It is with heartfelt gratitude that I write to share my decision to retire as the president of USC at the end of the academic year on July 1, 2025. Serving as the twelfth president of the University of Southern California is one of the greatest privileges of my life. Working with so many of you to achieve the promise of our incredible Trojan Family brings me joy and inspiration each day. After more than twenty years of leadership at three great universities, however, I am excited to embrace the freedom that comes with a next big leap, and to pass the baton to the next president who will be able to build upon our accomplishments and create a new chapter for this extraordinary institution.
Category: Community
Southern California has experienced several earthquakes over the past few months. This earthquake activity is a reminder that we must all be prepared and know what to do. Seismologists warn us that a large-scale earthquake is highly probable. We urge all staff to participate in this year’s Great ShakeOut, an international earthquake drill on Thursday, October 17, at 10:17 a.m.
With the academic year in full swing, we wanted to share an overview of our upcoming 2025 commencement event schedule. We hope this preliminary information will assist graduates and their families as they start making plans to attend.
Welcome to a new academic year, Trojans! Take a look at some highlights for the fall semester.
We are excited to start a new academic year and welcome our new and returning students, faculty, staff, and alumni to campus. It’s a wonderful time to renew and create new relationships, explore something different, and set fresh goals. We have a very busy term ahead, with new academic programs, events around joining the Big Ten, marquee student performances, research breakthroughs, and so much more. We hope you had a refreshing summer and look forward to seeing you.
We hope you are enjoying the summer, and we look forward to welcoming all of you to the University Park Campus for the start of fall semester. In preparation for the new academic year, we have taken many steps to modernize our campus to ensure a safe, secure environment for our university community, neighbors and guests.
We hope you have had an opportunity to enjoy the summer and take some time to rest and connect with loved ones and friends. With the fall semester quickly approaching, we write to share a Title IX policy update, remind you of reporting responsibilities and resources available, and introduce our inaugural community impact report.
I’m pleased to announce Stacy Giwa – our vice president of culture, ethics, and compliance, and chief compliance officer – has graciously agreed to serve as interim senior vice president of human resources beginning on October 1, 2024.
July marks the halfway point for summer. I hope you are able to recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. Following up on the preliminary Culture Survey takeaways that I shared with you last month, the full report has now been completed and is available below.
We are excited to share today that USC alumna Erika Jordan will join us as our new associate senior vice president of alumni relations. She will lead the USC Alumni Association (USCAA) with enthusiasm and passion for the Trojan Family.