Don Mattrick, president, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft; USC President C. L. Max Nikias; Frank Price, chair of the Board of Councilors for the USC School of Cinematic Arts; USC Trustee Steven Spielberg; USC alumnus George Lucas; USC School of Cinematic Arts Dean Elizabeth Daley.

On June 12, 2013, three of the most influential thinkers in entertainment media, filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, came to the USC campus to discuss the entertainment landscape of the future tackled this question at an event hosted by the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA).

The media titans participated in a discussion before an audience of entertainment industry leaders to mark the official opening of the new SCA Interactive Media Building. The discussion was moderated by Julia Boorstin, CNBC media and entertainment reporter. CNBC will air excerpts of the event.

Read the complete article at USC News.

Chui L. Tsang, superintendent and president of Santa Monica College, with the 2013 commencement speaker, USC President C. L. Max Nikias

President C. L. Max Nikias delivered a commencement address to the Class of 2013 of Santa Monica College on June 11, 2013. His remarks acknowledged the solemnity of the occasion, as students and faculty gathered in the wake of a tragic shooting during the previous week. “It is a mark of our times that milestones that are to be celebrated are so often  accompanied by sadness and uncertainty — sometimes on the other side of the world and sometimes in our own backyards and our own communities. These are the times that you have inherited,” Nikias said.

USC President C. L. Max Nikias with Seoul National University President Yeon-Cheon Oh.

During the USC Global Conference in Seoul, USC leadership had the opportunity to hold meetings with several prominent members of the higher education and business sectors of Korea. President C. L. Max Nikias visited Seoul National University and met with the university’s president, Yeon-Cheon Oh. Seoul National University has a number of educational partnerships with USC in academic areas including engineering, business, and public policy.

President Nikias and Dean Yannis Yortsos of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering jointly signed an agreement formalizing a partnership—the Airbus Institute for Engineering Research (AIER)—between the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, aircraft manufacturer Airbus, Inha University and Korea Aerospace University (KAU).

The president of Inha University, Choonbae Park, signed the agreement along with KAU president, Junku Yuh, and Mr. Jean-Francois Laval, executive vice president, Asia for Airbus. Under the agreement, Airbus will provide funding to support the work of all three universities working together collaboration is to conduct joint research projects in aerospace engineering. USC Trustee Y. H. Cho, co-chair of the USC Global Conference (where the signing took place), presided over the event.

President Nikias and USC Marshall School of Business Dean James Ellis also connected with several prominent alumni—Mong-Won Chung, chairman and CEO of Halla Engineering & Construction Corp., (who is the current president of the USC Alumni Club of Seoul) and Seung-Yu Kim, former chairman of the Hana Financial Group, Inc. Both alumni are graduates of the USC Marshall School of Business.

The conference also provided a setting for USC Trustees and supporters to learn about recent developments in research by USC faculty, as well as forecasts into the fields of biomedicine, digital education, business and politics, arts, technology, and a wide array of other contemporary global issues. After the first day of panel sessions, USC Trustees and leadership had the opportunity to discuss the events of the conference at a private event attended by keynote speaker Arnold Schwarzenegger, held at the Seoul National Museum.

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.

Jimmy Iovine, Erica Muhl, Dr. Dre, C. L. Max Nikias

With a launch celebration that connected the high-tech hub of Silicon Beach in Santa Monica, CA to the pre-commencement USC campus via livestream, the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation officially kicked off a new program for the digital generation.

President C. L. Max Nikias noted that the $70 million gift from the two media industry moguls to establish the USC Iovine Young Academy was one of the largest gifts from the entertainment industry to an institution of higher education.

Jimmy Iovine, a legendary music producer and entrepreneur, noted that his motivation for approaching USC with the idea for this unique educational program was his observation that “students today live in a different world where the lines between art and technology are starting to get blurred in a great way…This place is a dream factory—you don’t have to get stuck in calculus to succeed.”

The high point of the event was Dr. Dre’s infectious enthusiasm for USC, as he gave a shout out to the massive crowds gathered in front Tommy Trojan. Hundreds of students came out of their study and packing modes, excited about the potential for new classes emphasizing creativity, and all cheered at Dre’s declaration, “I’m an official Trojan now.”
As the event came to a close, confetti and streamers shot over the crowds as the Trojan Marching Band played “California Love” under the cloudless blue Southern California sky.

Jimmy Iovine is slated to address Trojans as the 2013 Commencement speaker on May 17.

Read the announcement news story at USC News.

President Nikias recently recently met with the members of the Trojan Knights. The Trojan Knights are a spirit and service oriented organization and constitute one of the oldest traditions on campus.

From left: USC Trustee Frank Fertitta III, USC Marshall Dean James G. Ellis, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC Trustee Thomas Barrack Jr.

The USC Marshall School of Business kicked off the USC Marshall Initiative, a $400 million fundraising drive, with a gala on May 8 that drew some 300 donors, friends, faculty, administrators and students to Warner Bros. Studio, where they were welcomed by Kevin Tsujihara ’86, CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment and host of the event.

At the event, USC President C. L. Max Nikias spoke of USC Marshall’s legacy and its longtime ties to the city of Los Angeles and the global business community.

“For more than 90 years, the Marshall School has been a dynamic cornerstone of USC. The roots of its entrepreneurial DNA can be traced back to USC’s chief founder, Robert Maclay Widney, who is also considered the chief architect of modern Los Angeles,” Nikias said. “Today that entrepreneurial spirit is carried on by the school’s students, faculty and alumni, who take what is taught in the classrooms at USC into boardrooms and businesses around the world.”

The school seeks to raise $400 million to fuel globally relevant programming and opportunities. The funds will support endowments for academic programming, student scholarships and faculty research and teaching in addition to supporting capital projects and other critical priorities. The initiative is part of The Campaign for the University of Southern California, a multiyear effort to secure $6 billion or more in private philanthropy to advance USC’s academic priorities and expand its positive impact on the community and world.

A keynote speech was delivered by USC Trustee Thomas Barrack Jr. ’69,  CEO of Los Angeles – based Colony Capital LLC.  USC Trustee Frank Fertitta III ’84, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas-based Fertitta Entertainment and Station Casinos also gave remarks.

Read the complete article at USC News.

Jack Ma, founder of AliBaba, and USC President C. L. Max Nikias

President C. L. Max Nikias was featured in a special program hosted by the Nature Conservancy at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Thursday, May 2. The event, titled, “The Nature of Our Future: How Global Interconnectivity Is Driving Social Change and Shaping Our Natural World,” explored how technology and philanthropy can be directed toward solving pressing environmental issues.

Nikias interviewed Jack Ma, founder and outgoing chairman of China’s pioneering e-commerce site, Alibaba Group, about environmental challenges in the world’s most populous nation.  

Later he moderated a panel exploring the intersection of conservation, technology and philanthropy. Panelists included Niu Gensheng , founder of the China Mengniu Dairy Group; and Jim Berk, CEO of Participant Media, a Los Angeles-based entertainment company that focuses on socially relevant, commercially viable feature films.

More than 500 people attended the event, including USC Trustee Ming Hsieh and his wife, Eva Hsieh, as the panel addressed the questions of corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and the opportunities for research and philanthropy to partner in creating long-term solutions.

Nikias commented that USC’s academic community—in key areas including  bioengineering, digital media and communications, renewable energy, among many others—recognizes that the ultimate goal of research is “to build a better world for those who come after us.”

The Nikias family welcomed members of several support organizations that play a key role in The Trojan Family: Town and Gown of USC, the Association of Trojan Leagues and the Alumnae Coordinating Council. Members of these groups were invited for an afternoon tea on Sunday, April 28, 2013. Trojan spirit was in abundance, colorful hats were optional.

From left to right: Patrick Auerbach, interim associate vice president of alumni relations; alumni honorees Jerry Neely, Linda Givvin, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Frank Fertitta III, and Rebecca Soni; USC President C. L. Max Nikias; alumni honorees Barbara Cotler and Geraldine Knatz; USC Alumni Association President Mitchell Lew.

The USC Alumni Awards were held on April 27, 2013 and celebrated the accomplishments and service of USC alumni in the Trojan Family.

Newly named USC Trustee Frank Fertitta III was honored with the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award. Fertitta is chairman and CEO of Las Vegas-based Fertitta Entertainment, a resort and casino development and management company, and of Station Casinos, one of the largest gaming companies in the United States. Fertitta is also a founder and principal owner of Zuffa LLC, a company that owns and operates the Ultimate Fightin Championship (UFC). Fertitta and his wife, Jill, recently made a naming gift to the USC Marshall School of Business for a state-of-the-art building—Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall—dedicated to the school’s undergraduate programs.

Six -time Olympic medalist Rebecca Soni was honored with the Young Alumni Merit Award. Soni is a world-class swimmer whose most recent accomplishment is winning two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, and Mark Ridley-Thomas, the supervisor of Los Angeles Country 2nd District, were honored with the Alumni Merit Awards. USC honored three members of The Trojan Family for their longstanding commitment and service to the university: Barbara Cotler, who serves on the USC Athletics board of counselors and the executive board of the Spirit of Troy; Linda Givvin, the past president of Town and Gown and a member of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors; and Jerry Neely, a USC Trustee and mentor at the USC Marshall School of Business.