I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed the 13th president of the University of Southern California. To the Board of Trustees, the Presidential Search Committee, our amazing faculty, staff, and students, and the entire Trojan Family: thank you for entrusting me to advance USC’s mission – with openness, vision, and integrity – during this time of change and immense opportunity.
Category: President
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and upon the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee, we are writing to share that Beong-Soo Kim has been unanimously elected the 13th President of the University of Southern California. He will assume the role effective immediately.
On behalf of Interim President Beong-Soo Kim, I am delighted to announce that Laura S. Abrams, MSW, PhD, a professor in the Department of Social Welfare, Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, has agreed to serve as the next dean of USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, effective July 1, 2026. Abrams will also be appointed as the David Lawrence Stein/Violet Goldberg Sachs Professor of Mental Health.
I am writing to let you know that Joel Curran, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, will be leaving USC on December 31 and returning to his native North Carolina to consult and be closer to his wife and family.
Over the last several months, our university has undertaken an extraordinary effort to strengthen its financial foundation and prepare for uncertainties facing all of higher education.
Earlier today, I sent this letter to the U.S. Department of Education regarding the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. I appreciate the various points of view shared with me by many members of our community. Although USC has declined to join the proposed Compact, we look forward to contributing our perspectives, insights, and Trojan values to an important national conversation about the future of higher education.
Today, I’m excited to introduce the USC Open Dialogue Project, a university-wide effort that will help us strengthen these essential values. This project will offer a range of programs and events, creating meaningful opportunities for Trojans to listen, engage, and grow — even when we disagree.
Every day, artificial intelligence becomes a more visible part of our lives — from how we learn and work to how we connect with each other. One of my top priorities as president is to harness USC’s opportunity to lead in the age of AI, and I’m pleased to announce two major initiatives that will guide how we integrate this technology across our academic mission in an ethical and responsible manner.
On Wednesday evening, USC received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education inviting us to provide feedback on a draft Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.
As we celebrate this International Day of Democracy at USC, I call on our community to reflect on the values that sustain both our democracy and our university — open dialogue, mutual respect, and freedom of expression. In the video above, our deans (plus one guest) share some thoughts on what democracy means to them.