Legal Studies on March 1, 2024.
"Little did I know the challenges and adventures I was being prepared for in law school. But the way the University of South Carolina Law School taught me to think and act with integrity was very important to it all," Beasley said. "To now have a chance to give back to a new generation of future leaders is one of the great opportunities of my life."
"The College of Arts and Sciences is thrilled to partner with the Rice School of Law in bringing Gov. Beasley back to our campus," said Dean Joel Samuels. "Our undergraduate students will have a unique opportunity to learn from one of the most dynamic leaders this state has ever produced while also interacting with a global statesman whose experiences can show our students that as USC graduates, their paths have no boundaries."
Beasley began his political career at age 20 when he was elected to represent the Society Hill area in the South Carolina House in 1979. He transferred from Clemson University to USC in Columbia, earning his bachelor's degree in 1979 and his law degree in 1983. Beasley remained in the House until 1993 and was the nation's youngest Speaker pro tempore and Majority Leader (1987-1989).
Elected South Carolina's governor from 1995-1999, Beasley is credited with reforming state government and revitalizing the state's struggling economy. He was also an early advocate of removing the Confederate flag from the State House dome, calling for it to be relocated elsewhere on the State House grounds. His efforts earned him the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2003. The flag was later removed completely from the grounds in 2015 following the mass shooting at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston.
In 2017, Beasley was nominated to be the World Food Programme (WFP) executive director by then-US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. In December 2020, Beasley accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the WFP for its efforts to combat world hunger.
Beasley also co-founded the Center for Global Strategies in 2005 with fellow USC law school alumnus Henry L. Deneen, who had been chief legal counsel for Beasley's administration. The center aims to integrate developing communities into the global economy via investment, market solutions and a message of peace.
In addition to teaching, Beasley will give guest lectures at the law school, the Honors College, and the College of Arts and Sciences, participate in special events, and seek opportunities to host government leaders and policymakers on campus.
"We are taught that 'To whom much has been given, much will be required,'" Beasley said. "I'm happy and proud to give back to the University of South Carolina and the state that has been so generous and nurturing to me."