April 29, 2016
Athletics has long been the glue that binds USC’s worldwide Trojan Family, and as our university has risen so far and so fast academically, our student-athletes have given a particularly passionate voice to our pride, inspiring us to cheer with even more heart for our university and its community. For this reason, it gave me tremendous pleasure to announce Lynn Swann as USC’s next athletic director. Without question, Mr. Swann will bring the heart and soul of a Trojan to this role. He first arrived on our campuses as a student-athlete, graduating in 1974 with a degree from our Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He distinguished himself as a legend in Trojan and NFL football, becoming the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl X. He is also a highly regarded international media broadcaster for the Olympics and, of course, Monday Night Football, and stands as an extraordinarily effective civic and corporate leader, having served as president of the national board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. His tenure with that organization exceeds three decades. Mr. Swann will begin his service as our eighth athletic director on July 1, and returns to our campuses with his wife, Dr. Charena Swann. Their son, Braxton, will join us in the fall as a freshman, while their other son, Shafer, will continue at West Point.
USC Roski Eye Institute
This month I also announced that our trustee, Edward P. Roski Jr, and his wife, Gayle, have given $25 million to USC, and that their exceptionally generous gift endows and names the USC Gayle and Edward Roski Eye Institute at Keck Medicine of USC. This most recent gift speaks to the tremendous breadth of the couple’s philanthropy at our university, as the Roski name is now permanently tied to one of our nation’s leading centers for advanced vision care, research, and education, as well as the oldest art school in southern California. (One decade ago, the couple provided the naming gift for the USC Roski School of Art and Design, increasing the school’s endowment more than fivefold). As philanthropists, the Roskis are building a sterling legacy at USC, one that will benefit generations of individuals.
Festival of Books returns to USC
For the sixth straight year, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books returned to our University Park Campus, drawing celebrated authors, artists, and luminaries. This year, we welcomed the astronaut Buzz Aldrin; writer Joyce Carol Oates; California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia, who is a Judge Widney Professor at USC; and Robin Coste-Lewis, a USC Dornsife doctoral student who recently received the National Book Award for Poetry. The light rain did not deter the crowds, and the weekend was filled with thought-provoking panels, as well as excellent food, live music, and creative presentations.
USC Thornton School of Music
The Huffington Post recently published an in-depth feature on the arts at USC, with a special focus on our world-renowned Thornton School of Music. The piece praised the school’s longstanding dean, Robert Cutietta, and described the different specializations available for students. USC Thornton attracts the finest music students from around the world, offering a rigorous and traditional conservatory-style education, along with progressive programs in areas such as popular music, music industry, and technology, all within the context of a top research university. So many of our graduates go on to assume positions with major orchestras, ensembles, recording studios, and music industry firms. And indeed, many perform sublimely on stages and in studios around the globe, moving audiences with their singular musicality. It is no surprise that every year, when the Grammy nominations are announced, USC Thornton alumni are exceptionally well represented.
Remembering a giant: Steven B. Sample
The USC community continues to reflect on the extraordinary contributions of our university’s tenth president, Steven B. Sample, who passed away on March 29. During his remarkably productive tenure, Dr. Sample led our university on its dramatic, historic ascent. Thanks to his tactical leadership, prudent foresight, and fixed dedication, USC became one of the most selective universities in the nation, attracted nationally acclaimed faculty, increased its international stature and reach, and built enduring, meaningful partnerships with its local communities. Dr. Sample also oversaw a landmark fundraising campaign—which, at the time, was the most ambitious in the history of higher education. Indeed, Dr. Sample’s contributions to USC are so profound, so consequential that generations from now, our community will still reap their direct benefits. He will be deeply missed by so many people around the world.
I know our students and faculty are working hard as they near the semester’s end, and we all look forward to a beautiful commencement ceremony on May 13. In the meantime, Niki joins me in sending you warmest regards.
Yours truly,
C. L. Max Nikias
President