With a launch celebration that connected the high-tech hub of Silicon Beach in Santa Monica, CA to the pre-commencement USC campus via livestream, the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation officially kicked off a new program for the digital generation.
President C. L. Max Nikias noted that the $70 million gift from the two media industry moguls to establish the USC Iovine Young Academy was one of the largest gifts from the entertainment industry to an institution of higher education.
Jimmy Iovine, a legendary music producer and entrepreneur, noted that his motivation for approaching USC with the idea for this unique educational program was his observation that “students today live in a different world where the lines between art and technology are starting to get blurred in a great way…This place is a dream factory—you don’t have to get stuck in calculus to succeed.”
The high point of the event was Dr. Dre’s infectious enthusiasm for USC, as he gave a shout out to the massive crowds gathered in front Tommy Trojan. Hundreds of students came out of their study and packing modes, excited about the potential for new classes emphasizing creativity, and all cheered at Dre’s declaration, “I’m an official Trojan now.”
As the event came to a close, confetti and streamers shot over the crowds as the Trojan Marching Band played “California Love” under the cloudless blue Southern California sky.
Jimmy Iovine is slated to address Trojans as the 2013 Commencement speaker on May 17.