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USC President C. L. Max Nikias and USC Board of Trustees Chairman Edward P. Roski, Jr. celebrate the 130th commencement.
Drawing a crowd of more than 60,000 to the University Park Campus, USC celebrated its 130th commencement ceremony on May 17, 2013. The 13,284 new graduates respresented all 50 states and more than 100 countries around the world with over half earning master’s or doctorate degrees.
USC President C. L. Max Nikias told the graduating students that it was a pleasure and a privilege to unleash their talents and energies upon the world.
“Yes, you are graduating into times of uncertainty. But what is uncertainty? It is the beginning of adventure,” Nikias said. “Always remember: To the bold, uncertainty is a fountain of infinite creative possibilities. As the Roman poet Virgil observed more than 2,000 years ago, to be a Trojan is to be an adventurer.”
The commencement address was delivered by music industry executive, Jimmy Iovine who shared some important life lessons and conveyed to the USC graduates that their education would give them an edge in the competitive world. “Today, each one of you has an excellent reason to believe in yourselves,” said Iovine, chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records. “You have earned a degree from USC. You are graduating from one of the greatest universities in the world.”
The ceremony also bestowed an Honorary Doctorate degree on Iovine along with fellow honorees Nobel Prize-winning biologist John Gurdon, renowned playwright David Henry Hwang, arts benefactor Glorya Kaufman, USC alumnus and USC Board of Trustees Chairman Edward P. Roski, Jr., and longtime USC supporter and namesake for USC Roski School of Fine Arts Gayle Garner Roski. Valedictorian Katherine Fu and Salutatorians Alexander Fullman and Julia Mangione were also honored.
Nikias also recognized National Medal of Science winner Solomon Golomb, University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Mathematics who has taught at USC for more than 50 years, and graduating USC quarterback Matt Barkley.
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President Nikias and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
During the holiday weekend celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., USC President C. L. Max Nikias welcomed several key stakeholder groups to the USC campus for high-level civic dialogues. He welcomed Los Angeles County Supervisor (second district) Mark Ridley-Thomas during the 21st annual Empowerment Congress Summit on Saturday, January 19, 2013. This event brings together constituents, community leaders, business owners, and local organizations to engage in quality dialogue around the issues that are most important to the diverse constituency in the Second Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County.
President Nikias and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck
President Nikias also welcomed the Los Angeles Police Department and Police Chief Charlie Beck for the fourth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Celebration, an event commemorating the transformative partnership between the LAPD and the African American community.
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USC President C. L. Max Nikias recently spoke on a panel discussion on California’s opportunities for growth, business innovation and workforce development in today’s complex economic environment. The panel was part of the Milken Institute’s California Summit, held November 14 and 15, 2012. The panel, titled “A Conversation with California Leaders,” was moderated by James Canales, president and CEO of the James Irvine Foundation, and included panelists Kafi Kafi Blumenfield, president and CEO of the Liberty Hill Foundation, Russell Goldsmith, chairman and CEO of City National Bank, Steven Mnuchin, chairman and CEO of OneWest Bank Group, and Lynda Resnick, vice chairman of Roll Global.
Pictured from left to right are panel speakers Blumenfield, Goldsmith, Canales, Resnick, Mnuchin, and Nikias.
Watch videos of all of the summit sessions at the Milkin Institute website.
Topics: Development/Campaign, News, Uncategorized
The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism broke ground on Nov. 8, 2012 on a building that will turn the fundamentals of human interaction into physical reality. The ceremony also marks the launch of the school’s $150 million fundraising initiative, part of the $6 billion Campaign for USC. Funded with a $50 million gift from the Annenberg Foundation, the five-story, 88,000-square-foot Wallis Annenberg Hall will bridge the traditional and transformational. Its exterior harmonizes with USC’s iconic architecture, while its ultramodern interior fosters “blue-sky” thinking.
Pictured in this photo: USC Annenberg School alumna and KCAL 9 news anchor Sylvia Lopez, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett, Annenberg Foundation Executive Director Leonard Aube, and USC Annenberg School Dean Ernest J. Wilson III.
Read more about Wallis Annenberg Hall, and view the video.
Topics: Athletics, Development/Campaign, News
The USC Athletic Department celebrated the groundbreaking of the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on Friday, November 2, 2012. The facility will bea new, world-class home for the Trojan men’s and women’s swimming, diving and water polo teams.
The $8 million gift from Wilfred “Fred” Uytengsu ’83 is the largest ever made to the department by a former student-athlete.
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On behalf of the entire Trojan Family, I wish to convey my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and the talented and hardworking team of LAPD investigators. They shared our outrage at this senseless and singular act and worked passionately to reach a resolution. The arrest of the suspects in the tragic deaths of our graduate students, Ying Wu and Ming Qu, begins the process of healing and of closing a painful chapter in the life of our community. We will always mourn the loss of Ying and Ming, but find comfort in the hope of achieving justice.
C. L. Max Nikias
President
Topics: Athletics, News, Student-Athletes, USC Students
Photo/Dietmar Quistorf
On Nov. 16, 2011, USC president C. L. Max Nikias took on a different, albeit familiar role—that of teacher—as he introduced student-athletes to the classic tragedy of Sophocles’ Antigone.
In an intimate Galen Center classroom setting, 35 USC students participated in the lecture-and-discussion session, part of an academic enrichment program sponsored by USC Athletics that is intended to fully immerse student-athletes in the academic and cultural life of the university.
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USC leadership including USC president C.L. Max Nikias (second from right) and senior vice president for university advancement Al Checcio (far right) held a meeting with prominent alumni Bob Chong Hok-hoi and Charles Chong Hok-kei during the pre-conference week of the 2011 USC Global Conference in Hong Kong. Mr. Bob Chong (second from left) is the managing director of the Chungnam Corp. and chairman of HK Watch Manufacturers Association; Mr. Charles Chong (far left) is deputy managing director of Chungnam Corporation Ltd. Both brothers are graduates of USC.
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As USC prepares for the 2011 Global Conference in Hong Kong, USC president C.L. Max Nikias (left) and Mrs. Nikias (right) renew the university’s ties to alumni and supporters in the regions, including Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Riady (center). Mr. Riady is president of the Lippo Group of companies. Among his many directorships, he is executive chairman of Overseas Union Enterprise Limited and executive director of Auric Pacific Group Limited, both listed companies in Singapore, and is chairman of Lippo Limited, listed in Hong Kong. Mr. Riady hold an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California; the family has two generation of Trojans, as their two daughters have also graduated from the university.
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In the week leading up to the 2011 USC Global Conference in Hong Kong, USC President C.L. Max Nikias met with key friends and supporters of the university from the Asia Pacific region, including alumnus David Harilela, a graduate from the University of Southern California who holds a B.S.C. in Business Administration. His company, the David Harilela Group of Companies (DHG), is a proud Trojan sponsor of the 2011 USC Global Conference in Hong Kong. The Harilela family has resided and built business enterprises in Hong Kong since 1911, and includes two generations of Trojan alumni.
