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CONQUERING CANCER Larry Ellison’s $200 million gift accelerates USC’s drive to disrupt traditional research.
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scene Nestled in the center of the University Park Campus, Hahn Plaza has been the backdrop for a steady stream of pedestrian—and bike and skateboard—traffic for decades. In 2011, a new fountain, red-brick walkways and other flourishes refreshed the space and underscored an era of campus beautification.
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PHOTO BY GUS RUELAS
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COVER PHOTO: ANNE WESTON/WELLCOME IMAGES; TUMOR CELL 3-D RENDERING BY STOCKTRECK/GETTY IMAGES
inside
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Editor’s Note Facing complex challenges like cancer requires recruiting new allies.
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President’s Page A pioneer in social work paves the way for future leaders in the field.
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Seen and Heard Your take on USC stories from our magazine and the social web.
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News Business students call Fertitta Hall home, bots flood the internet, and music jumpstarts the brain.
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The Activist Artist By Lisa Butterworth For a USC Roski professor, community development is both a passion and a creative pursuit.
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The Multi-Talented Pre-Med By Diane Krieger A Trojan basketball player and successful wealth manager is ready to shoot for his next goal: medicine.
Tumor cells are the target for a whole new cast of cancerfighting characters.
24 A Biologist’s ‘Ultimate Pokémon’ By Zen Vuong An elusive squirrel species has never been seen alive by scientists.
26 A Second Chance
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USC admission officers shed light on myths and misunderstandings about applying to college. By Diane Krieger
By Amber Dance Experimental stem cell therapy offers hope for life-changing mobility.
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Generation Next Cardinal & Gold & Gold With more medals than any other university in the country, USC’s unrivaled Olympic legacy is one for the record books. By Diane Krieger
Alumni News A 30-year Trojan love story, New York alumni hold onto USC ties, alumni giving reaches record high.
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Class Notes Who’s doing what and where?
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Now and Again Studying in the recesses of historic Doheny Memorial Library is a rite of passage for generations of Trojans.
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Our Town At nearly every level of city government, you’ll find Trojans working to make Los Angeles safer and stronger. By Greg Hardesty
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The Cancer Quest To revolutionize cancer research, doctors draw on game-changing ideas from physicists, engineers, computer scientists and more. By Candace Pearson usc trojan family
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e d i t o r’ s n o t e
The quarterly magazine of the University of Southern California E DI TO R-I N- CHI EF
Alicia Di Rado M ANAGI NG E DI TOR
Teammates Against Cancer “It’s cancer.” Two simple words, and everything has changed. A life once orderly becomes chaotic. Routine, everyday drives to work give way to sporadic medical appointments at the oddest of hours. Energy gives way to fatigue. Faced with a loss of control, we ask questions to try to explain the diagnosis. Why cancer? What did I do to cause this? Frustratingly, cancer usually happens for reasons we will never know—like a bad hand in poker, with higher stakes. That randomness can be tough to accept, but cancer survivors come to understand it, at least over the course of time. There’s a flip side to the disease that is predictable, though. Cancers will grow and spread in consistent ways, and experience shows which medications work best against them. And while cancer’s complexity comes from the murky world of biology, it’s not immune to the laws that underpin physics and chemistry. Today, mathematicians are beginning to reduce cancer’s behavior to models, while computer scientists harvest its patterns through Big Data. And engineers can now see cancer as a problem to be solved. Physicists, chemists, computer whizzes and other experts have become eager partners to the oncologists and biologists looking for an edge against the disease. In the pages of this issue of USC Trojan Family Magazine, you’ll read about some of the thinkers (and doers) from surprising disciplines at USC who are disrupting traditional cancer research. I think you’ll agree: They define the spirit of Fight On!
Elisa Huang SE NI O R E DI TO R
Diane Krieger PRO DUCT I O N M ANAG ER
Mary Modina I NT E RACT I VE CO NT E NT MANAG ER
Patricia Lapadula
ART DI RE CTO R
Sheharazad P. Fleming DE SI GN AND PRO DUCTION
Pentagram Design, Austin
CO NT RI BUTO RS
Laurie Bellman James Feigert Paul Goldberg Judith Lipsett
Russ Ono Susanica Tam Claude Zachary
PUBLI SHE R
Alicia Di Rado Editor-In-Chief, USC Trojan Family Magazine
Minne Ho M ARKE T I NG M ANAG ER
Rod Yabut ADVE RT I SI NG I NQ UIRIES
Kristy Day | kday@lamag.com
USC Trojan Family Magazine 3434 S. Grand Ave., CAL 140 Los Angeles, CA 90089-2818 magazines@usc.edu | (213) 740-2684 USC Trojan Family Magazine (ISSN 8750-7927) is published in March, June, September and December by USC University Communications.
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12/2/16 1:58 PM
p r e s i d e n t’ s p a g e
Gratitude and Generosity
PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
b y c. l. m a x n i k i a s I’d like to begin with some wonderful news: The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education recently released a comprehensive new ranking of top colleges and universities in the United States, and USC ranked 15th on their national list of public and private universities. Among California universities, only USC, Stanford and Caltech appear in the top 15, and no other California university appears in the top 25. Equally impressive: Among 150 colleges and universities in the Western United States, USC ranks third. This represents USC’s highest placement ever among such rankings, and it is particularly notable because the ranking’s methodology was truly inclusive in scope. This is excellent news for our Trojan Family, and you—our dedicated alumni around the world— played a critical role, not only in this success, but in USC’s broader ascent in recent decades. For this, we are all deeply grateful. Indeed, USC is so fortunate to have such an exceptionally passionate alumni network. You’re our greatest ambassadors and our most generous supporters. We see this same extraordinary passion in two-time alumna Suzanne Dworak-Peck. A pioneer in the field of social work—and a luminary in the world of philanthropy— she recently gave a historic $60 million gift to USC, one that has endowed and named the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. The school is already the largest school of social work in the world, and Mrs. Dworak-Peck’s gift will cement its standing among the discipline’s most innovative institutions, while bolstering its profoundly important work in our communities, including its renowned military social work program. “Our school will always be a destination for learning, where future generations of students will feel that we value, and are invested in empowering, their goals and their creativity and their growth,” said Mrs. Dworak-Peck, who recently joined the USC Board of Trustees and who chairs the school’s board of councilors. “This is the feeling I took from USC and internalized throughout my career.” We announced Mrs. Dworak-Peck’s gift—the largest to a school of its kind—to a cheering crowd of students, faculty and friends, and one thing was clear: Mrs. Dworak-Peck loves USC, and USC loves her right back. Throughout her distinguished career, she has lived a life of enormous purpose, and her vision for tfm.usc.edu
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social work has touched countless people around the world. She has greatly influenced social work policy and raised the field’s profile immeasurably. In reflecting on her professional success, Mrs. Dworak-Peck is quick to credit the character she developed at USC: the compass of ethics, values and discipline, as well as her knack for building professional relationships and connecting people. She has already built a singular legacy in social work, and with this gift, she significantly widens its scope, aligning her own compassionate vision with ours. In many ways, our new partnership builds on a foundation that began during her days as a USC student, when she matured into a dynamic leader and empathic thinker. We are so proud to stand with her now, as we work in concert to better the lives of people everywhere.
Dean Marilyn Flynn, left, USC Trustee Suzanne Dworak-Peck and C. L. Max Nikias celebrate the newly named USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
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What’s the Trojan Family talking about? Share your thoughts with us on social media or drop us an email.
seen and heard Musings about Trojan life and USC Trojan Family Magazine from mail, email and the online world.
USC of Yesteryear
Audiotopia (2006), a comparative study of AfricanAmerican, Jewish-American, MexicanAmerican and Mexican pop music And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl (2008), a close reading of more than 400 Jewish music album covers
The “Genius” Club Being called a genius by your peers is an honor, but for Josh Kun, it’s an honor that made national headlines. The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism professor and cultural historian was recognized as one of the year’s MacArthur Foundation Fellows. Commonly known as the “genius grant,” the fellowship rewards extraordinary originality and dedication in creative pursuits, providing each winner a $625,000 “no strings attached” award. Kun, who leads the Popular Music Project at USC’s Norman Lear Center, has made a scholarly pursuit of how material history and music cross cultures. “My hope is we can use the energy and excitement around this award to galvanize and mobilize the work that so many of us are doing on campus,” Kun says. Watch a video interview with Kun at bit.ly/KunMacArthurFellow.
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Attached is a photo of the USC School of Cinematic Arts—when it was in old horse stables. We had a section that housed offices, a classroom called 108, an editing bullpen, an equipment room, an animation room, a sound department and a studio all in one space. The lab and the Navy had some outer bungalows. Pretty primitive by today’s standards, but there were a lot of good films made during that time. The photo is of me, Dale Iwamasa ’79 and Oscar Harrison ’80 in a time when only a handful of females and minorities were in the department. I am thrilled to hear that George Lucas will now be supporting African-American and Latino students. Janice Tanaka ’79
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles (2013), a music project that culminated in a free public concert featuring performers like Stevie Wonder and Jackson Browne To Live and Dine in L.A.: Menus and the Making of the Modern City (2015), an exhibition that explored the socioeconomic undertones of eating out in Los Angeles
S H E ’S A H I T During the week, Emily Gregorio MGC ’15 is a production secretary on hit TV shows like Veep. But on the weekends during baseball season, the former outfielder for Cal State Long Beach’s softball team is one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ball girls. The USC alumna became an internet sensation earlier this year after swiftly nabbing a wicked foul ball flying toward the stands, earning a rousing stadium cheer that now-retired Dodgers announcer Vin Scully noted was “the loudest roar in quite a few innings.” Her impressive back-handed catch—which also saved a fan’s beer—went viral as it made the rounds on evening news shows and sports websites. Watch it at bit.ly/ DodgersCatch.
KUN PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JOHN D. AND CATHERINE T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
USC professor and MacArthur Foundation “genius” Josh Kun explores history through arts and pop culture. Here are just a handful of his projects:
In the Spring 2016 issue, we shared photos of spots on campus that no longer exist (“Seen and Heard,” pg. 6). One USC School of Cinematic Arts alumna sent in her own late-1970s memory of a building long gone, but not forgotten:
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ARTHUR TRESS, SURFER, 1976 (PRINTED 1984), GELATIN SILVER PRINT, 23 X 22 INCHES (FRAMED), DR. EUGENE ROGOLSKY COLLECTION. COURTESY OF BRIAN FORREST
AN ARTIST’S EYE Complex, unorthodox and introspective, USC Fisher Museum of Art's newest collection includes more than 700 photographs, paintings and sculptures donated by physician and art collector Gene Rogolsky. The eclectic work of artists from Eastern Europe and the Americas builds bridges across divergent disciplines and ranges from sacred to provocative, cerebral to playful.
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trojan news
Ranking Highly In the most comprehensive survey of U.S. universities, USC comes out at No. 15 overall and No. 3 in the West.
USC stands in the top tier of American universities, ranking No. 15 in the nation, according to a new Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education survey. Among California universities, only USC, Stanford University and Caltech crack the top 25 in the survey of more than 1,000 U.S. colleges and universities. USC was third in the Western U.S., and the result is USC’s highest ever in any overall national ranking. The survey grades universities on a comprehensive list of factors emphasizing the student experience. These include providing students with tools for success and making sure students feel challenged and engaged. The rankings also assess enrollment of a diverse and international student body, and how well alumni can pay off their loans and find satisfying, highpaying jobs. Data were collected from a variety of public sources, as well as a survey of 100,000 U.S. college students conducted by Times Higher Education in London. Here’s why USC rises to the top.
G R A D UAT ES’ O U TCO ME S With college student debt growing, the value of a college education is important to consider. USC stands out for its high graduation rate, academic reputation and students’ ability to pay back debt. A USC degree also significantly boosts salary.
F E W U S C A LU MNI D EFAU LT O N LOANS 12% 10 8 6 4 2 0
11.7 6.8 1.2 USC
Public Colleges
Private Colleges
(Percentage who default on loans within three fiscal years of starting repayment, 2012–13)
USC’s 6-year graduation rate is 92%—more than double the national average for universities. Average salary 10 years after a student enters USC is $66,900.
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A typical USC student graduates with about $24,000 of debt, significantly less than the national average of nearly $29,000.
ST U D EN T R ES O U RC E S USC scores high for its resources to help students learn. That includes the amount USC spends on teaching each student and the ratio of faculty to students, as well as how much research faculty members publish.
D I V ER S E EN V I RO N M EN T
24% low-income students (eligible for Pell Grants)
USC ranks second among the top 25 national universities in the diversity of its students and faculty. USC’s ranking in this area was boosted in part by the high proportion of underrepresented minorities (22%) and first-generation college students (13%) among undergraduates.
9:1 26 Student-tofaculty ratio
Average class size
ST U D EN T EN G AG EM E NT The survey also measures what students say about their academic life. USC students report that faculty members encourage them to think critically and give them learning experiences that apply in the real world.
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trojan news
Forge the Future at Fertitta Hall Tomorrow’s business leaders learn and innovate at USC Marshall’s new academic hotspot. Behind its soaring gothic archways, 145-foot turret and pointed glass windows lies the exciting future of undergraduate business education. The newly opened Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall, the fifth and largest building in use by the USC Marshall School of Business, hosts features designed for an increasingly high-tech and globalized world. Walk through the five-story building’s glass doors and a movie-screen-sized interactive video wall shares listings of the day’s events and news headlines. A few steps away, lines at the popular Asian-themed café form early for banh mi, ramen and sushi. Students heading to classes like technology entrepreneurship or talent management make their way around two lecture halls, three interactive learning spaces, 20 classrooms and a new business library. More than 50 breakout rooms and collaborative spaces—outfitted with laptop hook-ups, video screens and Wi-Fi, of course—are encouraging students to remain in the school’s academic space as never before. In the basement, the Experiential Learning Center bridges business theory with practice. Students learn to negotiate and resolve conflicts in mock scenarios while professors and classmates observe. It sounds intense, but junior Nebal Jebarah couldn’t wait to start as part of her organizational behavior and leadership class. “It’ll teach me how to be better in those situations later in my career,” said the transfer student from Cerritos College. Creating a dynamic and collaborative learning space for future business leaders was the inspiration for Fertitta Hall, which officially opened in September and anchors the southeast corner of the University Park Campus. Its namesakes, USC Trustee Frank J. Fertitta III ’84 and his wife, Jill, support the university that he and their three children attended, while providing opportunities for others who will follow. “The education I received at USC Marshall formed the cornerstone of how I approach business every day,” said Fertitta, chairman and chief executive officer of Red Rock Resorts Inc. “Jill and I are thrilled to know that this new facility will provide a rich educational environment and a home for business undergraduates at USC.” LYNN LIPINSKI
Care for Kids Alumna and USC Trustee Jeanie Buss reaches out. USC and the Los Angeles Lakers have more in common than a downtown address: They’re helping local children learn. The Lakers Youth Foundation recently teamed up with USC’s Kinder2College outreach program. Through Kinder2College, students from USC and other colleges mentor young children in an effort to get them reading and writing proficiently by third grade. But there’s another connection between the organizations: USC Trustee Jeanie Buss ’85. The USC Marshall School of Business graduate is president of the Los Angeles Lakers and actively involved with her family’s Lakers Youth Foundation. Earlier this year, USC’s Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) recognized Buss’ efforts by honoring her with its NAI Champion Award. NAI is USC’s pre-college enrichment program for 6th through 12th graders in the neighborhoods surrounding USC's two campuses. At the ceremony, NAI also feted its 56 students who graduated this year. All have gone on to college or military academies. Calling NAI “lifechanging,” Buss was moved by the hard work of the students and their parents, many of whom attended Saturday and early-morning college-prep classes for seven years. “It touches my heart,” she said at the event. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
“There will be days where you may think you’re not good enough, smart enough, outgoing enough. Let me be the first to tell you: You are.” EDW I N SAUC ED O , USC student body president and first in his family to attend college, speaking to freshmen at convocation
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FERTITTA HALL PHOTO BY SUSANICA TAM
LYNN LIPINSKI
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FA C U LT Y
P R O F I L E
S U Z A N N E
L A C Y
The Activist Artist A USC Roski professor reflects on a lifetime spent at the intersection of community development and visual art.
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How do you decide on the themes for your projects? I work very differently than what I would call a more studio-based artist. I don’t sit in my studio and develop an idea and then come into a community and implement it. Normally it’s a longer process of generating ideas both by myself and also often in concert with other people. Once I get to a community, as I talk to people and listen to their experiences and try to understand some of the deeper problems that they’re facing, they, as well as I, come up with ideas. So it’s a very collective process. I work at the intersection of community development and visual art. We’re in a time ripe with social activism. Do you see a rise in activist art as well? You’re absolutely right; this is a time of increased activism and that does show up in the
art world. In fact, when I first started in the ’70s, this kind of work was called communitybased work and it wasn’t very recognized. Now, not only are there many artists who only do what I would call social practice, and are quite recognized for it, but such work is also collected by museums. There’s a whole field of cultural production that links to serious social issues with engagement practices. You’ve said that Los Angeles was a really great place to be an artist in the early ’70s—experimental and nurturing. What is L.A.’s art world like now? I think it’s still a really good environment. There’s something about the art schools, Roski being one of them, with so many artists producing at very high levels who are also teaching. They’re taking that
responsibility seriously and they’re graduating students who come back and teach. There’s this notion of legacy that’s very specific to L.A. When you graduate you can expect support. What do you hope your students learn? I think learning how to have confidence in yourself and move out into the world, to not feel like you have to hold up the whole ball game yourself. … There are many, many ways to practice art and many ways to see your life as valuable in a creative way. PHOTO BY SARAH LEE/EYEVINE/REDUX
Suzanne Lacy is hardly shy about her activism in identity, poverty and politics. In 1977, her groundbreaking performance art collaboration took the issue of sexual violence straight to the media and Los Angeles City Hall. “Three Weeks in May” prompted police and L.A. leaders to confront rape more openly. Throughout the ’90s she staged “The Oakland Projects,” spurring conversation about race and social injustice, while her 2013 “Between the Door and the Street” took over Brooklyn stoops with 360 participants discussing gender issues. Her work has appeared at the Tate Modern, the Whitney Museum and beyond. The prominent artist recently joined the faculty of the USC Roski School of Art and Design and talked with writer Lisa Butterworth about the ideologies and aspirations behind her work.
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Scholarships change lives. Every gift counts. giveto.usc.edu “ I want to work for Teach for America after I graduate. That’s something I would not have been able to even think about doing if I had a huge debt load to worry about.” Anjali Ahuja Presidential Scholar Computer science major minoring in digital entrepreneurship, Class of 2016
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trojan news
TROJANS
From sand volleyball courts to golf course fairways, the Women of Troy are making a name for themselves on the collegiate sports scene. Eight of USC’s women’s teams finished their 2015-16 season in the NCAA championships’ top 10. The feat secured USC’s first-ever Capital One Cup, which recognizes the best athletic program in the country based on standings from 18 NCAA sports. The university received $200,000 from Capital One to fund studentathlete scholarships. Here’s a roll call of USC’s top-ranked women’s teams:
BEACH VOLLEYBALL The team rode an impressive 30-match winning streak and secured back-to-back national titles, including the first-ever NCAA title for the sport.
WATER POLO Giving the program its second-ever undefeated season, the team clinched the NCAA championship from defending champ Stanford.
LACROSSE The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champions finished with a 20-1 overall record.
VOLLEYBALL The team claimed a share of the Pac-12 title with an 18-2 mark in league matches and received the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA championships.
GOLF A strong season featured six wins, including a Pac-12 and NCAA regional title.
SWIMMING Coming off its first Pac-12 title, the team finished sixth at the NCAA championships.
TRACK AND FIELD The ninth-ranked team set a new school record in the 400-meter relay.
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD At the indoor nationals the team landed in the top 10, with 10 firstteam All-Americans.
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Countdown to College New USC high school prepares future first-generation college students for success. It’s been more than a year since Evelyn Castro was hired to be principal of a school that didn’t yet exist. But last August, Castro finally saw “a dream come true” as the doors at USC College Prep, Santa Ana Campus opened for the first time in Orange County, California. The high school is the third operated by the Ednovate charter management organization, founded in 2012 by the USC Rossier School of Education. Like students at the other Ednovate high schools—USC Hybrid High School and USC East College Prep, both in Los Angeles— many of the Santa Ana school’s students aim to be first in their families to attend college. Most of the 120-plus teens in the first freshman class qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and many are English language learners. Like its sister schools, USC College Prep sets high expectations for students. The staples of Ednovate’s game plan have been brought to Santa Ana, including personalized learning, the latest technology and rigorous course offerings. A dedicated school counselor looks after students’ social and emotional health while helping them navigate the road to college admission. “It’s important for us that the students understand we have these ambitious goals for them because we care about their future,” says Fonda Held, the school’s assistant principal. The students feel those expectations. One freshman, Holden Merrill, says his first day was an adjustment. It wasn’t just his new laptop computer, to which he quickly became attached; he also learned to set a higher bar for his work. “The teachers expect a lot of you and that makes you expect more of yourself,” he says. Now that the school has opened its doors, its principal is focusing on what will happen behind them. Says Castro: “We’re really hoping that our students leave high school understanding what their purpose is and what their role is in creating positive multigenerational change.” ROSS BRENNEMAN
USC COLLEGE PREP PHOTO BY MARGARET MOLLOY
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HE ALTH FI LES Scientists are a step closer to understanding how the Zika virus disrupts brain development in unborn babies. USC researchers identified the two Zika proteins that stunt brain development and attack autophagy—a cellular process that rids the body of pathogens like the virus. Obesity is widely accepted as a health risk, but just a few extra pounds can’t hurt, right? That might be wishful thinking. The USC Institute for Global Health analyzed 239 studies involving 10.6 million people and found that being overweight by a even few pounds raises the risk of premature death. Trees make a difference for the teenage psyche. Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers found that teens, regardless of their background, sex or ethnicity, show less aggressive behavior when they grow up around green spaces.
Empty Chatter That account you’re following on social media might not be the voice of a person at all, but a piece of code. On social media networks like Twitter, networks of bots—automated accounts driven by basic artificial intelligence—have been found promoting celebrities as well as politicians, shaping discussions on everything from global affairs to extremist propaganda. The chatter sometimes causes serious effects. When an Associated Press Twitter account was hacked in 2013, it reported explosions at the White House. Within three minutes, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped about 150 points. It’s presumed that trading algorithms were picking up the tweet, quickly spreading misinformation. For computer scientist Emilio Ferrara, bot-spawned troubles are cause for concern. Most bots are fairly rudimentary and could be designed in just a dozen lines of code. But sophisticated ones can mimic human social users, and sometimes “it’s extremely hard to tell if a conversation is being driven by bots,” says Ferrara, a professor at USC Viterbi
School of Engineering’s Information Sciences Institute. Of course, not all bots are malicious. Many share useful news. Companies like Facebook have introduced chatbots to interact with customers. Well intentioned or not, they’re bound to change the way we act online, though. Verifying information’s credibility has always been a challenge on the internet. Social bots up the ante by amplifying information that’s inaccurate or even intentionally false, Ferrara says. But he believes technology will eventually erase the bots. He compares the situation to what’s happened to email spam: Today, detection algorithms can filter all but the most sophisticated spam from our inboxes. “There will always be some smart email that goes through the filter, and the same will be true for bots,” Ferrara says. “The idea is that you need to come to a point at which there’s no incentive for people to invest time into creating bots.”
EM I L I O FER R A R A Research assistant professor at USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Information Sciences Institute and Department of Computer Science
ANDREW GOOD
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Which residential college will reign supreme? Stay tuned as the year-long Residential College Cup pits the university's six residential colleges against each other with activities ranging from quiz bowls to community service challenges. Other new traditions for incoming Trojans include creating time capsules and returning to their residential college as seniors for a celebratory send-off reception and time capsule reveal.
Mind the Music From accordions to xylophones, playing musical instruments seems to jumpstart the brain. Learning to play an instrument boosts a child’s creativity, but new research shows it may also help grow the brain itself. At a time when many elementary schools have cut or reduced their music programs, neuroscientists at USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) found that music instruction may be important for brain development in young children, particularly in the areas of the brain that process sound, language and speech. For five years, USC neuroscientists followed nearly three dozen children from low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles to see how children’s behavior and brains changed over time. One group of children learned to play the violin or other instruments starting at age 6 or 7, while a second group played soccer. A third didn’t participate in any specific afterschool programs. When the scientists compared the groups two
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years into the study, they found that the budding musicians had more-developed auditory pathways, which connect the ear to the brain. “These results reflect that children with music training, compared with the two other comparison groups, were more accurate in processing sound,” says Assal Habibi, senior research associate at the BCI in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. A more-developed auditory system can accelerate a child’s brain development beyond musical ability. “This system is also engaged in general sound processing that is fundamental to language development, reading skills and successful communication,” Habibi says. He and his team plan to explore whether music instruction could accelerate development of language, reading and other abilities in young children. EMILY GERSEMA
It’s been five years since USC Trustee David Dornsife and his wife, Dana, presented USC with their generous and momentous gift that named the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Today, the Dornsifes and USC have plenty to be proud of. Since 2011, 67 USC Dornsife students have earned Fulbright fellowships. The college’s faculty includes four Nobel laureates, 13 National Academy of Sciences members, 23 American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellows, 35 National Endowment for the Humanities fellows and the most recent winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Its faculty has grown, too, expanding to 800 during those five years, including many who have helped transform the university. In addition to naming the college, the Dornsifes have supported numerous institutes and endowed faculty chairs. That brought the couple an unexpected bonus: Several faculty members have become family friends, David Dornsife said. But you might consider USC Dornsife's success just the beginning. At the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the gift in November, Dana Dornsife called on the college to continue the momentum: “Our job here is not done, and in fact, if we continue to do things right, it never should be.”
PHOTO BY GUS RUELAS
COLLEGE CHEER
DARRIN JOY
12/6/16 1:26 PM
USC Alumni Day of SCervice Daylong and Worldwide
Saturday, March 11, 2017 Each year, thousands of Trojans across the globe gather to make a difference in their communities. The USC Alumni Day of SCervice is an opportunity for all alumni and friends to participate in local service projects organized by USC alumni clubs, chapters and other affiliated groups worldwide. Where will you serve? Sign up for a project at alumni.usc.edu/scervice
ALUMNI.USC.EDU | ALUMNI@USC.EDU | TEL: 213 740 2300
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11/20/16 11:42 PM
trojan news On the Move Thanks to USC Trustee Glorya Kaufman’s transformative gift of an undisclosed amount to create the USC Kaufman School of Dance, students across campus are hitting the dance floor in classes incorporating hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, jazz and Bollywood moves. The school has nearly doubled its faculty this year with six new acclaimed instructors who bring wide-ranging dance expertise from around the globe:
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A LISO N D ’A M ATO
JENNI FER McQUI STON LOTT
ANI ND O M ARSHALL
ACHI NTA McDANI EL
C HR I STI A N V I NC ENT
Hip-hop dance artist, community leader and entrepreneur
Dance researcher, choreographer and performer
Dancer, choreographer and arts advocate
Percussionist and African dance teacher
Choreographer and performer
Dancer, choreographer and artistic director
A founding member of dance crew The Syrenz, she has performed with artists including Usher and Rihanna.
This scholar of choreographic scores has seen her dances and scores presented in the United Kingdom, Poland and throughout the U.S.
The co-founder of Michigan’s Traverse City Dance Project has premiered her dances and short films across the country.
An expert in the dances of the African diaspora, she is also a musician who teaches African and Latin American percussion.
The artistic director of a contemporary Indian dance theater draws from styles ranging from ballet to Bollywood.
TO OT H C A RE TO GO
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48' X 22' Size of the Ostrow School’s new mobile clinic
80,000+ Total number of children who have been served in USC’s mobile clinic program
$1+ MILLION Amount in free dental care provided to underserved communities annually
8 Dental chair stations in the new clinic
FACULTY PHOTOS COURTESY OF USC KAUFMAN SCHOOL OF DANCE; MOBILE CLINIC PHOTO BY SUSANICA TAM
In the 1960s, faculty and students from the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC used to pack their cars with dental tools and drive to remote communities to help patients who had no local care. Some 50 years later, the school is home to the country’s most extensive mobile dental clinic fleet. And it’s getting bigger. The Ostrow School just unveiled its newest rolling clinic—the world’s largest—made possible by a gift from the Hutto-Patterson Charitable Foundation. Today, eight mobile clinics staffed with dental students and faculty visit underserved urban and rural communities across California.
This veteran of movies and commercials counts Shakira and Prince among his previous collaborators.
1968 The year the Ostrow School first created a mobile clinic to serve migrant farm workers in California
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The Multi-Talented Pre-Med
PHOTO BY HANS GUTKNECHT/LA DAILY NEWS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Already a successful wealth manager, a young Trojan basketball player sets his sights on becoming a doctor.
While many college basketball players dream of a career in the NBA, Trojan forward Samer Dhillon dreams of changing the face of Wall Street. The 21-year-old, 6-foot-8inch walk-on senior is already a self-made businessman and federally licensed investment advisor at Quest Investment, the wealth management firm he started in 2014. Launched with $1,000 in personal savings, the company now oversees a $5.2 million portfolio for 42 clients and employs seven people. His day usually starts at 6 a.m. with a close read of the financial news. Then the human biology major is off to classes before hitting the Galen Center for four hours of practice with the men’s basketball team. Later, he can often be found at the Health Sciences Campus, where he works under brain scientist Judy Pa at the USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, studying
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the cognitive benefits of exercise on Alzheimer’s disease patients. Dhillon’s other dream is to be a doctor. A summer shadowing neurosurgeon Charles Liu at the Keck School of Medicine of USC solidified that ambition. “It’s cool to me to help people out in different facets— with both their investments and their health,” he says. Born and raised in Sacramento, Dhillon had parents who instilled the value of hard work. His father had come from India with less than $50 in his pocket, he says, picking peaches on Central Valley farms until he earned enough to buy his own business. His mom also worked hard, starting a family while putting herself through college to become an electrical engineer. Math and science always came naturally to Dhillon. English took a little longer. His first language was Punjabi, which he
after they turn pro.” Dhillon still uses to speak to his grandhopes to break that pattern. parents. He was also scrawny “I want to teach athletes to be in high school—“the nerdy kid with glasses,” as he remembers. self-sufficient,” he says. He cares about helping By the time he graduothers. Last year his nonprofit, ated, he had morphed into Deep Roots Foundation, gave student body president, class $40,000 in scholarships to valedictorian and captain of disadvantaged Central Valley the varsity basketball team. student-athletes. At USC, Thanks to an 8-inch growth he co-founded a mobile health spurt, Dhillon went from clinic that sees patients at bench warmer to MVP his the Pathways to Home homesenior year—and also earned less shelter in downtown an invitation to play at USC. Los Angeles. As a walk-on, Dhillon Next up? He’s studying doesn’t see much game action. for medical school admission Last season he played all of exams and will return to USC 8 minutes and made the only in 2017 as a fifth-year senior to shot he took. But he works complete minors in business hard, goes to practice up to entrepreneurship and occupasix days a week, and suits up tional therapy. for every game. It’s a lot to juggle, but he Off the court, he helps wouldn’t have it any other teammates with finances and way: “I’m an adrenaline junkie. balancing their checkbooks. If you’re not pushing, you’re “I’m a student-athlete not living.” myself,” he says. “I see the lifeDIANE KRIEGER style they all want to live. But 78 percent of athletes go broke
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trojan news
Building Blocks Ecology and urban planning take center stage in an award-winning game. It’s an electronic game, but Block’hood has grabbed awards and attention because it’s much more: It opens the challenges of urban planning to the masses. The brainchild of Jose Sanchez, USC School of Architecture assistant professor, Block’hood lets players stack and assort 96 kinds of blocks to construct communities. Choose thoughtfully. Each block comes with inherent costs and benefits. What leads communities to weaken or decay? How do you take care of waste? How do you balance needs like electricity, jobs or food with population growth? Walk through the game’s steps below; if you’re ready to play, visit bit.ly/Blockhood (and see it in action in the documentary film Gaming the Real World). D I A N E K R I E G E R
PIONEERING PHARMACIST
#2 P OWER IT Allocate resources like electricity, fresh air and labor. Inputs balance outputs, but upset that delicate balance and decay sets in. Residents and businesses leave. Structures collapse. Damage quickly spreads.
# 3 COMPETE Block’hood issues challenges, and game-players strive for the best solutions. A seemingly simple contest: Create a farmers market, attract a community of 200 people and generate the income to support them. A tougher one: Imagine a world without waste.
Vassilios Papadopoulos takes the helm as the new dean at the USC School of Pharmacy.
His pioneering work has taken him to Athens and Paris, Sydney and Montreal. Now scientist Vassilios Papadopoulos has come to Los Angeles to become dean of the USC School of Pharmacy. As the executive director and chief scientific officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Papadopoulos facilitated international collaborations and the commercialization of technologies. For nearly a decade, he spearheaded research initiatives at the institute, including translational research and intervention across the lifespan, which secured more than $300 million in governmental grants to build an advanced clinical and biomedical research facility. He received his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Athens in Greece and holds a PhD in health and life science from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. He was vice president for research at Georgetown University prior to joining McGill University. His decades of scholarship and research contributions include more than 300 published papers, numerous patents and roles on advisory committees around the world. “The USC School of Pharmacy has a major role to play in the U.S. health care environment and in the future of health care delivery,” Papadopoulos says. “Together, the faculty, students and I will work to advance treatment and care for patients now and for many years to come.” EMILY GERSEMA
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BLOCK’HOOD PHOTOS COURTESY OF USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE; PAPADOPOULOS PHOTO BY LOÏC PRAVAZ
# 1 BRE AK GROUND Mix and match your blocks and start building. Keep in mind that different urban plans attract different kinds of inhabitants, including wildlife, livestock and people.
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THE KECK EFFECT: MORE GRATEFUL MOMENTS Keck Medicine of USC is a top ranked, nationally recognized academic health system dedicated to breakthrough research and treatments. Together, our team of physicians, surgeons, nurses and researchers are setting a new standard in patient care, and doing everything to ensure you receive the comprehensive, custom treatment you need. That’s The Keck Effect — more ways to get you back to what you love. With locations throughout Southern California, exceptional care is close to you. See how we’re redefining medicine.
Get expert health tips
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© 2016 Keck Medicine of USC
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trojan news
A Biologist’s ‘Ultimate Pokémon’ The search is on for an elusive squirrel species.
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esearchers are on a real-life quest for the “ultimate Pokémon”: Zenkerella, a mysterious rodent with a part-bushy, part-scaly tail that’s never been spotted alive by scientists. The last time scientists heard about the Central African squirrel in the wild was two decades ago. But biologists recently found three newly dead specimens—caught by local hunters in ground
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snares—that hint at how the elusive creature has evolved since the early Eocene Epoch 49 million years ago. Erik Seiffert, a professor of clinical cell and neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, co-authored a study that identified the specimens through DNA samples for the first time. For him, the findings are more than scientific proof of a little-seen creature. The implications connect us back to a time many millennia ago. There are about 5,400 mammal species alive today, Seiffert explains, but only Zenkerella insignis and five others are
known to be the sole surviving members of ancient lineages dating to the Eocene Epoch or earlier. Within this select group, only Z. insignis, the colocolo opussum (Dromiciops gliroides) and the pen-tailed tree shrew (Ptilocercus lowii) are referred to as “living fossils.” That means that though these mammals have evolved over millennia, they haven’t changed much. Scientists still know almost nothing about Zenkerella’s way of life: how it moves, whether it spends most of its time in the trees or on the ground, or what it eats. But they do know that these diminutive squirrels have withstood the test of time. “It’s an amazing story of survival,” Seiffert says. “In strong contrast to Zenkerella, all of these five other ‘sole survivor’ mammal species have been fairly well studied by scientists. We are only just starting to work on basic descriptions of Zenkerella’s anatomy.”
ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH SMIT
BY ZEN VUONG
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What will it take to discover the secrets behind Alzheimer’s disease? Two massive machines will give USC neuroscientists a good start. Workers recently installed the first of a pair of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units in the USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute’s home in Stevens Hall on the Health Sciences Campus. The MRI machines will help USC researchers Arthur Toga and Paul Thompson map the human brain, both healthy and diseased, in fine detail.
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Provost Professor and Director, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute
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100+ Scientists at the USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute
Associate Director, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute
Power in teslas of the magnet in USC Stevens’ soon-to-come investigational Siemens MRI scanner, which will be the only one of its kind in use in the U.S.
Crew members needed to lower MRI machine safely into building, including crane operator
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trojan health
A Second Chance Experimental stem cell therapy helps a paralyzed man regain life-changing mobility. by amber dance il lust rat ion by chris gash
Fo ur day s af t er undergoing major surgery, 21-year-old Kris Boesen picked up a smartphone and sent a text. It was the first message that he had sent in months. But what was truly remarkable was that a man who was once almost completely paralyzed was holding a phone at all. It hadn’t always been like this. One night in March changed Boesen’s life. He was driving along a winding stretch of wet road in Maricopa, California, when his white Nissan 350Z fishtailed out of control. The sports car careened into a curb, a tree and then a telephone pole, breaking Boesen’s neck. After the accident, Boesen could only move his left arm up and down, and his hands were stuck in a clenched position. He couldn’t hold a fork to feed himself or use his arms to operate a wheelchair. He couldn’t use his legs, either. “I was basically just existing,” Boesen says. “I wasn’t really living my life.” Boesen’s neurosurgeon at the local hospital, who fused his neck bones right after the accident, recognized that Boesen tfm.usc.edu
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trojan health might be a candidate for a new treatment being offered through a clinical trial at Keck Medicine of USC. The surgeon contacted neurologist Charles Liu, director of the USC Neurorestoration Center. Liu’s procedure is part of a clinical trial sponsored by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine through Asterias Biotherapeutics, and involving five other clinical sites, with a goal of helping people with spinal cord injuries gain independence. Stem cells, or “blank slate” cells, have the potential to become several kinds of cells in the body. These cells could, in theory, help replace or repair damaged tissues—and after years of lab research, doctors have started to test that theory with patients in clinical trials. Speaking with Boesen’s family, Liu carefully outlined the operation, which would involve injecting stem cells directly into the young man’s spinal cord. The surgery was meant to demonstrate that the procedure was safe, and the physicians hoped Boesen would gain more movement, as well. As Liu explained, it could make the difference between being almost fully paralyzed or being able to use his arms and hands to control a wheelchair or phone. But Liu also outlined the risks. Boesen might lose what little arm movement he had. There was also the possibility that the stem cells could form a tumor. The family waited until Boesen could breathe and speak on his own, so he could
FROM TOP: Andy McMahon, Charles Liu and Ramzi Ben-Youssef
What Might Stem Cells Do? USC researchers hope to harness stem cells to fight blindness, eliminate HIV and more. Here are just a few of their projects. CURING BLINDNESS USC scientists are testing implants of special cells, made from stem cells, in the eyes of people with age-related macular degeneration, a condition that leads to blindness. TREATING LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE Cells from people with the paralyzing and fatal disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, serve as a test bed for potential new therapies. ELIMINATING HIV The virus needs to use a particular part of blood cells to infect the cells. Researchers are removing that viral entryway from patients’ blood stem cells, either in cells they remove and then transplant, or those in the person’s body. RECOVERING FROM STROKE Combining a transplant of stem cells with a drug that turns stem cells into nerve cells might someday help patients who have had a stroke. UNDERSTANDING KIDNEYS Researchers study how stem cells become a kidney and how that organ repairs itself, potentially leading to treatments for kidney disease or injury.
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weigh the risks and decide whether he wanted to give his consent. A few weeks after the accident, doctors removed his ventilator, and his father told Boesen about the trial. “Heck, yeah,” he responded. “We’ve got to do this.” With a pen propped in his hand, he signed his consent with an X. The stem cells Liu had to offer are called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Oligodendrocytes make the crucial insulating material, called myelin, that surrounds the wire-like sections of the body’s nerve cells. Scientists believe that the stem cells not only repair the damaged insulation, but also invite blood vessels back into the injury site. Plus, they release factors that help nourish nerves, potentially reviving nerves that were nearly dead. Asterias Biotherapeutics, based in Silicon Valley, grows the therapeutic cells in a lab. Liu had to time the surgery just right. In the first weeks after the accident, swelling and inflammation in Boesen’s spinal cord wouldn’t allow the stem cells to survive. After about a month, scar tissue filling the spinal cord would interfere with the cells’ effects. In early April, a month after his accident, Boesen was wheeled into an operating room at Keck Medical Center of USC. Liu and a surgical team opened the back of Boesen’s neck, cut a nick in the tough membrane surrounding his spinal cord, and slid in a needle. The anesthesiologist stopped Boesen’s breathing, so the motion of his lungs wouldn’t move his spinal cord. Liu held his breath too, as he slowly squeezed 10 million stem cells—thick, like toothpaste— out of the syringe. Then the team waited, watched and hoped. Liu and his colleagues aren’t alone in their high hopes for stem cell medicine. Across USC’s campuses, nearly 100 scientists, doctors and engineers investigating stem cell therapies are part of the USC Stem Cell initiative. “This is to bring people together who are working in the area of stem cells,” explains Andy McMahon, who leads the initiative. “It takes all sorts of people,” he adds, pointing to the contribution that tissue engineers, developmental biologists, geneticists, clinicians and others can all make to the effort. Some initiative members are working out the basic biology of stem cells; others are applying that knowledge in the clinic. USC researchers have, collectively, pulled in millions of dollars in grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The heart of the effort is at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, directed by McMahon, which offers the tools that keep research projects humming. USC scientists might use its Chang Stem Cell Engineering Facility to turn a patient’s skin cells into stem cells so they can replicate the person’s disease with cells growing in a dish, or correct disease-causing mutations. They might then take those dishes to the Choi Family Therapeutic Screening Facility to test how different drugs affect the cells. USC’s stem cell research center also has facilities to look at cells under the microscope, sort them based on their characteristics and change their DNA. For Boesen, being part of the clinical trial was life-changing. Within months he could lift weights, write his name, operate a motorized wheelchair and feed himself. Boesen’s natural recovery process and rehabilitation could have contributed to the improvement, but his recovery has differed significantly from what doctors normally see during treatment for this type of injury, Liu says. winter 2016
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BOESEN PHOTO BY GREG IGER
Like anyone steeped in science, Liu is wary of getting too enthusiastic about early results. He’s also careful not to predict the path of Boesen’s progress. The treatment probably won’t reverse an injury so that people like Boesen can walk again, but it’s realistic to hope that a small amount of repair in the spine could translate to big benefits in terms of arm movement. The stem cell injection was just the start of Boesen’s journey to improved arm motion. Recovery also required hard work in Keck Medicine’s Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation Unit. For two months, the Boesens worked with a team of physical, occupational and speech therapists, as well as physicians, nurses, case managers and social workers. Marisa Hernandez, an assistant professor of clinical occupational therapy, worked with Boesen on basic skills such as brushing his teeth and getting dressed. Wearing his own clothes instead of a hospital gown helped Boesen feel like himself again, Hernandez says. Another big victory: feeding himself at the Panda Express at the USC Health Sciences Campus food court. Having a positive attitude is a huge factor in working through the intensive therapy, says Ramzi Ben-Youssef, medical director of the rehab unit. Doctors and therapists remarked on Boesen’s cheery outlook. “He’s a jokester, for sure,” says Sheetal Desai, clinical coordinator for the clinical trial at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, USC’s partner on the study. “Sometimes he’ll pretend that he has to faint. … He likes to give us a scare.” Boesen is now back at home with his parents in Bakersfield, planning for the future. He wants to return to his career as an insurance broker and live a more independent life. “All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the stem cells,” Boesen says. The study isn’t over, and the treatment is not yet ready to become a standard therapy. But with promising results from Boesen, as well as others in the trial at different sites, the researchers now plan to double the dose, to 20 million stem cells. They’ll also be treating people with less-severe spinal injuries, who would have been too risky to include in the initial tests for safety because they have more function to lose.
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Too Good to Be True? Stem cells have already yielded mainstream treatments for blood cancers and burns, but most stem cell medicine remains experimental. That has not stopped hundreds of purported stem cell clinics—touting treatments for conditions from pain to autism—to sprout up across the United States, particularly in the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills areas. The best way to avoid unreliable treatments is to stay educated about the science behind any promised treatment. The International Society for Stem Cell Research says patients should look for records of scientific studies, independent review of the risks involved and FDA approval. These practices should raise suspicions that a treatment isn’t legitimate: • Patient testimonials, which may not be reliable because people want to believe the therapy works. • Claims that the same stem cells treat multiple diseases; real treatments will likely be specific for a condition. • Lack of clear information on where the stem cells came from and the treatment procedure. • Claims of zero risk; treatments always carry some risk. • High or hidden costs. Patients should not be charged for participating in a legitimate clinical trial.
McMahon, who is chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, predicts that stem cell treatments could reach many patients within the next decade. USC already has laid the groundwork for clinical trials exploring stem-cell-based treatments for HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, osteoarthritis in the knee and immune system damage due to chemotherapy. Because the therapies would replace damaged tissue with new, healthy tissue, treatments would provide true cures, he says. And in the far future, Ben-Youssef speculates, the right set of cells and the right techniques might help spinal injury patients even more than they helped Boesen. After all, when Ben-Youssef and Liu were in medical school, they learned that there was no way to fix the spinal cord— once the nerves were damaged, that was supposed to be it. “You never know,” Ben-Youssef says. usc trojan family
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Generation Next Application season can send high school students and their families into a frenzy of college visits and essay revisions. Here’s what USC applicants and parents need to know about admission. (Step one: Relax.) BY DIANE KRIEGER
“This is a unique and very special place. For the right student, it can be life-changing.” So says Katharine Harrington PhD ’93, USC’s vice president of admissions and planning. As USC’s chief enrollment officer for the last decade, she has watched the university steadily climb to the top tier of American academia. Her eyes still light up as she rattles off the qualities that set USC apart for under- 54,000+ Applications graduate education. “We’re one of only received in 2016 a very few large, highly selective private universities,” she says. On the West Coast, 3,068 USC is even more unusual: a private Students who became Trojans research university with strong Division I athletics and lots of school spirit. 30
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The only competition in that niche is Stanford University, and its student body is far smaller. Add to the equation Los Angeles —which is elbowing its way into the top ranks of global cities while retaining its century-old status as the entertainment capital of the world—and you start to see why prospective students flock to the USC Admission Center to tour the campus and learn about the admission process. “We get an awful lot more applicants than most private universities,” Harrington says. In 2016, that count passed 54,000. Only 3,068 became Trojans. BEYOND THE NUMBERS In 1980, fewer than 10,000 high school seniors applied for admission to USC. Fast forward three decades, and the size of the applicant pool has more than quintupled. Competition is fierce, and not just at USC. Experts note that the ease of applying to college electronically through the Common Application—as well as anxiety about getting into schools—means that typical high school seniors today apply to many more universities than their 1980s counterparts. More seniors are choosing to go on to college, instead of immediately entering the working world, and among USC applicants, test scores and grade point averages have climbed dramatically. But the size of USC’s freshman class has remained about the same over this period. It still numbers between 2,700 and 3,000 in any given year. The chances of any one USC applicant being admitted has plummeted from 69 percent in 1980 to less than 17 percent in 2016. So what makes for a successful application? “Academic ability is the ante to get into the game,” says Harrington, who is also a professor of clinical management and organization at the USC Marshall School of Business. “It’s the first condition, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.” Forget the myth that admission is all about the numbers. Says Timothy Brunold winter 2016
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Meet the Recruiters K ATHARI N E HARRI NGTON
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MURPHY LIPPINCOTT
’92, USC’s dean of admission: “This year, we turned away 3,000 people with 99th percentile test scores. We just don’t have enough room.” An embarrassment of riches is a good problem to have, but a challenge nonetheless. CAREFUL CURATION Each year, it’s up to Brunold, who has spent his entire professional life in admissions at USC, to “curate” the freshman class. It isn’t enough for his team of 45 fulltime readers to identify the year’s top 9,000 applicants. Staff members look for a mix of students who will help further the university’s mission of advancing knowledge through teaching, research, artistic creation, professional practice and public service. The team must fulfill a responsibility to deans and faculty to fill their classrooms with students whom, as Brunold puts it, they’ll find “compelling.” Those freshmen must be distributed across more than a dozen bachelor’s degree-granting schools at USC “in a very particular way, with very particular characteristics,” he adds. Only 33 percent of USC freshmen are based in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Nearly half will earn degrees in engineering, business or one of USC’s six art schools. Of course, plans change; about 60 percent of Trojan undergrads will switch majors at least once, and 30 percent will change to a major housed in a different USC school. Curating the freshman class also means anticipating how many of the admitted students will enroll (it’s usually about a third). Admission work has always been both an art and a science, but it has tilted hard toward science in recent years. “We used to go largely with our gut feelings, and those feelings are still valid. But now they have to be verified, justified and explained,” Brunold says. Given this complicated matrix of experience, intuition and big data, it might seem like applicants can’t do much to tip the scale in their favor. But they have more control than they know, he says. tfm.usc.edu
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WISE WORDS: Successful applicants don’t necessarily have to be “well-rounded.”
TI ME AND TR AV EL FOR RECRUI TERS
Recruiters fly across the world to tell talented students about USC.
2,200 High schools USC admissions officers visit each year (other schools only visit 600-700)
60 NIGHTS Time that Dean of Admission Tim Brunold spends on the road annually
“Yes, we have students who were captain of the debate team and president of the Mandarin Club and wrote for their high school paper. But we also have students who are enormously successful who have done nothing since 5th grade except go to school and practice the oboe.”
TI MOTHY BRUNOLD
WISE WORDS: There’s no magic formula for getting into USC. It’s best for applicants to just be themselves. “There’s a myth that we only want a certain kind of person. I can take two students: one who is gregarious, social, extroverted, and another who is more introverted, shy, bookish. A lot of people think the first student is perfect for USC. Truth be told, the introverted student will likely have as good a time here, or better.”
JOE BELTR AN
WISE WORDS: If USC is your top choice, don’t hesitate to say it.
M ARK YOUR CALENDARS
Some USC programs require students to apply by Dec. 1 (also the deadline for merit scholarships). But these are the 2017 dates on most students’ calendars:
“Students often ask me how they can let the admission office know that USC is their first choice. It’s simple: Just tell us. Tell us in your application, over email, telephone or in person. And we make note of that. We add these things to your files if you ask us to, and we keep them in mind as well.”
Apply by
JAN. 15
JOHN M ARFI ELD
Get notified on
WISE WORDS: Application season is a time for self-discovery. Think deeply about why a school or program is right for you.
APRIL 1 Transfers notified on
JUNE 1
“No one is admitted or denied to USC based just on their SAT score, or their essay, or one aspect of the Common Application or USC writing supplement alone. We’re trying to see who does well academically, but also who does a great job of showing why they want to be at USC and why their USC major is a perfect fit for them.”
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SCion of the Times SCions—children of USC alumni— currently represent about 20 percent of the freshman class, up from 10 to 12 percent in the 1980s. Honoring Trojan ties across generations remains important to USC. “We see a lot of value in keeping it in the family,” says Timothy Brunold ’92, dean of admission. “We want as many SCions as we can get.” They get preference in the admission process, but perhaps not as much as they would hope. Just ask Brunold. “I talk to all the upset families that don’t get in,” he says with a sigh. What many families don’t know is that generations of Trojans have created a lot of SCions. “Even if we made a rule that every SCion gets accepted, we’d still have to turn some away,” Brunold explains. With more than 10,000 SCion applications received each year, USC could fill its entire freshman class (about 3,000 spaces) three times over with the children of Trojans alone. At the current rate, if USC restricted every admission offer (9,000) to SCions, the university would still disappoint 1,000 Trojan families.
SCions in 2016 Freshman Class
20 % ADMI SSI ON R AT E
USC had its lowestever undergraduate acceptance rate (percentage of applicants who were admitted) in 2016.
69% (1980)
17% (2016)
WHO GOT I N?
USC admits come from different backgrounds and offer strengths inside and outside the classroom. Here’s a glance at the students who were accepted last spring.
31% had 4.0 GPAs
41% scored in 99th percentile on standardized tests 13% were first-generation college-goers 23% were underrepresented minorities 75 different countries represented
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Students choose how hard they work in high school. They choose their list of colleges. They choose how much effort they put into their application. They decide what to write in their essays, what to say during the interview, and whom to ask for letters of recommendation. “Now, they may not get into USC,” Brunold says, “and that’s scary. I get it. No one likes to be judged or rejected.” But, he insists, there’s no secret formula. “They’re trying to decode some equation that doesn’t actually exist.” He urges them to try candor and authenticity. “For those young people who can find a way to believe us, and trust us, and say: ‘Here’s who I am, warts and all,’ it’ll go a lot better.” A UNIQUE GAME PLAN Curating a great freshman class starts with identifying great students. USC’s admissions professionals don’t sit back and wait for a flood of applications to arrive. Instead, they recruit aggressively, well before application deadlines loom. They visit 2,200 high schools a year, three times more than any other university. Brunold spends up to 60 nights a year on the road, traveling from Nashville to Mumbai to Hong Kong and beyond. “The class is not the way it is by chance. It’s because we have constructed it to be that way,” he says. “If we want more of a certain type of student, we have got to go find that student.” Aggressively recruiting students greatly increases the admissions staff ’s workload, and some universities have responded by automating parts of their application screening system. But USC admissions officers evaluate applications the old-fashioned way: They read them. “Every shred of information, every document, every printed page is read multiple times,” Brunold says. From November through March, Brunold’s staff collectively spends more than 35,000 hours poring over these files. “We really do give all our applicants a holistic review,” Harrington says. “We give every single application our complete winter 2016
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Do’s and Don’ts of Applying to College DO'S
DON'TS
B E AU T H E N T IC A N D SH OW YO U R P E RSO N ALI T Y.
D ON’ T MI SSPELL WORDS OR USE SLOPPY GR A M M A R .
“I want to hear your voice,” says Joe Beltran ’07, MEd ’13, associate director at the USC Admission Center. “It’s really important to bring that across in your short answers and essays.” Your essay doesn’t have to be about a dramatic tragedy or life-changing triumph to impress reviewers. Pick a subject that is personally important and meaningful to you.
An application with an easily fixable mistake (or even worse, multiple ones) shows reviewers that you didn’t put in the time required. Proofread every part of your application and consider getting another set of eyes to double-check it before you submit. D ON’ T PI CK A M AJOR BECAUSE I T WI LL BE “ E ASY ” TO GET I NTO.
K N OW YO U R U SC P RO G R A M.
Admissions officers would rather see thoughtful statements than generic answers that could be copied and pasted on any college application. “Take a step back. Why do you want to go here? Why are you selecting this major? Be specific,” advises admissions counselor John Marfield MEd ’06, senior assistant director in undergraduate admissions.
When students see that their dream program has more specific requirements than others, some figure they’ll just apply to any USC program and then transfer to their dream major later. Here’s the problem: You still might not get into that program when you’re at the university. Portfolio and audition submissions are still required, and you risk having to stick to a major that you’re not as passionate about for four years.
M A K E YO U R E SSAYS E ASY TO RE A D.
Avoid writing in one single-block paragraph whenever possible. Readers’ eyes get tired, so consider writing answers in a way that’s easy on the eyes. Remember also to spell out acronyms and abbreviations for school clubs and programs so there’s no confusion as to what you’ve done in high school. HI G HL I G H T DIF F E RE NT ASP E CTS O F YO U R PE R S ONA LIT Y A ND IN T E RE ST S.
With a combination of essay and short-answer questions, the application gives you plenty of opportunity to write about yourself in different contexts. Let reviewers get a fuller picture of you and your passions by trying to pick different topics, activities and interests for your answers. B E S K EP TICA L O F CL A IMS F RO M F RIE NDS AND S O C I A L ME DIA A B O U T TH E A P P LICATIO N PRO CESS.
If you have a question about your application, go straight to the source. While well-meaning friends and family may think they have the right information, times change and everyone’s situation is different. Lean on friends and family for support and encouragement, but rely on university representatives for accurate and up-to-date information about the admissions process.
D ON’ T B OTHER SCRUBBI NG YOUR I NSTAGR A M OR FACEB O OK TR AI L .
Although students should always be thoughtful about how they represent themselves online, don’t waste time cleaning up your online posts. Public information could be considered in the admissions process, but most staffers are far too busy to look at your pictures and posts on social media. D ON’ T ADD I N E XTR A ESSAYS.
The Common Application has an “additional information” section for students to mention items that haven’t been included elsewhere in the application but are still relevant. Explain why you transferred high schools or had a temporary drop in grades, but this is not the place to put in another personal essay. D ON’ T RUSH YOUR APPLI CATI ON.
Give it the time and care it deserves. Instead of tackling 20 applications, advises Beltran, “put your energy into five preferred schools.”
CALCULATING COST USC admits students regardless of their financial need. But university officials recognize that the rising cost of a college education is an issue nationwide. The university has made strides in limiting tuition increases to maintain affordability while expanding services to students. Today, the typical USC student pays about 40 percent less than the actual cost of attending the university. How?
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Financial aid and university grants. USC has one of the largest financial aid pools in the country, exceeding $300 million per year from university sources and $460 million from all sources combined. Nearly two-thirds of students receive some form of financial assistance. About 21 percent of the entering USC freshmen in 2016 received a merit-based scholarship, and some 24 percent of students were eligible for federal Pell Grants.
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20 16 FRESHM AN DEMO GR APHICS
Male Female
45% 55%
Californian Out of State International
40% 44% 15%
PL
20 16 FR ES HM EN BY SC HO OL
USC Dornsife USC Marshall
N ICA
OO TP
L
82 54,2 s n tio 3 lica 9,02 Appceived ers Re ff 8 O n 3,06 issio Adm e s Siz Clas
201
P 6A
33% 20%
USC’s Arts Schools (co mbined) 18% USC Viterbi 14% Undecided/Undeclared 8% USC Annenberg 5% Other 2%
AD M IS SI ON S SN AP SH OT TH EN & NO W (1980) Applications Received 9, 224 Admission Off ers Made 6, 426 Applicants Ad mitted 69% Final Class Siz e 2,727
N ESHMA LENCE 2016 FR E XCEL IC M E D ACA
d)
nweighte
GPA (u Average
3.75 st Score
Te Average
le Percenti
95th National
(2016) 54,282 9,023 17% 3,068
olars
Merit Sch
229
s
holarship
based Sc
All Merit-
642
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Doing Good While Getting Better attention. We are enormously respectful of the process that students and families go through when they apply to USC.” As spaces get filled, the tension rises. “March, when we’re making very difficult decisions, is a tough time,” Brunold says. “People around the office can be short with each other, we lose sleep over this. We absolutely do. There are sometimes hard feelings and strong words. These are fantastic young people. … If it’s easy to deny someone, I often say, then we’re not doing it right.” Once offers are made, USC admissions counselors pivot from vetting candidates to urging prospects to commit to USC. “In the month of April, we’ll host 55 events all over the world, doing everything we can to convert those admitted students to enrolled students,” Harrington says. Events include one-day programs on campus for students and families to meet with staff, sit in on classes and learn about financial aid. For those who can’t make the trip, financial aid and academic representatives host receptions in major cities like New York and Shanghai to meet students and answer questions. And the cycle continues year after year, with a new batch of applications arriving each winter. “It gets in your blood,” Brunold says. “Helping young people find their way is noble, and it’s optimistic work. I get to meet some of the best and brightest.”
PHOTO BY MEIKO TAKECHI ARQUILLOS
N E E D MO R E I NF O ?
If you want to know more about the application process, you’re in luck. More information is available from the USC Office of Admission online at admission.usc.edu and on social media. Facebook facebook.com/AdmitUSC Twitter @uscadmission Instagram @uscadmission YouTube youtube.com/USCAdmissionOffice Google+ USC Admission tfm.usc.edu
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I T ’S THEI R CHOI CE
Prospective students can apply to 14 USC schools and programs, from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences to the USC Thornton School of Music.
As USC has risen academically, it has also been on a mission to ensure access and opportunity to outstanding students of all backgrounds. Walk across the University Park Campus any afternoon and you’ll find first-generation collegegoers skateboarding home and military veterans walking to class. International students and teens from USC’s immediate neighborhoods intermingle with students from East Coast private high schools. “We have no majority state and no majority race in the freshman class,” says Katharine Harrington, USC’s vice president of admissions and planning. USC has become a first-choice school for exceptional, diverse students from around the world and nearly every state. “Twenty-two percent of our undergraduate student body comes from underrepresented minorities, and this year, 13 percent of our freshmen are the first in their family to attend college,” she adds. Dean of Admission Timothy Brunold says people are always surprised when he tells them that 24 percent of USC undergraduates are eligible for Pell Grants—far more than almost every other private, highly selective university. Federal Pell grants go to students with a family income of less than $50,000. Across the financial spectrum, USC aims to make high-quality education possible and affordable for deserving students through an ever-increasing commitment of private scholarships and grants, which decrease the cost of college for students. At the same time, the value of a USC education has never been stronger. As millennials across America worry about soaring college debt and anemic entry-level job markets for grads, USC’s outcomes defy the norm. “Look at our loan default rate,” Harrington says. “It’s 1.2 percent. The national average for private schools is 8 percent. People come here, they graduate, and they’re successful when they leave.” As most undergraduate hopefuls put the finishing touches on their applications in December and early January, the admissions team is already gearing up for next year—and the one after that. “Now we’re competing [for top students] with institutions that are twice our age,” Brunold says. “That spirit of competition—being aggressive about the work of recruiting fantastic, highly diverse students—has informed our strategies.”
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Cardinal & Gold & Gold USC has produced more Olympians than any other U.S. university, and Trojans kept on running (and swimming and spiking) in Rio. BY DIANE KRIEGER
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rack superstar Allyson Felix ’08 showed the world what it means to “fight on” in the Rio Olympics. Only a few days after losing a gold medal in the 400 meters to Bahamian runner Shaunae Miller—who memorably dove headlong across the finish line—Felix resolutely laced up her shoes for the 4x100meter relay semifinals. During Felix’s race leg, a Brazilian runner bumped her arm and Felix lost her baton—but not her cool. She rallied her teammates to finish the race. On appeal, the Americans were allowed to try again, and they earned a place in the relay finals. But there were more bumps to come, as teammate English Gardner discovered minutes before the final that she was missing a shoe. Felix reached into her bag. “I always have an extra pair,” she told NBC Sports. “I’m kind of the mama of the group.” The foursome went on to win gold medals. With another gold in the 4x400-meter relay, Felix’s career medal count soared to nine, making her America’s most decorated female track and field Olympian ever, and USC’s most decorated Olympian of any gender in any sport. The world got another taste of Trojan spirit with Katinka Hosszú ’12. After missing out on Olympic medals in Athens, Beijing and London, the Hungarian swimmer came back to capture three golds and a silver in Rio. Coached by husband and fellow Trojan Shane Tusup ’11, she now holds the USC record for most individual event medals in a single Olympics. In all, 451 Trojan athletes have competed under 64 flags and taken home 144 gold, 93 silver and 72 bronze medals since 1904. USC sent 44 athletes to Rio in August, more than any other American university, and they brought home 21 medallions. Being a part of this Trojan Olympic tradition creates its own special bond. Four years ago at the London Games, swimmer Rebecca Soni ’09 experienced it firsthand. After a photo session for athletes grouped by country, Trojans of all nationalities spontaneously came together and demanded their own separate group shot. It wasn’t a
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FROM TOP: Katinka Hosszú showed why she’s known as the Iron Lady; Steve Johnson (left) medaled in doubles tennis; McQuin Baron competed in his first Olympics; Andre De Grasse lit up the track for Canada.
completely fanciful request: If USC were a country, it would rank 14th in the world in medals. Soni, a six-time Olympic medalist, remembers feeling immense pride as she stood among fellow Trojans who were the best athletes in the world. “My medals are not just for Team USA, but I’m also bringing them home for USC,” Soni told the Daily Trojan upon her return. Steve Johnson, who took bronze in doubles tennis in August, relished the Trojan camaraderie. It was exhilarating, he says, “to catch up with USC athletes and friends I hadn’t seen for years. And to see how our paths had taken such different turns, but we all ended up at the same place. The Trojan Family is a bond that we’ll never not have.” That bond was palpable to USC men’s water polo goalie McQuin Baron, today a junior at USC. He and freshman Thomas Dunstan were both on the American water polo team in Rio. They finished 10th, which Baron describes as “heartbreaking.” When he walked into his first USC practice in September, Trojan teammates and coaches greeted him with hugs and back slaps on the pool deck. Being a student isn’t quite the same after achieving Olympic fame. Upon his return from Rio, Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse would be stopped by fellow Trojans on his way to class. “I didn’t win any gold medals, but some people recognize me,” says the sociology major. “They come up and congratulate me, ask for a picture, ask about my experience.” De Grasse, who took a silver and two bronze medals in Brazil, cheerfully obliged. As legendary swimmer John Naber ’77 sees it, being in the Olympics means “you’ve climbed Mt. Olympus. You may not be the best in your event that day, but you’re among the top five.” The U.S. Olympics Hall of Famer claimed five medals at the 1976 Montreal Games, including four golds. “When we look at each other at the starting blocks, there’s this nod of recognition. When you win and I lose, or vice versa, there’s the willingness to say, ‘Congratulations, man. I know what it took. Well done.’”
PREVIOUS PAGE: PHOTO BY KIRBY LEE. HOSSZÚ PHOTO BY ANTHONY SOLIS; JOHNSON PHOTO BY CLIVE BRUNSKILL/GETTY IMAGES; BARON PHOTO BY TOM PENNINGTON/GETTY IMAGES; DE GRASSE PHOTO BY KIRBY LEE
If USC were a country, it would rank 14th in the world in Olympic medals.
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CARDINAL & GOLD & GOLD USC water polo sent nine Trojans to Rio, including three current students. Collectively, these nine athletes earned 12 NCAA championships during their time as Trojans.
ROSS PHOTO BY QUINN ROONEY/GETTY IMAGES; FARAH AND JOHNSON PHOTO COURTESY OF USC MEN'S TENNIS; LEWIS AND DEROZAN PHOTO BY GARRETT ELLWOOD/ NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES; CRAIG AND CHAMORRO PHOTO BY JEFF CABLE/USA WATER POLO; LOVELADY PHOTO BY SCOTT A. MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY
DI D YOU KNOW ?
In all, 451 Trojan athletes have competed for 64 nations and taken home 144 gold, 93 silver and 72 bronze medals since 1904.
T H E
A C E
April Ross ’05 won her second Olympic medal—a bronze—on the sands of Copacabana Beach, alongside three-time gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings. Ross had previously won silver in 2012 with fellow Trojan Jennifer Kessy ’98.
DeMar DeRozan helped Team USA pick up its third consecutive gold medal in men’s basketball. The two-time NBA All-Star has been a shooting guard with the Toronto Raptors since 2009.
Friends & Rivals During the 2016 Games, Trojan teammates often faced off as rivals on the field and in the pool under different banners.
USA’s Steve Johnson and Colombia’s Robert Farah competed in the second round of doubles tennis. The two friends had won two NCAA team championships together as Trojans. At the close of their Rio match, Johnson and Farah embraced at the net. Farah’s Olympic quest came to an end, but Johnson and partner Jack Sock proceeded to win bronze.
At Carioca Arena, former Trojan basketball teammates Dwight Lewis of Venezuela and DeMar DeRozan of Team USA took the court. They had played on the 2008–09 USC men’s basketball team. The Olympic game ended in a 113-69 win for the Americans, who would eventually claim their third straight gold.
In women’s water polo, Trojans Kami Craig and Kaleigh Gilchrist defended USA’s 2012 Olympic gold medal. On the way, they had to beat fellow Trojans Anni Espar of Spain and Victoria Chamorro of Brazil (pictured above, with Craig). For fifth-place honors, Espar had to defeat Trojan Hannah Buckling of Australia. Espar and Buckling were teammates on USC’s 2013 NCAA championshipwinning squad.
Craig
Gilchrist
Kami Craig ’10 and Kaleigh Gilchrist ’14 helped USA become the first to win back-toback golds in women’s water polo.
In August, USC sent 44 athletes to Rio, more than any other American university, and they brought home 21 medallions.
Women’s golf was back at the Olympics for the first time since 1904, with Trojans representing three nations: LPGA veteran Candie Kung (Chinese Taipei), USC senior Tiffany Chan (Hong Kong) and São Paolo native Victoria Alimonda Lovelady ’09 (Brazil).
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U S C
I N
T H E
O LY M P I C S
BY
T H E
N U M B E R S
Medal Haul When they left Rio de Janeiro with 21 medals in August (listed right), USC’s Olympians maintained a long tradition. They kept USC in the lead among U.S. universities for most Olympic golds and most medals overall. From Katinka Hosszú dominating in the pool to Allyson Felix raising her all-time Olympics medal total to nine, the 2016 Summer Olympics was a stage for top Trojan stars.
44
29 First-time Trojan Olympians
21 10 34 Alumni
TO P T RO JA N SP O RTS IN RIO (by participation)
Swimming (13) Water polo (9) Track (9)
Volleyball/Beach Volleyball (5)
SI LV ER
BRONZE
Basketball DeMar DeRozan
Swimming Katinka Hosszú Amanda Weir
Tennis Steve Johnson
Swimming Katinka Hosszú (3) Track and Field Allyson Felix (2) Dalilah Muhammad
Track and Field Nia Ali Andre De Grasse Allyson Felix
Water Polo Kami Craig Kaleigh Gilchrist
Track and Field Aaron Brown Andre De Grasse (2) Volleyball/Beach Volleyball Micah Christenson April Ross Murphy Troy
Nations Represented
Current Students
TRO J A N O LYMPI A NS COMPET ED I N R I O
GOLD
4
3
3
Katinka Hosszú led USC with four medals
Allyson Felix came home with three medals
Andre De Grasse brought home three medals
25 Women
19 Men
I N T E R N AT I O NA L T RO JA N S IN RIO
Since 1904, Trojans have represented 64 countries at the Olympics. In Rio, they competed under 21 flags, including for the first time the Bahamas, Bermuda, Colombia, Norway and Trinidad and Tobago. GOLFER CANDI E KUNG
3 Trojans
2 Trojans
2 Trojans
Oldest USC Rio Olympian at age 35
ZAMPERINI PHOTO BY BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES
16 Trojans
OLYMPI C I NSPI R ATI ON
2 Trojans
2 Trojans
2 Trojans
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WATER P OLO PL AY ER THOM AS DUNSTAN
Youngest USC Rio Olympian at age 18
Perhaps the most recognized Trojan Olympian never medaled at the Olympics. Louis Zamperini ’40 finished 8th in the 5,000 meters at the 1936 Berlin Games. He went from track hero to war hero when, in 1943, his B-24 crashed into the Pacific. Zamperini and crewmates drifted for 47 days on open waters before they were captured and held under brutal conditions in a Japanese POW camp. He earned several military honors and his story was depicted in the 2014 film Unbroken, based on the Laura Hillenbrand book of the same name.
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Secure your own piece of USC Olympics history. The coffee-table book University of Southern California: An Olympic Heritage, 1904-2016 is available for purchase through usc.edu/olympic-heritage.
CARDINAL & GOLD & GOLD
Trojan Highlights from the Olympic Games
KRAYZELBURG PHOTO BY DANIEL BEREHULAK/GETTY IMAGES FOR FINA; SANCHEZ PHOTO BY STU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES; MUHAMMAD PHOTO BY KIRBY LEE; ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY USC ATHLETICS
1904 St. Louis
1936 Berlin
USC’s first Olympian was runner Emil Breitkreutz ’06. He captured Troy’s first medal, a bronze, running the 800 meter in 1:56.4 minutes. He went on to coach basketball at USC.
1916 Stockholm
The only Jew on the German Olympic team, Helene Mayer ’33 was one of 22 Trojans to compete in Berlin. She earned a silver medal in individual foil fencing, having previously won gold at the 1928 Amsterdam Games.
2000 Sydney
Three-time gold medalist Lenny Krayzelburg ’98 dominated the Sydney Games, setting an Olympic record in the 200-meter backstroke and a world record in the 4x100-meter medley relay. The Ukrainian-born, Los Angeles-based swimmer would go on to win a fourth gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games.
2012 London
1976 Montreal
Fred Kelly ’16 was the first Trojan to strike Olympic gold, in the 110-meter high hurdles. High jumper Alma Richards LLB ’24 also won gold in Stockholm.
1932 Los Angeles
USC swimmers starred for Team USA in Montreal. John Naber ’77 won four golds and a silver, and Bruce Furniss ’79 earned two golds while Rodney Strachan ’77, MD ’81 earned another. Silver medals went to Joe Bottom ’77 and Laura Siering, and a bronze to Steve Furniss ’76. Trojan swimmers Steve Pickell ’81, Robin Corsiglia ’84 and Nancy Garapick medaled for Canada.
Félix Sánchez won the 400-meter hurdles in 47.63 seconds, exactly the same time he ran in the 2004 Games. At age 32, Sánchez became the event’s oldest Olympic champion.
2016 Rio
1984 Los Angeles Nineteen Trojans competed in USC’s first “home” Olympics, winning 13 medals—seven of them gold.
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The daughter of an imam from Queens, N.Y., Dalilah Muhammad ’12 became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in the 400-meter hurdles.
Dusty Dvorak, Pat Powers ’81 and Steve Timmons led the Americans to stunning victories over Argentina, Canada and Brazil, helping secure the country’s first gold medal in men’s volleyball.
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USC alum Art Leahy helped transform historic Union Station into the Los Angeles region’s hub for rail and bus transit.
Trojan alumni are woven throughout the fabric of Los Angeles civic life, working to improve life for all in USC’s hometown. BY GREG HARDESTY PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOAH WEBB
Growing up in the Highland Park community of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Art Leahy MPA ’82 recalls only one tall building around, about 40 blocks away from his house: City Hall. • Today, of course, skyscrapers pepper L.A.’s downtown. • Leahy has seen a lot change over the last 60 years, especially from where he sits as CEO of Metrolink, Southern California’s regional rail system. A transit guru for 45 years, Leahy has shepherded railway, bus and freeway projects in the L.A. area during the last half-century of explosive public transportation growth. • Just as transit has grown, so have major challenges in housing, the environment, the economy, the justice system and—seemingly everyone’s gripe—traffic. • These are problems that Leahy faces every day, but he’s not alone in trying to do something about them. Across the region, one of the world’s largest metropolises, Trojans are working to improve life. Threaded throughout the fabric of the government, a legion of USC alumni—especially those from the USC Price School of Public Policy—tackle some of society’s thorniest issues, from housing affordability to health care, from sustainability to social justice. • It seems fitting that the same building Leahy used to gaze at as a kid is where USC Price got its humble start 89 years ago: City Hall. tfm.usc.edu
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Planning specialist Ashley Atkinson, top, aims to make L.A. a safer place to live. Miguel Espinoza, bottom, protects the public as a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“We’re a professional school interested in making a difference in society, and that’s what we’ve been about since the beginning.” U S C P R I C E DE A N JACK KNOT T
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USC IN THE CITY Several USC or USCled initiatives are changing the face of the region or advancing its economy. Here are a few: US C VI L L AG E Scheduled for completion in 2017, USC Village—the biggest development ever in South L.A.—will include student housing, retail stores such as Target and Trader Joe’s, a fitness center and restaurants. This 15-acre, $700 million addition to the university will reshape USC and its residential life, providing jobs (about 4,800 people have worked on its construction so far) and boosting the local economy. B I OT E CH PA R K To create a vibrant hub of biopharmaceutical and medical device development near its Health Sciences Campus, the university is working with county and city government and local universities, community colleges and schools. The biotech corridor would bring thousands of jobs to Los Angeles, from entry-level technicians to research scientists. (Continued on p. 47)
Look at communities around the county, though, and you’re likely to find USC Price alumni operating behind the scenes at different levels of government and public service. According to Knott, the single largest group of city managers in the region are graduates of USC Price. The school now has about 1,850 students, about 30 percent more than it had when Knott became dean in 2005. In 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school No. 4 in the nation among graduate schools for public affairs. One engine behind USC Price’s growth has been the nearly $135 million the school has raised in the last five years. Some of these funds have been used to support investment in the development of new degree programs and the hiring of new faculty. The gifts also have helped raise the profile of the school, thus attracting more applicants. And a portion of the gifts has gone to scholarships, which have helped attract a more diverse student body. In short, the money has, indirectly, readied a healthy pipeline of talented civic leaders. Here are just a few who are making a difference across the county. HOME SWEET HOME Angelenos live in a city that’s one of the world’s most notorious seismic hotspots. For city planners, thinking (maybe even obsessing) about an earthquake’s potentially devastating impact is imperative to save lives. Just ask Ashley Atkinson MPA ’07, MPL ’07. Until recently, she had no clue what terms like “softstory building” and “non-ductile concrete” meant. Atkinson, a planning specialist in L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Economic Development, now tosses these and other terms around with casual confidence, the result of her working on a seismic retrofit ordinance that went into effect nearly a year ago. “Ultimately, this ordinance will result in a much safer and more resilient L.A.,” says Atkinson. An East Coast transplant, she moved to L.A. in 2004 and didn’t expect to stay after graduate school. But when she discovered L.A.’s compelling array of planning and development challenges she could work on, she stayed, and even bought a home. The seismic retrofit ordinance affects some 14,000 buildings throughout the city, most of them residential, which will be upgraded structurally over the next two decades. Atkinson also helped Garcetti establish a goal of permitting 100,000 new housing units through 2021 to address L.A.’s chronic housing shortage,
KNOTT PHOTO BY WILLIAM YOUNGBLOOD
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK In 1929, the founding scholars of what was then the USC School of Citizenship and Public Administration studied ways the city could operate more efficiently and also raise government and civic engagement within the community. The mission to boost the quality of life for people and their communities, here and abroad, continues today at USC Price. “We’re a professional school interested in making a difference in society,” says Jack Knott, dean of USC Price, “and that’s what we’ve been about since the beginning.” Today, about 16,000 USC Price alumni across the globe work to strengthen democratic governance, urban development and social and health policy—the interdisciplinary themes of the school’s academic programs and its 13 research centers and institutes. Well-known local alumni include former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis MPA ’81, now an L.A. County supervisor, and two prominent members of law enforcement: L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell MPA ’89 and Bernard Melekian DPA ’12, former police chief of Pasadena and former director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Dalila Corral Lyons grew up near the University Park Campus. Now she’s a Superior Court of L.A. County judge who has helped improve the state’s judicial system.
one of the culprits that has made the area the least affordable place in the country to buy a home, according to an August 2015 study. Of these 100,000 new units, 15,000 will be set aside as affordable housing, Atkinson says. With nearly 4 million people in the city, or more than 1.3 million households, making a difference can feel overwhelming, but the key is to look at the big picture. “As a generalist, I have to draw on bits and pieces of real estate, policy and public administration,” Atkinson says. “We look at what is realistic, what we can accomplish, and how we can make sure the resources are there to make these goals a reality.” Being realistic is an attitude echoed by many of her fellow USC Price alumni. They seem to adopt it as a mantra, a lesson learned in their real-world-focused classrooms. “I never felt like what I was learning was just theoretical, philosophical gobbledygook,” transit guru Leahy says. “What I learned in the classroom was directly applicable to how a large operation is managed, from budgeting to administration and operations analysis.” Before Leahy became CEO of Metrolink in 2015, he ran the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for six years and, before that, the agency’s counterpart in Orange County. Under his watch, the 22 and 5 freeways were widened and the 91 Freeway toll lanes were purchased and converted into a profitable publicly managed system. Leahy recalls that in 1990, L.A. didn’t have a single inch of rail in operation. Now, L.A.’s Metro is about to pass San Francisco’s BART for ridership on its rail lines, Leahy says. Metro’s Blue Line, which connects Long Beach to downtown L.A., was established when he was chief operating officer, and the Red Line, which connects North Hollywood to downtown L.A., launched in 1993 when he was CEO. “You can do things today that would have been inconceivable 26 years ago,” Leahy says proudly. Today, L.A.’s Metro trains average about 9.5 million boardings per month. URBAN UPLIFT Giving Angelenos options to get from point A to point B is a big step in improving livability, but for Nat Gale MPL ’11, MPA ’11, transportation goes hand in hand with investing in neighborhoods themselves. Gale is a key member of the Great Streets Initiative, a community development program housed in Garcetti’s Office of Transportation. tfm.usc.edu
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(USC in the City, continued) I N N OVAT I ON N OD E USC has taken the lead on InnovationNode Los Angeles (IN-LA), a collaboration with Caltech and UCLA to promote high-tech entrepreneurship. Supported partly through the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps Program, IN-LA offers education to link innovators with capital and other resources. MA N U FACT U RI N G COMMU N I T Y D E S I G N AT I ON In September, the federal government re-designated Southern California as one of 12 regions with preferential access to $1.3 billion in government funding to boost manufacturing. The Southern California effort, led by the USC Center for Economic Development at USC Price, focuses on aerospace and defense industries.
The initiative aims to improve sections of 15 L.A. streets by encouraging local businesses to develop investments that make the corridors more pedestrian-friendly and safe. Recent projects have included everything from street festivals to painting murals along Western Avenue. Meanwhile, in Long Beach, Mayor Robert Garcia MA ’05 (a graduate of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) has garnered attention for improving sidewalks, crosswalks, beach paths and traffic signals and adding bike lanes and more public transportation routes to make it easier to get around town. The improvements have earned national interest and Long Beach was recently named one of the 10 Most Walkable Cities in the U.S. by real estate website Redfin. Scott Ochoa MPA ’06, Glendale’s city manager, has focused on a “smart growth” approach to revitalize his city’s downtown with a balanced mix of office, retail and residential projects. A city manager for more than a dozen years, Ochoa—who first got a taste of city management while serving as an intern for the city of Monrovia while studying at USC—envisions an “18-hour business day” where workers, residents and visitors linger in the evening to shop, eat and enjoy downtown Glendale’s growing list of businesses. Ochoa, whose office employs four USC Price students and alumni, says the city’s diverse investments in infrastructure, parks and economic development yield major benefits, from advancing sustainability goals to improving quality of life to attracting new tenants to town. “We’ve come a long way in performance management and how we achieve measureable results to make a positive difference for our residents and businesses,” Ochoa says. COURTING CHANGE Growing up near USC’s University Park Campus, Dalila Corral Lyons ’81 thought that attending the university was a distant dream. The first in her family to attend college, she had a passion for social justice, but didn’t discover her career path until her time at USC Price. Now a judge for the Superior Court of L.A. County, she rules on civil cases that range from employment matters to business and contract disputes. As a voting member of the Judicial Council of California, Corral Lyons makes policy decisions that affect all 58 county courts in California. The council has approved funding to courts to modernize how traffic tickets are paid and how people report to jury duty, eliminating the need for usc trojan family
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Thomas Wong, top, helps educate the public about water sustainability. Environmental issues also are important to Tom Bakaly, bottom, who supports health programs in L.A.’s South Bay.
many to have to drive to court. “It’s very rewarding to make decisions that will positively impact the judicial system and hopefully make it more efficient and responsive to court users,” Corral Lyons says. Her work isn’t easy, and she knows people have many gripes about the judicial system. “It’s gratifying to be in a position to solve some of those complaints and improve the administration of justice,” Corral Lyons says. “Unfortunately, we are dealing with significant budget reductions. But despite the severe budget cuts, we do our best to ensure an impartial and accessible administration of justice.” Seeking justice has long been a passion for Miguel Espinoza MPP ’07, JD ’07, who as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office works with victims of the worst crimes imaginable: rape, child molestation, domestic violence, human trafficking, homicide. To say public service is in Espinoza’s blood is an understatement. His grandmother was a bilingual public school teacher, his mother is a public school teacher, his father was a deputy public defender and judge, his grandfather was a Spanish-language court interpreter, his brother is a deputy county counsel and his sister is currently studying at USC to be a social worker. Oh, and Espinoza’s wife is a deputy city attorney in L.A. “I decided to leverage my law degree to seek justice for the people living and working in Los Angeles County,” says Espinoza, a former political strategist. “Working as a special victims prosecutor has allowed me to do this on a daily basis. “I never wonder why I wake up every day and go to work. This job is totally fulfilling. When I walk into work each morning, I know exactly why I’m there: to fight for safer and healthier communities.” USC Price, Espinoza says, expanded his policy and analytical skills beyond his law degree. “It emphasized group work and people thinking collectively about ways to move communities forward,” Espinoza says. Such an approach is needed, he says, to reform the overtaxed criminal justice system, whose complex challenges include overcrowding and a high recidivism rate among offenders. A CLEANER CITY As Southern California heads into its sixth year of crippling drought, tapping into a sustainable water supply strategy is no longer a choice.
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BEYOND L.A. Here are just a few USC Price alumni who have impressive experience in civil service and government: MICHAEL L . WILLIAMS ’ 75, MPA ’79, JD ’ 79 was appointed to the Texas Railroad Commission in 1999, becoming the first African-American in Texas to hold a statewide elected executive office. In 2012, Williams was appointed education commissioner of Texas. MELISSA DET TMER SCHILD ’98, MPA ’02 is director of planning and performance management in the U.S. Dept. of State’s Office of Foreign Assistance Resources. She ensures that there are strategic plans for all of the State Department’s embassies, regional offices and major programs ranging from refugee assistance to counter-terrorism. IRENE HIRANO INOUYE ’ 70, MPA ’73 is president of the U.S.-Japan Council, a nonprofit educational organization that helps strengthen U.S.-Japan relations. She has extensive experience in nonprofit administration, community education and public affairs, and is the former chair of the Ford Foundation.
Enter Thomas Wong MPA ’13, who doesn’t mind shaking up Division 3 of the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. “As a young person, I saw a lot of long-term issues that weren’t being discussed,” says Wong, who was 25 when he was elected to the board in 2012. Chief among the long-term issues was ensuring a clean and affordable water supply for the region and determining whether the cities in his district—Monterey Park, Alhambra, Azusa and Sierra Madre—were prioritizing water sustainability. Wong believes the water district could and should be doing more to engage the community about water supply issues, and also ask bigger questions: “How do we build a stronger environmental ethic and robust community conversation around what our streets, our neighborhoods, our businesses will look like in 10, 20, 50 years? How do we build the future we want to live in?” Environmental issues and sustainability have been a passion of Wong’s since he took a high school environmental science class. He served as a member and chair of the Monterey Park Environmental Commission and handled environmental and water issues while working for former California Assemblyman Mike Eng. He was named president of the board in late 2015 and has made community engagement one of his priorities, especially as California grapples with an ongoing drought. For Wong, the issue is educating the public on collective action. “So it’s even more important that we engage them so that they know what issues are coming up, why we have to pay for these investments, and what these investments are going to do to make our communities more sustainable.” Across the county in Hermosa Beach, Tom Bakaly MPA ’89 has focused on air quality. The city’s former city manager pushed efforts to clean the air and expanded the city’s 2011 smoking ban to downtown, the beach and all public spaces. In November, he joined the Beach Cities Health District, which supports health programs in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. The agency offers residents free community programs ranging from consultations to supporting seniors living independently at home to “walking school buses” to escort children to school safely on foot. Prior to becoming city manager of Hermosa Beach, Bakaly was city manager of Park City, Utah at the relatively young age of 39. “I don’t think that happens,” Bakaly says, “without having that practical application, that skill set, that I got from USC.”
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Unconventional approaches to cancer research span from modeling cancer with math to using science fiction-like nanotechnology to deliver therapy.
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From physicists to computer whizzes, unexpected experts are disrupting traditional cancer research. Now a $200 million gift from Larry Ellison and vital federal funds support USC’s efforts. BY CANDACE PEARSON
3-D RENDERING BY STOCKTRECK/GETTY IMAGES
The Cancer Quest You wouldn’t think that an “aha moment” in an oncologist’s Transformative Medicine of USC. Agus, faculty member at the career would come from a meeting with a computer scientist. But Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Viterbi School of USC’s David Agus credits that long-ago conversation for revolu- Engineering, is founding director and CEO of the Ellison Institute, tionizing his view of cancer and its treatment. which launched this summer with a generous $200 million gift from As Agus tells it, Al Gore—yes, the former vice presi- Larry Ellison, entrepreneur and founder of Oracle Corporation. dent—was visiting his lab when Gore nudged him to talk with The Ellison Institute embodies interdisciplinary research, an entrepreneurial engineer he knew. It was Danny Hillis, the linking science with the holistic prevention and treatment of celebrated inventor behind the Connection Machine, the paral- cancer. It’s part think tank, part cancer clinic and part educational lel supercomputer at the forefront of artificial intelligence in the outreach and wellness center. Visiting scientists, fine artists, film1980s, who later took a leadership role at Disney Imagineering. makers and chefs will all contribute to its atmosphere of discovery “Do I really want to meet a guy from Disney, and well-being in a center to be created in who designed computers?” Agus asked himwest Los Angeles (see story on page 52). self. Hillis was just as skeptical, but they got Agus is also co-principal investigator together anyway. of the USC Physical Sciences in Oncology “To find answers to cancer, Turns out that Hillis offered an engineer’s Center with Hillis, one of only 12 such colresearchers need to view perspective to Agus’ frustrations with treating laborative outposts established by the National cancer: He was an expert in modeling complex Cancer Institute (NCI) nationwide. The broad, the disease differently. systems with lots of variables. multi-institutional team studies cancer by They have to consider cancer bringing in physical science-based approaches Over the course of their back-and-forth, as a disease of the whole something clicked with Agus. To find answers grounded in chemistry, math and physics. to cancer, researchers need to view the disease Says Agus: “I’m at USC not just to treat body, not just defects in a differently, he thought. They have to consider cancer,” he says, “but to change how we treat cell that cause cells to grow cancer as a disease of the whole body, not just cancer.” out of control.” defects in a cell that cause cells to grow out of control. “Cancer is a systems problem, not a COME TOGETHER biology problem,” he explains. Across USC, experts from surprisingly differSince then, the two have paired up to ent backgrounds are using the tools of their analyze the vast network of a million proteins in the body and trades to fight cancer. Jorge Nieva and Peter Kuhn stand out as untangle how they relate to cancers in individual patients. But to strong examples. tackle these kinds of problems, it takes calling in reinforcements Kuhn—a physicist—remembers the day some 10 years ago outside the norm of cancer research—people like computer when he and Nieva were watching a patient walk across a parking scientists, mathematicians and physicists. It could even mean lot. Nieva, an oncologist, told Kuhn that he could assess how well a bringing in people who might initially seem far removed from patient was feeling simply by watching his movement. the field. The scientist in Kuhn was intrigued. Even more, he took that More than a decade after that first meeting, that collaborative moment as a challenge. What does a doctor see, he wondered, that concept has culminated at the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for reveals a patient’s health condition—and its relationship to how tfm.usc.edu
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Larry Ellison has never taken the safe and conventional approach to life. The founder and chairman of Oracle Corp. is a renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist and sportsman. He built his career on innovation, and now he’s bringing that drive to USC cancer research and care. His lead gift of $200 million will establish the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC, a center in west Los Angeles that will combine interdisciplinary research with the holistic prevention and treatment of cancer. It is one of the largest gifts made to cancer research and treatment in recent years. “The new institute will invite mathematicians, physicists and other scientists to collaborate with cancer researchers from the traditional disciplines of medicine and biology,” Ellison said during his announcement. “We believe the interdisciplinary approach will yield up new insights currently hidden in existing patient data.” Led by physician David Agus, who holds joint appointments at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the institute will house interdisciplinary cancer research laboratories and clinical care. Its collaborative environment will include a think tank, education and outreach, as well as community spaces that encourage health, such as a library and gardens. Agus praised Ellison’s understanding of the need for transformation in cancer care and research. “I believe, with Larry’s support, we can advance our research to the next level, allowing the most effective treatments to benefit patients who are in urgent need of new therapies—today,” Agus said. LYNN LIPINSKI
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WHERE IDEAS WILL FLOW The USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, scheduled for completion in 2017, will be USC’s largest building. As many as 30 USC scientists, engineers and other faculty members will use the center as their launch pad for new diagnostics, medical devices and potential treatments. The Convergent Science Initiative in Cancer (CSI Cancer), led by USC’s Peter Kuhn, is an area of focus within the USC Michelson Center.
LEARNING OTHER LANGUAGES Sometimes cancer researchers have to become proficient in the language of a different field to get things done. That’s the case for USC Viterbi’s Nicholas Graham, assistant professor in the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, a chemical engineer who worked in a molecular pharmacology lab after grad school. Cancer is about more than cells or tumors alone. Graham studies how different systems work together to help cancer develop, from the nutrients that fuel cancer to how cancerous cells communicate with each other and the tissue around them. Because these systems can be tremendously complicated, he
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LARRY ELLISON’S LEGACY
well the patient will respond to treatment? And could that be quantified to ultimately help patients? Today both men are at USC. Kuhn’s and Nieva’s mutual search for answers drives a quest to create cancer treatments tailored to each patient, a movement known as personalized medicine. Called ATOM-HP (short for Analytical Technologies to Objectively Measure Human Performance), their project brings together researchers beyond medicine and biology to embrace psychology, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, physics and computer science. In part, it aims to measure how cancer patients feel, so that doctors can prescribe treatments that patients will better endure. One advantage in enlisting a broad community against cancer is that cancer research “newcomers” don’t always know or care what’s considered impossible. “It’s the new questions that will lead to the next breakthrough,” says Scott Fraser, director of science initiatives in the USC Office of the Provost. And Kuhn is a big advocate for the value of different perspectives. He’s Dean’s Professor of biology and a professor of medicine, biomedical engineering and aerospace and mechanical engineering, and he heads up cancer efforts as a founding faculty member of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. Convergent bioscience brings the life sciences together with engineering to improve human health, and it’s a major initiative at USC. Consider what the ATOM-HP team is tackling: They’ll get information from sensors on patients to continually monitor their well-being—and, over time, the data could potentially help doctors decide if they need to change treatment plans. The project draws on the “Internet of Things,” a worldwide network of interconnected people and objects. Tools could include video, wearable devices and patient-reported data, which are developed and integrated by experts like engineers, computer scientists, psychologists and videographers. “We need new tools because we don’t want cancer medicine to advance at the same rate it has over the last 20 years,” says Nieva, a Keck Medicine of USC medical oncologist and project leader of ATOM-HP. Others see promise in the pilot project: It has attracted funding from the NCI and the Department of Defense and is part of the Cancer Moonshot, a nationwide initiative to accelerate cancer research and therapies.
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BENIOFFS PHOTO BY MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY IMAGES
Learn more about the Ellison Institute at ellison. usc.edu, the USC Michelson Center at michelson. usc.edu, and USC Norris at cancer.usc.edu.
uses computer models to understand them. That demands knowledge of computer science, statistics, biology, chemistry and more—far beyond the bounds of a traditional chemical engineer. Fellow USC chemical engineer Stacey Finley, Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, also has cancer in her sights. Among other things, she studies how tumors feed themselves by convincing the body to build new blood vessels that nourish them. Tumors do this by communicating with the rest of the body through a complex set of signals. Therapies that block certain signals can keep blood vessels from growing, starving tumors. Finley models these networks mathematically, so she can conduct experiments virtually—much faster than could ever happen in a clinical trial. Her goal is to develop and optimize personalized cancer treatments. “It’s the golden ticket we’re working for,” says Finley, part of the USC Michelson Center. Finally, the ultimate disruptive partners in cancer research are the patients themselves. They’re an essential part of CancerBase, a grassroots collaborative in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences to create a global disease map of cancer. The new crowd-sourced effort (at cancerbase.org) could help patients learn about their disease trajectory and treatment options. Created in part by Kuhn—and one of three Cancer Moonshot projects involving Kuhn and USC—it’s run with the help of Stanford University scientists and social media companies. Also contributing are students from the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, who are designing ways to engage patients through social media and video. Fraser, a champion for scientific innovation at USC and a USC Michelson Center researcher, sees a benefit for USC students learning in this cross-disciplinary environment: This next generation of researchers will be fearless about applying whatever technique might help them solve a problem. He models that attitude in his own research by eagerly borrowing tools from other disciplines. Within the Translational Imaging Center at USC, for example, he takes a cue from filmmaking to understand the natural history of cancer cells—imaging tumors over an entire lifespan. Fraser calls it the cancer version of Boyhood, a film that followed a boy from ages 6 to 18. Investigators using the approach discovered an intriguing storyline: A lot of precancerous cells don’t grow up to form tumors. As Fraser says, “That makes it a much more interesting movie.” At USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, director Stephen Gruber is hopeful that this sort of animated exchange of ideas across science, engineering, medicine and the arts and humanities will result not only in a better quality of life for cancer patients, but also a longer life free of cancer. “We are at an extraordinary inflection point in cancer care, where diseases once considered untreatable are not only manageable but are being cured,” Gruber says. “At USC, we are extremely fortunate that we have talented physicians and scientists who love working together.” tfm.usc.edu
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THE BENIOFFS BELIEVE IN RESEARCH
FROM TOP: David Agus, Jorge Nieva, Peter Kuhn, Stacey Finley, Stephen Gruber
USC Trustee Marc Benioff ’86 and his wife, Lynne, are supporting construction of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC through a generous $20 million gift. Marc Benioff has served as a member of the USC Board of Trustees since 2010. Widely recognized for his inspired leadership as CEO of Salesforce, he is noted for integrating philanthropy into the core of business. During his tenure, Salesforce has grown from a groundbreaking idea into a Fortune 500 company and the fastestgrowing top-10 software company in the world. Benioff previously spent 13 years at Oracle Corp., which was founded by Larry Ellison, the Ellison Institute’s primary benefactor. Lynne Benioff is an independent marketing consultant and philanthropist. She is a member of the board of several organizations, including the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Foundation and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. “Cancer has deeply impacted our family and too many other families around the world,” said Marc Benioff, whose father, Russell Benioff, passed away from prostate cancer in 2012. “We truly believe that by empowering and funding institutions doing important cancer research, we will be able to change the course of this disease.”
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Scholarships change lives. Every gift counts. giveto.usc.edu “Being a music student can be a huge financial burden—taking lessons, going to music activities. A lot of students like me can only go to USC because of scholarships. They really make a big difference.” Ashley Hoe USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association Distinguished Scholar Award Piano performance major, Class of 2015
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FURRY FRIEND Behind the grin is USC’s newest staff member dedicated to students' well-being. Meet Professor Beauregard “Beau” Tirebiter, a 2-year-old goldendoodle. With credentials as a facility dog, he’s trained to work with a multitude of people. Beau holds office hours at USC Engemann Student Health Center, where he stands ready to help students de-stress and build a sense of community.
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family news
A Match Made in Journalism by bekah wright As USC’s fall semester started in August, Corii Berg ’89 and his wife, Cari Meisinger Berg ’89, returned to the USC University Park Campus to see off their oldest son, who was moving in as a freshman. The Bergs couldn’t help but feel nostalgic— after all, USC was where they met and fell in love 30 years ago. “Technically, we met in a journalism class,” Cari Berg remembers. But their relationship was forged on deadline at the Daily Trojan. On a “Shop Night”—when staff members stay late to ensure that the next day’s issue gets published—Corii Berg made his move. “At the prodding of one of my editors, I asked Cari out,” he remembers. The response was an emphatic yes. They hit a fraternity party with some friends. The theme screamed 80s: MTV Rocks. He donned shades à la Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses At Night,” while she tried to channel Bananarama by dressing in black and carrying—what else—a banana. What happened next is where recollections diverge. “I made a move on the dance floor, though I’m not sure how good a move it was, because Cari still denies it happened,” Corii Berg says with a laugh. “I kissed her during Erasure’s ‘Oh L’amour.’” A lot has changed since that synthpop hit climbed the dance charts. Cari Berg, a communications major, founded Cari Berg Interior Design. Corii Berg, a political science and broadcast journalism major, is now a senior executive vice president of business affairs at Sony Pictures Television and serves on the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. The family has
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grown to include sons Eben, 18, and Aric, 12, and daughter Elli, 14. One part of life that’s remained constant throughout is USC. “Our kids are very USC-centric,” Cari Berg says. “I mean, Aric had a USC room growing up. Eben was at his first USC football game when he was eight weeks old.” To celebrate their 20th anniversary a few years ago, the couple started the evening with chips and salsa at El Cholo on Western Avenue—the location of their first “official” one-on-one date (“I really spoiled her,” Corii Berg jokes). They still drop by from time to time for the fond memories. USC became a prominent backdrop in the lead-up to the couple’s engagement: They were “pinned” senior year on the lawn of Cari Berg’s sorority. She recalls they hit
Do you have a Trojan love story? Send it to magazines@usc.edu and it might appear in a future issue.
the 32nd Street Saloon, too. “We threw our first party together at the ‘3-2’ in University Village with $300 our parents gave us.” The engagement photos for their 1991 nuptials were taken on campus, of course. Though the University Park Campus has transformed since their undergrad days, the Bergs have stayed in step with it: In 2015, they supported the new Wallis Annenberg Hall by funding the Berg Family Alcove, a second-floor open collaboration space. In a way, supporting the growth and future of the university comes full circle for the Bergs as their oldest son starts life on campus. At the opening of Wallis Annenberg Hall, Cari Berg put the family’s support simply: “For Corii and I both, this is where we grew up, and where we grew up together.”
PHOTO BY GUS RUELAS
The first paragraph of their love story starts with USC.
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12/2/16 1:41 PM
Vote of Confidence
PHOTO BY MICHAEL OWEN BAKER
Strong alumni support helps USC climb the giving rankings among elite universities. USC’s undergraduate alumni have set a new record for giving: 42 percent of them donated to USC this year. That places USC ahead of most private research universities for alumni participation and slots USC in first place among Pac-12 universities. The previous record was 41 percent, set in 2015. In the case of alumni giving, every donor counts, and all gifts—no matter what amount—make a difference, explains Iyoni Rice, executive director of university annual giving. About 90 percent of gifts made to the Campaign for USC are less than $1,000 each. “Ongoing support from alumni keeps the Trojan Family connected across generations and united in a common purpose: to help USC excel,” Rice says. “Record-breaking alumni participation years like this one also help to advance USC’s academic programs, vibrant campus life, research, scholarship, health care and creative work of consequence to the world.” Alumni participation has increased annually since the launch of the campaign in 2011. The first-ever USC Day of SCupport last May—which rallied alumni and other supporters from around the world to support the USC programs they’re most passionate about—created a 24-hour wave of USC pride. The fundraising initiative used social media and technology that turned participating alumni into enthusiastic ambassadors for the university. “I was amazed at the transformation that USC has undergone over the past 30 years. I had to be a part of it by contributing to its future,” says Daniel Ast MBA ’86, who recently donated to the USC Marshall School Endowed Scholarship Fund. It was his first gift to USC, spurred by a recent campus tour with his daughter. Alumni giving is important for the future of USC’s academic programs and student scholarships, but it also brings another important benefit: It helps gauge the satisfaction of a university’s graduates. Alumni success was a key measure used by the Wall Street Journal when it recently ranked USC 15th in the nation. It also serves as a lens through which prospective students, parents, foundations and others view the quality of the institution. Patrick Auerbach EdD ’08, associate senior vice president for alumni relations, tracks the numbers closely to measure alumni approval. And the numbers show the Trojan Family has a lot to be proud of. Alumni support makes up about 38 percent of the total given to USC during its campaign—another outstanding measure that beats the average. According to the Council for Aid to Education, alumni giving to U.S. universities comprised under 27 percent of the billions raised for higher education in 2015. “By giving back to their alma mater, our alumni help to keep USC on its current ascent as one of the finest universities in the world,” Auerbach says. “Alumni giving is an important vote of confidence in the direction that USC has charted for the future.”
ALUMNI G IVING , BY THE NUMB ERS In 2011, President C. L. Max Nikias announced the Campaign for USC, an ambitious fundraising effort to dramatically advance the university’s mission and impact. Alumni have responded, making big strides in participation.
$2.1 B
42%
TOP 15
Amount contributed by alumni to the Campaign for USC*
Percentage of undergraduate alumni who donated to USC this year
USC’s undergraduate alumni giving rank among private research institutions
NO. 1
2,236
NO. 1
Undergraduate alumni giving rank among Pac12 universities
Number of alumni who donated during the 2016 Day of SCupport
Rank for undergraduate alumni giving among private research universities with more than 100,000 undergraduate alumni
*as of the $5.6 billion mark
LYNN LIPINSKI
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family news
New York State of Mind East Coast alumni don’t have to look far to feel the Trojan love. by bekah wright
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PENNY ABEYWARDENA ’99 Born in Sri Lanka, raised in Los Angeles and “reborn in New York,” Penny Abeywardena discovered USC after her older brother got in. He also helped launch her family’s love for Trojan football. When it was her turn to choose a university, she sought out international affairs and business programs and zeroed in on USC. Abeywardena dove into political science as a student and found professors who shaped the trajectory of her career. The insight of one in particular stuck with her: “She said, ‘It’s taken 16 different careers to get here and make me who I am. Don’t get too committed to what the next thing is; just stay true to your values.’” With that in mind, while getting her master’s degree at Columbia University in international relations, Abeywardena continued volunteering with Human Rights Watch, an organization she’d worked with as a Trojan. The work led her to join the Clinton Global Initiative—a Clinton Foundation effort to solve international challenges—where she was warmly welcomed with a “Fight On” hello by coworker Anne Weir ’04. “I was really surprised,” Abeywardena says. “I’d been in New York for a long time and never ran into another Trojan.” When Abeywardena married three years later, Weir’s husband, fellow Trojan Matt Weir ’03, officiated. Abeywardena now serves as the commissioner of the New York Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, and she welcomed a son, Wilmet, this year. “My New York-based Trojan family is small,” Abeywardena says, “but they’ve been powerful in my life.” CALLIE SCHWEITZER ’11 Callie Schweitzer stepped on USC’s campus for the first time on a high school campus tour and was instantly smitten. “It was my first time experiencing the Trojan Family spirit, and by the end of the tour, I too was ‘fighting on,’” says the Larchmont, New York native. tfm.usc.edu
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Schweitzer immersed herself in campus life as an Annenberg Ambassador and Scholar, Presidential Scholar and editor-in-chief of Neon Tommy, at that time USC Annenberg students’ digital news site. At Neon Tommy, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism professors Alan Mittelstaedt and Marc Cooper inspired her direction. “They taught me there’s no such thing as a student journalist, and that age should never hold you back from asking important questions,” Schweitzer says. After graduation, the print and digital journalism major had one destination. “New York is the center of the media world, and I knew it’s where I wanted to start my career,” she says. And what a start. She made AdWeek’s 2015 Future Publishers list and landed roles as Time Inc.’s editorial director of audience strategy and founder of one of its newest websites, Motto. Today, she’s managing editor of Arianna Huffington’s new media venture, Thrive Global. With her success, Schweitzer still looks back to USC fondly. “My experience running Neon Tommy gave me an entrepreneurial hunger and jump-started my career.” JASON WONG ’03 Jason Wong’s introduction to California came when he visited his older brother at UC Berkeley. But when it was time to apply for college, the native New Yorker decided to give USC a shot. The university’s diversity stood out, as did its generous financial aid package—a big relief to the family since his father already was working 80 hours a week at the family’s restaurant business. USC orientation brought some big surprises. “This Brooklyn boy grew up in the concrete jungle of New York, almost never seeing trees or grass,” he says. “I was like, ‘What are palm trees?!’” Wong juggled political science and history majors while volunteering as a community service coordinator for a fraternity. After graduation, Wong attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York so he could be near his family. To keep up with Trojan football, he joined the USC Alumni Club of New York, where he ran into former classmate Gemma Han ’05. Seven football seasons later, Wong and Han are engaged. “It’s nice to be in a relationship with a fellow Trojan, especially during the craziness of football season.” Today, Wong is a deputy chief counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Because I didn’t accrue undergraduate debt, I was able to attend law school and go into public service,” he says. “USC made my dream job possible.” usc trojan family
ABEYWARDENA PHOTO COURTESY OF PENNY ABEYWARDENA; SCHWEITZER PHOTO BY ALAN MITTELSTAEDT; WONG PHOTO COURTESY JASON WONG
Three thousand miles. That’s roughly the distance between USC’s University Park Campus and New York City. Yet about 7,000 USC alumni call the New York City metropolitan area home. The USC Alumni Club of New York is one of the USC Alumni Association’s most active regionally based groups, and the university maintains an office on Madison Avenue near Central Park. For many alumni who headed east after graduation, distance is no detriment to strong Trojan Family ties. Meet three whose lives are shaped by their USC experience.
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IN THE
MIX P R O M OT I O N S EXPERIENCE
E V E N TS O P P O RT U N I T I E S
Luxury Oceanfront Getaway Terranea Resort is Los Angeles’ premier oceanfront resort. Stretching across 102 acres and overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island, this hidden gem offers an experience for all—whether it’s a relaxing weekend getaway or an extended stay. Join Terranea for resort-wide activities and outdoor adventures, dining specials, spa and golf retreats, and more. terranea.com
CULTIVATE
Fostering Business Investment and Talent in Los Angeles
INSPIRE
Preparing for the Biotech Decade
Los Angeles Magazine Editor-in-Chief Mary Melton, Deutsch L.A. President Kim Getty, L.A. Rams Executive Vice President Kevin Demoff, Los Angeles Magazine Publisher Erika Anderson and USC Senior Vice President of University Relations Thomas S. Sayles discussed ways to develop and retain business investments in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Magazine CityThink breakfast roundtable. “USC is trying to build up an infrastructure to retain talent in Los Angeles,” said Sayles, who is also the president of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce.
For every high-tech job created in biotech, five more jobs are added in support roles. USC hosted a half-day summit on careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math— for youths, job seekers and graduate students. Featuring retired astronaut Carlos Noriega and leading physician Diana Ramos, the event was in partnership with community colleges, nonprofits, schools and government agencies to encourage east Los Angeles residents to prepare for opportunities in the biotech industry.
bit.ly/usclamagcitythink
biotech.usc.edu
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Do you have news to share? Send it along with your name, school and class year to classnotes@ usc.edu and it may appear in a future issue.
family class notes
Frank Warren ’56 (BUS) published Gloria’s Gone, a mystery novel, this summer.
Bruce Yep ’79 (ENG) retired in May 2015 after 30 years with The Boeing Company as an aerospace engineer and serving more than five years of active duty in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service.
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Richard Lawrence ’62 (BUS), executive vice president of business development for Commercial Bank of California, opened a new branch office in Santa Monica in July.
Sharon Stultz-Karim ’80 (ENG) is an international commercial arbitrator specializing in oil and gas and construction disputes. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She is also listed as an arbitrator with the Dubai International Arbitration Center, the Dubai International Financial Center–London Court of International Arbitration, and the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Center.
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Karin Friedrich Donaldson ’62 (LAS) was honored as one of the “Women of Dedication” by the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary of San Diego County. Dale Gribow ’65 (LAS) was selected as a top lawyer by Palm Springs Life magazine for the seventh consecutive year. He was also selected “Legal Eagle (Best and Brightest)” by the publication in June.
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Mary Burkin ’70 (DRA) published Voices, a full-length romantic comedy about grief, murder and the paranormal.
Inga Ballard MFA ’81 (DRA) appeared as Queenie in Show Boat at Westchester Broadway Theatre. She is also a voice-over artist in a national commercial for Apple Pay with Tina Fey and a core member of Quick Silver Theater Company.
James T. Moodey ’73 (BUS) published Twenty-First Century Poverty Trap, a book about privatizing Social Security.
Alan Manning ’82 (BUS) wrote Father Lincoln: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and His Boys. After practicing law for more than 25 years, he retired in 2012. He is an adjunct professor of history at the University of West Florida.
Glenn R. Tanner ’77 (ENG) and his firm Maximum Energy Professionals were named national “2016 Energy Star Service Provider of the Year” by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Kathleen Reger Souza MPP ’83 (SPP) retired after 25 years from the Nevada Department of Transportation, where she was a management analyst in the Financial Management and Right of Way divisions.
Dan Woods ’74 (LAS), JD ’77 (LAW), a partner at Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP, was named one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the U.S. by Benchmark Litigation.
Bob Yuill MS ’84 (ENG) is president and CEO of YUILL Strategic Solutions LLC, which supports the United States government with defense and federal contracting staff.
Marcia Sidney-Reed ’78, MS ’81 (EDU) was selected as the 2016 “National Distinguished Principal” for the state of California by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
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Christine Heyninck-Jantz ’85 (ENG) works in the medical device field developing and commercializing prosthetic heart valves. She led a cross-functional team to launch the world’s first pulmonic transcatheter
valve, which won the prestigious Prix Galien USA award in 2012 for the best medical technology product. Randall D. Martinez ’89 (BUS), executive vice president and chief operating officer of Cordoba Corp., began a three-year term as board member of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
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Richard Bernstein ’90 (MUS) received an award in March commemorating his 20 years as a principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera. During his tenure, he sang in 341 shows and performed 32 roles. William B. Pederson MSW ’90 (SSW) was elected to the Council on Social Work Education board of directors for a threeyear term. He launched the only social work program in the United States that focuses on Mexican border issues and populations. Peter Abaci MD ’91 (MED) published his second book, Conquer Your Chronic Pain, and serves as medical director and cofounder of the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center in Los Gatos, California. Jonathan Cohen MSW ’91 (SSW) is program officer for the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, which aims to improve lives and conditions in Central Massachusetts. Trev Lattin ’94 (ACC), a partner at Executive Benefit Solutions, advises organizations on executive compensation and benefits strategies. He is also founder and chairman of Accounting Capital Group, an outsourced accounting firm. Thomas RC Hartman ’95 (ARC) is the principal and owner of Coldham & Hartman Architects in Amherst, Massachusetts. The firm’s portfolio includes the Bechtel Classroom for Smith College, a Certified Living Building Challenge project. Edgar Landa ’95 (DRA) directed Blood Match at Sacred Fools Theater Company in usc trojan family
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Do you have news to share? Send it along with your name, school and class year to classnotes@ usc.edu and it may appear in a future issue.
family class notes
Los Angeles, with Kimberli Flores MFA ’15 (DRA) in the role of the bride.
for the 2016 Texas Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list by Thomson Reuters.
Jeff Marks MPA ’95 (SPP) is executive director of the Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine, which won the Northeast Startup Supporter of the Year Award from the Northeast Clean Energy Council. He has received awards from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the next Maine Energy Plan, and from the U.S. Small Business Administration to accelerate clean-tech innovation companies.
Kathryn Short EdD ’01 (EDU) is a 2016 Board of Trustees Distinguished Scholar and program director for Early Childhood Studies at California Baptist University.
Robert Taylor MS ’95 (ENG) served in the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base through 1999, while also working for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in 1996. He began working for Nokia Inc. in 2000 in San Diego. He and his wife, Charlene Taylor MS ’93 (ENG), recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
Shabnam Mogharabi ’02 (SCJ) is in The Aspen Institute’s 2016 class of Henry Crown Fellows. She serves as CEO of her company, SoulPancake, which was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private businesses in 2015.
Richard Romero JD ’06 (LAW) and colleagues launched a new partnership, Devaney Pate Morris & Cameron LLP. He was on Super Lawyers’ San Diego Rising Stars list in 2016 for the second year in a row.
Julie Watts ’02, MA ’03 (SCJ) received the National Press Club award for her yearlong investigative series UN-Covered California, which exposed flaws in California’s health insurance exchange.
Boni B. Alvarez MFA ’07 (DRA), a Moving Arts’ MADlab writer, held a workshop of his play Driven at Center Theatre Group. His play Fixed was a semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.
Matthew Mason MM ’02 (MUS) was commissioned by the San Antonio International Piano Competition to write a piano piece for the finalists to perform and was judge for the best performance of the work.
Emily Caviglia ME ’07, EdD ’10 (EDU) is director of advising and retention for Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
Amber Eckert ME ’96 (EDU) is the vice president of student services at Alliant International University in San Diego. Mykle McCoslin ’96 (DRA) performed in the world premiere of The Boundary at the MATCH performing arts complex in Houston. She also co-starred in ABC’s The Astronaut Wives Club, owns the Reel Actors Studio in Houston and is first vice president of the Houston-Austin Local SAG-AFTRA Branch. Brandon Mercer ’97 (SCJ) now manages SFGate, the San Francisco Chronicle’s website. Previously, he ran five websites for CBS Local in San Francisco and was news director at KTXL in Sacramento.
David Melbye MA ’02, PhD ’06 (SCA) published his second book, Irony in The Twilight Zone, about the classic television series. He recently taught in the Middle East as a Fulbright fellow.
Betty Chen ’03 (BUS) is global hiring principal for Fish & Richardson. She oversees hiring for all 11 of the firm’s U.S. offices, as well as its office in Munich, Germany. Paul Maxon JD ’03 (LAW) won Case of the Year from the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association.
Domenika Lynch ’98 (SPP) is president and chief executive officer of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C. She was formerly executive director of the USC Latino Alumni Association.
Douglas Goldwater JD ’04 (LAW), a partner at Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP, was a Super Lawyers 2016 Rising Star for the third year in a row. He is a board member of the Ventura County Bar Association.
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Brenda Duran ’05 (SCJ) is media and communications director for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Elena Villaseñor Sullivan JD ’04 (LAW), a Texas trial attorney who primarily handles high-stakes business litigation, was selected
Derek Allen ’06 (ENG) founded a new real estate development company in Salt Lake City called LandForge Inc.
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Jennifer Brienen BFA ’06 (DRA) was the production stage manager for Stage Kiss at the Geffen Playhouse. Adam Hawley ’06, MM ’08, DMA ’10 (MUS) released his debut album, Just the Beginning, on March 18, followed by a tour with Dave Koz. In June, his album’s first single, “35th St.,” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s smooth jazz national airplay chart. He also teaches at Musicians Institute, Chaffey College and Saddleback College.
Jessica Duboff MA ’07 (SCJ) is vice president of public policy at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Maynk Keshaviah MFA ’08 (DRA) was commissioned by East West Players to write for their Theatre for Youth program. Erielda Casaya-Wright MSW ’08 (SSW) is coordinator for the Verdine White Performing Arts Center’s music foundation. Co-founded by Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White, the foundation raises funds for music programs and scholarships for at-risk youth in Los Angeles schools. Julie Lindeen ’08 (SCJ) is chief of staff for Deloitte’s Global Leadership practice in London. Raul Zermeno JD ’08 (LAW), an associate with Fisher Phillips, was recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers as one of its 2016 Rising Stars. winter 2016
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A LU M N I
P R O F I L E
C AT H E R I N E
R I C A F O R T
The Engineer on Center Stage
PHOTO BY JASON WESTON OF DIRTY SUGAR PHOTOGRAPHY
A USC Viterbi graduate in industrial and systems engineering follows her passion for performing. Catherine Ricafort ’09 is no stranger to the stage, and currently plays a sultry dancer in Holiday Inn, the new Irving Berlin musical scheduled to end its Broadway run in January. She’s a singing, dancing and acting triple-threat. But maybe you could call Ricafort a quadruplethreat: She holds a degree in industrial and systems engineering from USC (with a minor in musical theater). Does that seem incongruous? For this multi-hyphenate it’s an ideal combination. Ricafort, who moved from Arizona to Los Angeles with her family at age 12, has always had two sides to her life. Her
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parents stressed academics (her dad was an engineer) and her time outside of homework was spent in dance class, community theater and choir. “A lot of schools weren’t very supportive of double majors, but USC was,” she says. “They’re all about the Renaissance scholar.” While in school, Ricafort focused on her engineering program, but also joined the SoCal VoCals, USC’s award-winning a capella group, as well as a student-run dance company. “I had really enjoyed working on my degree, but as I was graduating I felt what we call ‘the bug,’” she says. “I really wanted to try performing first.”
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So she took a leap of faith and moved to New York while still enrolled in USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s progressive bachelor’s and master’s degree program. There she spent her days lining up for auditions at 6 in the morning, reading course material until her name was called. The grueling schedule paid off. She was offered a part in a national tour of A Chorus Line, which led to parts in Cinderella, Mamma Mia and, eventually, the holy grail of theater work, a role as an original Broadway cast member in 2014’s Honeymoon in Vegas starring Tony Danza. Of course, Broadway is a fickle beast. When the show abruptly shut down she received only six days’ notice. That’s when Ricafort took a break from the roller coaster of theater and flexed her engineering muscles by taking a job at interior design start-up Homepolish. She helped launch its product division, making
use of her courses in inventory management software and human-computer interaction. She soon caught the acting bug again and returned to the stage in Allegiance, a play set in a Japanese internment camp starring George Takei. Though she’s deferred her master’s degree program for now, engineering still plays a role in her life. “A lot is the discipline that comes from engineering and having to structure how you approach problems,” she says. “This is kind of nerdy, but as I do [song] research, I organize my library and I have this doc that helps me filter to the right kind of song. That’s an engineering approach.” And while originating another Broadway role, getting into film and television, and even writing a play are all goals for this ambitious alumna, she remains an engineer at heart: “I also want to have time to start learning how to code.” LISA BUT TERWORTH
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A Newly Released Book About USC’s Recent Ascent Read about the dynamic ascent of the University of Southern California from 2010-2015 A must-have for every dedicated Trojan, USC: A Journey of Transformation 2010-2015, by Rob Asghar, is a 288-page, limited-edition collector’s book that brings to life one of the most remarkable chapters in USC’s ongoing rise on the national and global scenes. At a moment when economic uncertainty slowed most American universities, the Trojan Family collectively sensed—and seized—a rare opportunity to transform USC into a leader that could set the standard for decades to come.
USC: A Journey of Transformation 2010-2015, by Rob Asghar, is available exclusively at USC Bookstores and online at: usc.edu/transformation
This book chronicles the bold decisions and commitments the Trojan Family made during this crucial period, resulting in its being positioned to become one of the world’s most influential and elite universities.
Get yours today!
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autumn 2016
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A LU M N I
P R O F I L E
TO D D
D AV I S
’8 8,
Trojan Homecoming
PHOTO BY LOS ANGELES RAMS ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER HIRO UENO
The Los Angeles Rams return to Los Angeles, and Todd Davis ’88, JD ’91, couldn’t be happier. When the Los Angeles Rams ran onto the Coliseum field in September for the team’s first home game in L.A. in 23 years, no one cheered louder than Todd Davis ’88, JD ’91, the Rams’ vice president of legal affairs. That’s because it was also a personal homecoming: Davis has been with the Rams for 25 years and was a legal assistant in 1994 when the football team left Los Angeles for St. Louis. “When we moved, it felt like I was betraying my city, but I take great pride in knowing that I helped bring the team back, and it feels absolutely amazing!” says Davis, a Los Angeles native and secondgeneration Trojan. As the franchise’s sole legal counsel, Davis’ job is to negotiate
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and review every contract that goes through the organization— except player contracts—ranging from licensing and sponsorship deals to vendor and employee agreements. He also handles team litigation and human resources and worker’s compensation issues. For Davis, the team’s battles aren’t just on the field. “I’ve negotiated multimilliondollar sponsorship contracts where six to 10 attorneys sat on one side of the table and it was just me on the other side,” he says with a grin. “It felt like the whole room was against me. But I love that kind of challenge.” An avid football and basketball player growing up, Davis realized early in high school
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that his NFL and NBA dreams might not pan out. As a USC undergrad, he studied accounting to better understand the financial aspects of professional sports and started thinking about a career in sports management. “Though USC didn’t have a sports law program, professors like Charles Whitebread and Erwin Chemerinsky pushed me to follow my dream and never give up,” he says. While at USC Gould School of Law, he networked with sports organizations and met former Rams President John Shaw, who suggested he look him up after graduation. “I was given a couple of small projects to work on and was told, ‘Under no circumstance will this turn into a fulltime job,’” Davis remembers. “So while I was there, I did anything, no matter what the task was. I worked on legal issues, ran errands and drove people around town—whatever grunt work had to be done. It’s an
attitude I’ve kept through my career: When you are willing and able to do any job, no matter how important or irrelevant, people value your service.” Davis is also on the board of the Rams Foundation, which works to provide benefits to underserved communities. Building playgrounds is one of their signature projects. “I’ve pushed wheelbarrows of mulch, screwed in swing sets, and one afternoon, painted about 20 dorm rooms for at-risk youth,” he says. “Work like that is a lot of fun, and I believe it’s important to be involved in the community.” He loves his job, but it does have one quirk. “When the team’s not doing well, people seem to think I have the influence to make changes on the field,” he says. “People call me up and ask why did this guy get hurt, who the quarterback is going to be, or if I can suggest or make play calls. I just have to laugh about it.” BENJAMIN GLEISSER
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family class notes Ashley Steed ’09 (DRA) recently performed at Son of Semele in Love and Information, which was nominated for six Stage Raw Awards. She produced a multimedia rock show called Parallel Worlds and Son of Semele’s Solo Creation Festival in July.
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Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx ’11 (DRA) is an Emerging Arts Leaders/Los Angeles Protégé and a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center 2016 National Directors Fellowship. Tracy Oppenheimer ’11 (SCJ) is content director at Singapore-based Buy1GIVE1, where she produces video and print stories about international nonprofits.
June Ahn PhD ’10 (EDU) is an associate professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Zachary Dooley MS ’12 (ENG) is senior test engineer at SeaSpine Inc. in Carlsbad, California, where he is responsible for running the in-house mechanical testing laboratory.
Rachel Saffitz MA ’10 (SCJ) was named on PR News’ Rising Stars 30 and Under list. She is vice president in the health care practice at Makovsky in New York.
Mehaik Dammanwalla ’12 (SCJ), content marketing manager at Hulu, works to bring together entertainment and technology with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. She went with the Aga Khan Foundation to Dubai, Maldives and Istanbul.
Claire Spera MA ’10 (SCJ) is publicity coordinator for the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a dancer with the award-winning A’lante Flamenco Dance Ensemble. A breast cancer survivor since 2014, she volunteers for Austin’s Breast Cancer Resource Center. Gavan Wilhite ’10 (ENG) was chosen as one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30. He is the founder of AltspaceVR, a Bay Areabased virtual reality software company that changes how people can interact online. Michelle Stover JD ’10 (LAW) is corporate counsel at Ambry Genetics Corporation. Lauren Whaley MA ’10 (SCJ) is one of 10 fellows from around the world participating in the 2016-2017 Knight Science Journalism program, where she will take classes at MIT and Harvard, and work for the program’s science magazine, Undark. Daniel Assisi MPA ’11 (SPP) and Kristen McCaw MPA ’12 (SPP), were chosen for the Pahara Institute’s NextGen Network Program, a development program that identifies exceptional leaders with the potential to shape educational excellence and equity.
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Thomas Kotcheff MM ’12 (MUS) won a Charles Ives Scholarship, which is given to composition students of great promise. Babette Moreno EdD ’12 (EDU) is the regional vice president for Utah and Hawaii at Catapult Learning. Carla J. Thornton MSW ’12 (SSW) is the associate director of development for University of California, Riverside’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. She was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Veterans Board as an advocate for veterans and their dependents. Jamilah Hill MSW ’13 (SSW), who works at the Hemophilia Treatment Center in Las Vegas, was named State of Nevada Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers. Her experience includes work with the chronically homeless population of Las Vegas. Ramiro Rubalcaba EdD ’15 (EDU) was named assistant superintendent of human resources for the Azusa Unified School District in Azusa, California.
Christine Nitoff JD ’12 (LAW) is an associate at Murchison & Cumming in Los Angeles. Rani Morrison MSW ’13 (SSW) is senior director of care continuum, a new position created to provide oversight to the departments of Social Work, Utilization Management, Discharge Planning and Care Coordination, as well as population health initiatives at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. Brandon Rachal ’13 (DRA) played Cassio in Inner City Shakespeare’s production of Othello. He also had roles in Romeo & Juliet and Twelfth Night with Downtown Rep. He performs with Story Pirates at schools in New York and Los Angeles. Charlotte Mary Wen ’13 (DRA) was in the ensemble in the La Mirada Theatre production of American Idiot, which starred Patrick Reilly BFA ’15 (DRA). Olivia Mitchell ’14 (MUS), Kerry Furrh ’14 (DRA) and Cailin Lowry ’14 (SCA) produced the short film Girl Band, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Mitchell wrote and produced the original songs and score for the project. Madison Scheckel ’14 (MUS) also co-wrote one of the songs. Pia Shah MFA ’14 (DRA) starred in Grass, a best feature film nominee at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Ryan Eisenberg EdD ’14 (EDU) is executive director of AchieveKids, a nonprofit that operates schools and transitional services for students in special education. Ellen Kaster ’14 (SCJ) is a director at Infusion Express, a startup that opens IV therapy centers across the country. Alex Leavitt PhD ’14 (SCJ) was selected as one of the Top 30 Thinkers Under 30 by Pacific Standard magazine. Nahal Navidar MFA ’14 (DRA) developed his full-length play, Then Came the Fall, this summer. The play, which is about Middle winter 2016
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family class notes
Obituaries of members of the Trojan Family appear online at tfm.usc.edu/trojantributes.
Eastern identity, culminated in two public readings at Silk Road Rising in Chicago.
Chester Barry Fernando ’04 (LAS) and Katrice Quijano ’07 (LAS), a son, Miles Barry.
Christina Zdawczyk ’14 (LAS) received a three-year National Science Foundation research fellowship that supports graduate students studying STEM subjects.
M. Beaumont Shapiro ’05 (LAS) and Ashley L. Shapiro, a daughter, Evelyn Wallis.
Kanika Corley BLC ’15 (LAW), a transactional and litigation attorney with Sedgwick, was named to the National Bar Association’s Top 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates list.
Jason Buckner ’11 (LAS) and Christabel Saldana-Buckner, a daughter, Emmy Niamh.
I N
Christine Drilling Glogow ’70 (LAS), MPA ’78 (SPP) of Culver City, California, June 24, at the age of 67. Festus Webley ’57, MSW ’71 (SSW) of Riverside, California; Feb. 29, at the age of 89. Earl G. Watson PhD ’75 (EDU) of Sacramento, California; July 13, 2015, at the age of 90.
M E M O R I A M Clyde W. Lane ’76 (BUS) of Los Angeles; June 15.
A L U M N I Robert Rahal MCG ’15 (SCJ) was elected president of the South Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, which provides education, networking and philanthropic opportunities for South Texas health care professionals. Yelena Dyachek MM ’16 (MUS) won the Grand Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Richard Cordano ’50 (BUS), MS ’54, PhD ’70 (EDU) of Arcadia, California; Feb. 23, at the age of 94.
Calvin Melville Mauck ’51 (ENG) of Hayden, Idaho; July 24, 2015, at the age of 89.
Karolynn Bayaca ’99 (ENG) and Stephen Roome.
William S. Salocks ’52 (BUS) of Los Altos, California; April 3, at the age of 94.
Kristy McCray ’02 (SCJ/LAS), ME ’07 (EDU) and Heather Bartlett.
Ruth Eloise Carter ’53 (LAS) of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; April 11, at the age of 93.
Adrienne Denise Graves ’03 (SCJ) and Austin Riley Brown.
Joyce Ostergren MSW ’54 (SSW) of Seattle; April 15, at the age of 86.
Meghan Elizabeth Corea ’06 (DRA) and Joshua Raymond.
John Smart ’55, MA ’59, PhD ’68 (LAS) of Huntington Beach, California; April 19, at the age of 81.
B I R T H S
Bryan Langer ’02 (ART) and Brittany Beer Langer ’05 (SCJ), a daughter, Maya Harper. Justin Evans ’03, MS ’05 (ENG) and Jennifer Leong Evans ’05 (LAS), JD ’08 (LAW), a son, August Kai. He join sister Charis Noelani. tfm.usc.edu
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Bonnie Pumphrey MM ’81 (MUS) of Hemet, California; July 22, at the age of 68. Vincent Kagawan ’83, MS ’86 (ENG) of Irvine, California; July 9, at the age of 54.
FA C U LT Y A N D F R I E N D S
John Caldwell Hessin ’51 (LAS) of Anchorage, Alaska; March 26, at the age of 89.
M A R R I A G E S
Ian Michael Livie PhD ’10 (LAS) and Lana Lea.
NORRIS PHOTO BY VAN URFALIAN
Elisabeth du Chemin Frey ’44 (EDU) of Newport Beach, California; July 8, at the age of 93.
Raymond Alsweet ’56 (BUS) of Pasadena, California; April 19, at the age of 94. Nancy Jane (Crane) Cunningham ’59 (BUS) of Lebanon, Ohio; Jan. 12, at the age of 78. Lawrence Koenig PharmD ’60 (PHM) of Newbury Park, California; June 7, at the age of 83.
Harlyne Norris, 83 A civic-minded volunteer and philanthropist, Harlyne Norris devoted herself to her family and causes in science, medicine and the arts. She and her late husband, Kenneth T. Norris Jr. ’53 (BUS), were generous benefactors to USC, continuing a tradition of giving begun by her husband’s parents, Eileen and Kenneth T. Norris Sr. Through the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, the Norris family was instrumental in creating the USC Norris Cancer Hospital and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the premier cancer centers in the nation. Harlyne Norris died on July 30 at the age of 83. During her life, she dedicated millions of dollars from the foundation, as well as her time as a USC trustee, toward advancing science and care that benefit patients across the world. The Norris family has also supported many educational causes at USC usc trojan family
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Congratulations! As a degreed alum, you are automatically a lifetime member of the USC Alumni Association (USCAA). Go to the newly streamlined alumni.usc.edu to: • Connect with fellow alumni through networks and organizations around the world • Find a USC Alumni Association-sponsored event near you • Access lifelong career services • Keep your contact information up-to-date
ALUMNI.USC.EDU | ALUMNI@USC.EDU | TEL: 213 740 2300
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A LU M N I
P R O F I L E
M A R L O
T H O M A S
’5 9
‘Girl’ Meets World The entertainment legend reflects on a remarkable Hollywood journey. Thomas graduated from USC with degrees in education and English. She found her big break in 1965 when she landed the lead in a television pilot, and though the show wasn’t picked up, ABC and a major sponsor, Clairol, saw a potential TV star. “This was an opportunity that doesn’t come to many people,” Thomas says. “A network and a sponsor want you, when you’re nobody?” To her dismay, the scripts they sent were about “the wife
of somebody, the secretary of somebody, the daughter of somebody,” she says. “I said to [ABC’s chief programming executive] Edgar Scherick, ‘Have you ever thought about doing a show about a girl who is the somebody?’” Scherick doubted that anybody would watch, but eventually relented, thanks to Thomas’ persistence. Featuring a new, modern kind of role model, That Girl became a hit, paving the way for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and other female-centric series.
Unexpected, however, were the heartbreaking letters Thomas received from pregnant teens and battered wives with nowhere to turn for support. “That really did politicize me. … That made me an activist,” says Thomas, who co-founded the Ms. Foundation for Women. After That Girl’s five-year run, Thomas produced the acclaimed children’s record and TV special Free to Be… You and Me, starred in several dramatic TV movies, authored books and won multiple awards, including four Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy. In 2013, Town and Gown of USC honored her with its Town and Gown Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the arts. In 2014, President Barack Obama presented Thomas with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can receive. Today, Thomas continues to pursue her passion for the arts and children’s health. She is national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by her father, entertainer Danny Thomas. You’ll also find her on stage and screen: Besides guest appearances on TV shows, she’s working on a contemporary version of Free to Be… You and Me and busily prepping for a new Broadway play. SANDY SIEGEL
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES/DISNEY ABC TELEVISION GROUP
To Generations X and Y, actor, author and activist Marlo Thomas ’59 might be familiar as Rachel’s mother on the hit series Friends. But to earlier generations, she’s Ann Marie, TV’s first independent single woman, in the groundbreaking sitcom That Girl. Until the series premiered in September 1966, television had never seen a woman like Ann Marie, an aspiring actress who left home to follow her dreams, worked odd jobs to support herself and shunned marriage. “It was fun to do it for that reason—there’s nothing better than being first,” says Thomas, who helped develop and run the show through her own production company. “It’s just a great feeling to realize you’re doing something so original.” A theater lover, Thomas first took center stage at the 1958 Trolios, USC’s homecoming variety show, where she and her Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sisters performed the classic Leonard Bernstein number “Gee, Officer Krupke” from West Side Story. “They asked me to do the lead, and I didn’t really want to because I’m not much of a singer,” Thomas says. “But I did it, and we won the sweepstakes prize. And my dad said that night, ‘Oh my God, you’ve got the [acting] bug!’”
tfm.usc.edu
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family class notes
Tom Kelly, 88 Recognized by generations of Trojans as the broadcast voice of USC Athletics, Tom
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Kelly first called the play-by-play of USC football and men’s basketball games in 1961 and was at the mic for Trojan games almost every year until 2003. Kelly died on June 27 at the age of 88 in Encino, California. The longtime broadcaster described the action of five USC national championship football teams, five Heisman Trophy winners and 92 first-team All-American football players. In 2001, he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame, and to the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2005. In addition to calling USC games, he did play-by-play for the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers and worked for KNX, KCBS-TV, CBS Radio and ESPN. He served as president of the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association in 1973-74. He is survived by his wife Danusia, daughters Kathleen Kelly Borisoff and Colleen Kelly, sons Kevin Kelly and Christopher Kelly, stepson Patryk Jaskolski and six grandchildren.
Peter Lee, 93 Peter Lee, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, oversaw the creation of the Department of Family Medicine in 1983 and became its first chair. He died July 26 at age 93 in Pasadena, California. Lee was committed to social justice, increasing diversity among the medical students and encouraging interdisciplinary teaching. This commitment was reflected in his leadership of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in the 1960s, when the organization focused on providing health services to disadvantaged minority groups. In the late 1980s, when there were still physicians afraid to touch people with AIDS and HIV, he served as principal in-
vestigator to establish the AIDS Education and Training Center at USC to train health care providers in this new disease. Through this work, he helped to develop a network of health care providers and educators who went on to fill a critical gap in the system of care available to people with HIV/AIDS. The training he envisioned and implemented became a national model. He is survived by his wife Belinda Fischer, daughters Martha, Susan and Catherine, son Peter, two grandchildren and one great-grandson.
L E G E N D
LAS ACC ARC BUS SCA SCJ
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences USC Leventhal School of Accounting USC School of Architecture USC Marshall School of Business USC School of Cinematic Arts USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
DNC DEN DRA EDU ENG ART GRN LAW MED MUS OST
USC Kaufman School of Dance Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC USC School of Dramatic Arts USC Rossier School of Education USC Viterbi School of Engineering USC Roski School of Art and Design USC Davis School of Gerontology USC Gould School of Law Keck School of Medicine of USC USC Thornton School of Music USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
PHM BPT
USC School of Pharmacy Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
SPP SSW
USC Price School of Public Policy USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Carrie Banasky, Matt DeGrushe, James Feigert, Harmony Frederick, Wendy Gragg, Katherine Griffiths, Deanne Grimes, Elizabeth Hedrick, Leticia Lozoya, Maya Meinert, Mike McNulty, James Morse, Jane Ong, Kristi Patton, Stacey Wang Rizzo, Nicole Stark and Deann Webb contributed to this section.
LEE PHOTO BY ROBERT PACHECO
through the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation. The USC Norris Medical Library, the USC Eileen L. Norris Cinema Theatre and the USC Norris Dental Center all bear the Norris name in recognition of the family’s generosity over the years. Norris joined the USC Board of Trustees in 2000, following in the footsteps of her husband and her father-in-law. Over the decades, the Norris family continued to contribute significantly to the cancer center. The family foundation provided a lead gift for the Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower, the cancer center’s third building. Its opening in 2007 dramatically increased laboratory research space for the Keck School of Medicine of USC. An additional gift in 2012 from the foundation supported construction on the USC Health Sciences Campus of the Norris Healthcare Consultation Center, a new outpatient clinic building. Harlyne Norris also served on the advisory board of the USC Norris cancer center. Norris was awarded an honorary degree by USC in 2008 in recognition of her service, generosity and guidance to the university and other organizations that support children, health care, medical research, education and the arts. She was a board member of PBS SoCal, an advisory board member of the Accelerated School and a supporter of the Blind Children’s Center, Para Los Niños, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. In the South Bay, she was a strong supporter of the Norris Center for the Performing Arts, Peninsula Education Foundation and Help the Homeless Help Themselves. In Pasadena, Norris was an overseer of the Huntington Library and a supporter of Caltech. Norris grew up in Santa Monica and attended UCLA to become a teacher. After losing her first husband, she married Kenneth Norris Jr. in 1973 and they became partners in both life and philanthropy. She joined the family foundation as a trustee in 1981, and took over as its chair in 1997, following her husband’s death. She is survived by her daughters Lisa Hansen and Kimberley Presley and son James Martin.
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In this season of giving, we invite you to join the USC Trojan Family in supporting community programs through the Good Neighbors Campaign. All proceeds benefits education, health, arts, wellness, and small business development programs in neighborhoods around the USC campuses.
Visit goodneighbors.usc.edu to make your gift today! tfm.usc.edu
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Have a photo to share? Send it to 3434 S. Grand Ave., CAL 140, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-2818 or magazines@usc.edu.
now and again
Reading Room
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remains one of the busiest rooms in the library. Contemporary Trojans might still find inspiration in its intricate gold and blue coffered ceiling. Or they might daydream while staring at the room’s original bronze and pewter chandeliers, just as their predecessors in the 50s did. But the room also has seen some important updates. More than a decade ago, engineers conducted an extensive seismic retrofit of the library, including the reference room, to protect both future students and the historic building itself. And, of course, computer monitors have migrated and settled into the room, ready to produce those lists of articles, books and e-books from USC Libraries’ holdings—all with a few keystrokes.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Ever wonder what it takes to get just the right shot for the “Now and Again” column in USC Trojan Family Magazine? Watch an exclusive video at bit.ly/TFMNowAndAgain and follow our team as they contrast the present-day Bovard Administration Building with its 1920s version through photography for a recent issue.
ALICIA DI RADO
PHOTO BY DUSTIN SNIPES
So much information is now digitized that college students are blasé when they type a research topic into a search engine and almost instantly see a list of books and articles appear on their screen. But some of those publications are decidedly analog— the same heavy, leather-bound classic texts consulted by generations of students. The Times-Mirror Reference Room in the Doheny Memorial Library on the University Park Campus has served as a home for these tomes for more than eight decades. In the inset photograph, believed to date from the 1950s, students sit at the room’s rich walnut tables surrounded by stacks of books. When the library opened in 1932, the reference room was meant to accommodate 400 students, some 6,000 books and the main reference desk. Today, it
winter 2016
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THE KECK EFFECT: MORE PICTURE-PERFECT DAYS As one of the nation’s top academic medical centers, Keck Medicine of USC is leading the way in delivering more medical breakthroughs. Our experts provide health-care excellence through research and clinical trials, while ensuring each patient receives the latest comprehensive, personalized treatments. That’s The Keck Effect — more expertise to get you back to doing what you love, faster. With locations throughout Southern California, exceptional care is close to you. See how we’re redefining medicine.
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Text KECK to 313131
KeckMedicine.org
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© 2016 Keck Medicine of USC
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