Dear Colleagues,
I am thrilled to announce that USC has received a $50 million gift from the Price Family Charitable Fund. This gift endows and names the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, thereby cementing its standing among the most progressive and prestigious American schools of public policy, planning, and development. We will celebrate this gift as a community in February, with details forthcoming.
This generous gift honors the life and legacy of Sol Price, who was a double alumnus of USC, having earned his bachelor’s degree in 1936 and his J.D. in 1938. Mr. Price went on to found Price Club, the retail giant that later merged with Costco. He also became a luminary in the world of philanthropy, and the two foundations he established-the Price Family Charitable Fund and Price Charities-continue to thrive, significantly bettering the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Their gift to us also creates in the school the USC Price Center for Social Innovation, which will focus on revitalizing low-income neighborhoods.
This marks a transformational moment for USC and its formerly named School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD). This visionary gift will enable us to take the school to an even higher level of academic excellence, ensuring that it becomes an international leader in its many fields of expertise. The school, which currently ranks seventh among 269 schools of public affairs nationwide, houses five independent but related degree programs in public policy and public administration, urban planning, real estate development, and health care management and policy. It also excels at interdisciplinary work in the areas of governance, urban development, and social policy.
The impact of the Price Family Charitable Fund’s extraordinary generosity will be both stellar and enduring. It will forever stand proudly as an inspiration to the Trojan Family.
Yours truly,
C. L. Max Nikias
President