As commencement rapidly approaches, and we prepare to graduate a new class of USC students, I would like to share some exciting highlights from earlier in the spring.
In March, I led a delegation of university leaders to Washington, D.C., where we met with key policymakers to discuss a range of issues important to our university. During our visit, we announced a pioneering summer program for children of active duty and veteran service members. These young students will earn college credit at USC, as we provide the full cost of attending the program. It will be an outstanding opportunity for USC to give back to our service members, while bringing these uniquely talented students to our campuses for a rigorous four-week college experience.
Shortly after our trip to D.C., I also traveled with a USC delegation to our state’s capital, where we met with Governor Jerry Brown and several state assembly members. Our discussions raised a number of pressing topics, including the importance of maintaining Cal Grants.
A special tribute to Morten Lauridsen
In March, the Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) presented a stellar tribute to our Distinguished Professor Morten Lauridsen, whose sublime works include his music set to the Latin chant “O Magnum Mysterium”—a beloved piece that is performed all over the world. The evening began with a performance of Mid-Winter Songs, a masterpiece that USC commissioned for the university’s centennial in 1980. Later, Professor Lauridsen introduced his USC colleague, Dana Gioia, a Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture. Professor Gioia read his poem, Prayer, followed by Professor Lauridsen’s own choral setting of the text. The evening was conducted by our own Thornton School of Music alumnus Grant Gershon, the music director of the LAMC.
Michael Tilson Thomas returns to USC
Earlier this month, music luminary Michael Tilson Thomas was appointed a Judge Widney Professor, a title that carries significant prestige at our university. (Judge Robert Maclay Widney was USC’s chief founder.) In this role, Professor Thomas—who is a two-time alumnus of our Thornton School of Music—will mentor our students, and provide guidance as they develop their professional careers. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Professor Thomas is the longtime music director of the San Francisco Symphony, as well as the principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the founder of the New World Symphony. The accompanying story includes a number of photos that speak to the tremendous breadth of Professor Thomas’ lengthy career.
USC Iovine Young Academy accepts inaugural class
At USC, we eagerly look forward to welcoming the inaugural class of students for the USC Iovine Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation next fall. The acceptances to the incoming students arrived as personalized videos from the academy’s namesakes, legendary music producers and innovators Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young, the latter of whom is known professionally as Dr. Dre. These highly creative acceptance messages drew significant attention and praise, and I share one story from the Los Angeles Times with you here.
Willow Bay leads USC’s journalism school
Last month, a number of media outlets covered the appointment of the new director of our Annenberg School of Journalism: Willow Bay. Ms. Bay is a veteran television news anchor and a Huffington Post editor. About her appointment, Ernest Wilson, dean of our Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, said: “Her leadership will help our innovative school aggressively continue our path of creating—and defining—the digital future.” Ms. Bay comes to USC at a particularly exciting time. Our journalism school will have a new home in the fall, as we celebrate the opening of Wallis Annenberg Hall, an 88,000-square-foot facility at the heart of our University Park Campus. Its leading-edge facilities will include a three-story “media wall” and newsroom.
In coming to USC, Ms. Bay was attracted to our students’ appetite for innovation. “I already find (USC Annenberg’s) graduates completely fearless about experimentation,” she has said. This fall, a new course “Glass Journalism” will typify that innovative spirit. As part of their course work, students will use Google Glass and augmented reality to imagine new ways for journalists to tell stories. This class is a first-of-its-kind at USC, and an excellent opportunity for journalism to stand at the fore of nascent technology. You can learn more about this course in the accompanying story from Mashable.
As always, thank you for your continued service as a USC Ambassador. We truly appreciate your sharing the university’s successes with your friends and family.
Yours truly,
C. L. Max Nikias
President