The University
USC is a constellation of schools, centers and institutes where some of the brightest minds, working together in a dynamic and collaborative environment, are leading the way to the future of education and a healthier, more joyful and more sustainable Los Angeles and world.
Leadership
With a steadfast commitment to USC’s mission, Interim President Beong-Soo Kim leads the university in close partnership with its dedicated Board of Trustees, distinguished deans from 23 schools and academic units, and a dynamic senior administration—all working together to advance a bold vision for USC’s future.
Partnerships
USC’s Good Neighbors Campaign is dedicated to transforming lives and communities for the better. For almost three decades, it has provided over $26 million in grants that foster collaboration between university staff, faculty and local nonprofits on projects with a lasting positive influence around both University Park and Health Sciences campuses.
Affordability
The University of Southern California is making a long-term investment in the future, committing over $30 million of additional financial aid annually to ease rising costs and provide need-based financial assistance for students from all economic backgrounds. This generous commitment will ensure that deserving scholars won’t be left behind — no matter their financial situation — as they pursue their education at USC.
History
On October 6, 1880, the University of Southern California opened its doors to its first students. Fifty-three young men and women were enrolled in its two departments, the “academic” or preparatory department and the college department, later referred to as the College of Liberal Arts. Today, USC is home to more than 48,000 students and over 4,400 full-time faculty within its 23 schools and academic units, and is located in the heart of one of the biggest metropolises in the world.
The Era of the Founders
Los Angeles was a rough-and-tumble frontier town in the early 1870s, when a group of public-spirited citizens led by Judge Robert Maclay Widney first dreamed of establishing a university in the region. It took nearly a decade for this vision to become a reality, but in 1879 Widney formed a board of trustees and secured a donation of 308 lots of land from three prominent members of the community — Ozro W. Childs, a Protestant horticulturist; former California Governor John G. Downey, an Irish-Catholic pharmacist and businessman; and Isaias W. Hellman, a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist. The gift provided land for a campus as well as a source of endowment, the seeds of financial support for the nascent institution.