Category: USC Ambassadors

The USC community came together to formally dedicate Dr. Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall, the university’s first interdisciplinary social sciences building. Leavey Honors Hall, made possible by a generous $30 million gift from Trustee Kathleen McCarthy and her family’s foundation, speaks to her longstanding commitment to our undergraduate students. Ronnie Chan and his wife, Barbara, honor Ronnie’s dear mother, and endow the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
…Continue Reading Leavey, Chan, and Dauterive families augment their USC legacies

USC’s commencement ceremony last month was exceptionally glorious, as we cheered nearly 16,000 new alumni, and welcomed more than 60,000 visitors to our campuses.

This year, six extraordinary individuals received honorary degrees from USC, including our commencement speaker, Marc Benioff, a pioneer of cloud computing, as well as the founder and chief executive officer of salesforce.com.
…Continue Reading University’s 131st Commencement Exercises

Earlier this month, the USC Shoah Foundation Institute commemorated its twentieth anniversary with a gala celebration in Los Angeles. (As you may know, USC Trustee Steven Spielberg established the foundation in 1994, and it became part of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 2006). This year, the institute presented its Ambassador for Humanity Award to President Barack Obama, saluting his continued commitment to human rights and education. The evening also included appearances by Bruce Springsteen and Liam Neeson, the lead actor from Schindler’s List, with Conan O’Brien serving as emcee.

Two weeks before the event, the USC Shoah Foundation announced that it would establish the Center for Advanced Genocide Research, thereby expanding its rigorous study of genocides and their origins, as well as how to intervene and stop them….Continue Reading USC Shoah Foundation commemorates 20th year

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. 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.”…Continue Reading Michael Tilson Thomas, Willow Bay, to lead programs at USC

In late February, I led a delegation to Singapore and Indonesia, strengthening the university’s ties with top educational institutions in both countries, while reconnecting with our solid base of alumni, parents, and high schools in the region. In Singapore, we met with Professor John Wong, chief executive of the National University Health System, and President Tan Chorh Chuan of National University of Singapore, with whom we discussed ways to advance our mutually beneficial collaborations. During our time there, The Edge – Enterprise, a Singaporean publication, interviewed me regarding the future of online education, and I’d like to share the resulting article with you here.

In Jakarta, the USC delegation visited Universitas Indonesia, where we met with faculty and administration. In both countries, Niki and I hosted receptions for our alumni and parents, and I can assure you: the Trojan spirit is exceptionally strong in this region. USC continues to attract the most talented students from this part of the world, and we were pleased to meet so many potential applicants, parents, and high school administrators, as well as to connect them with our dedicated and passionate alumni….Continue Reading USC Delegation to Singapore and Indonesia

I am pleased to share the exceptional news that earlier this month, USC received an extraordinarily generous $50 million gift from Dr. Gary K. Michelson, a renowned inventor and retired orthopedic spinal surgeon whose groundbreaking work has generated more than 955 issued or pending patents worldwide. Dr. Michelson’s gift will establish the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience.

The USC Michelson Center signals a new era of collaboration between the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, one that aims to transform how research is conducted at the intersection of engineering and the life and biomedical sciences. It will help create a major biomedical research corridor in Southern California….Continue Reading Gary K. Michelson establishes $50 million gift for Convergent Bioscience

As part of the USC President’s Distinguished Lecture series, President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush addressed our students, faculty, and guests in Bovard Auditorium. Dean James Ellis of our Marshall School of Business facilitated the discussion, which touched on a broad range of topics, including the Bushes’ time in the White House and their continued humanitarian work in Africa.

It was an extremely memorable evening. Rarely do we have an opportunity to spend time in the company of two individuals who have practiced leadership on such a global stage, and at such pivotal moments in human history. And, few people have carried the cosmic sense of pressure and responsibility on their shoulders that our former President and First Lady have. Their visit resonated particularly strongly with our students, and Bovard Auditorium was completely filled to capacity. …Continue Reading Campus welcomes President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) recognized USC at its annual Eddy Awards, celebrating our longstanding contributions to the county’s growth. I was privileged to accept this special award on behalf of the USC community, and during my remarks, emphasized USC’s shared history with Los Angeles. Our founders always affirmed that for Los Angeles to be a great city, it would need a great university at its heart, and over the past century-plus, we have truly grown side by side.

One of the many areas in which USC has most notably contributed is disease prevention and research. The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center stands as an excellent illustration of this, having recently marked its 40th anniversary with a gala celebration.
…Continue Reading LAEDC honors USC’s contributions to Los Angeles; 40 years in the fight to end cancer