September 30, 2016
At USC, our academic year is off to an extraordinary start, as our School of Social Work recently celebrated a transformational gift, bringing together more than 1,600 Trojans and supporters outside the school. Mrs. Suzanne Dworak-Peck—a visionary pioneer in the field of social work and a two-time USC alumna—has given $60 million to our university, and her gift will endow and name the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her magnificent generosity cements the school’s standing among the discipline’s most innovative institutions, and will significantly advance its profoundly important work in our communities. Mrs. Dworak-Peck’s gift is the largest ever in the field of social work.
The USC community is indeed proud to share a permanent connection with Mrs. Dworak-Peck. She stands as a fearless, compassionate, and widely respected leader in the field of social work. In both the public and private sectors, she has long embraced a life of profound purpose. Over a distinguished career that exceeds four decades, she has helped countless individuals, while her thoughtfully considered influence has touched communities throughout the world. With her historic gift to USC, she will better the lives of generations of human beings.
Fertitta Hall opens for business students
Earlier this month, the USC community came together to formally dedicate Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall, a new home for the undergraduates at our Marshall School of Business. This five-story building includes lecture halls, space for student advising, undergraduate admission offices, and break-out study rooms. Most classrooms include a very modern—and distinctly southern Californian—feature: skateboard racks. Construction on this building—with its collegiate gothic edifice, graceful windows, and distinctive spire—began just two year ago, bolstered by a landmark gift from the Fertitta family. Frank Fertitta, who serves as a USC trustee, is chairman and chief executive officer of Red Rock Resorts; Jill is a passionate supporter of education, both in Las Vegas, where the Fertittas live, and in Los Angeles.
Currie Hall welcomes students
In late August, the USC community cut the ribbon on the Malcolm and Barbara Currie Residence Hall on our Health Sciences Campus. This new residential complex sits at one end of what we envision as southern California’s biomedical research corridor, and provides much-needed housing for our medical students, who will now be significantly closer to their patients, as well as their peers.
The naming of this residence hall honors the longstanding generosity of our trustee, Malcolm Currie, and his wife Barbara, whose most recent gift of $10 million to USC was directed to the endowment of the Keck School of Medicine and the construction of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. Dr. Currie previously chaired our board of trustees, and helped lead our university through a period of dynamic growth. Outside USC, his own professional career has been exceptionally illustrious: he helped turn Hughes Aircraft into a world leader in defense electronics, and as a scientist and engineer, he played a key role in the development of satellite communications, lasers in aerospace systems, and night-vision devices. He and Barbara have been tremendous supporters of USC, and wonderful friends to Niki and me.
First-generation students at USC
As our fall semester began, the Los Angeles Times published a wonderful story on USC students who are the first in their family to attend college, with a focus on our freshman class. First-generation students make up about 20 percent of the USC undergraduate student body. “For every student who really wants a USC experience, we’re going to work to find a way for them to have that experience,” Provost Michael Quick told the reporter. The piece highlighted Provost Quick’s personal experience as a first-generation college student, an experience that has shaped his leadership in higher education.
Niki joins me in sending you our warmest regards. We hope you’re enjoying the autumn, and look forward to writing again next month.
Yours truly,
C. L. Max Nikias
President