August 1, 2022 Dear Colleagues, I hope you have had a restful and rejuvenating summer. As we begin to prepare for the new school year, I wanted to address recent news articles you may have seen regarding a federal investigation into the university’s response to Rose Ritch’s resignation from Undergraduate Student Government in 2020. I…
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There it is. One day after celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sex, the court has now taken away nearly 50 years of constitutional protection of a woman’s right to choose. Well over half of American women have never lived without these basic protections. In California, women will retain…
Dear Trojan Community, I am writing with exciting news about the future for our student-athletes and university community. We are announcing today that USC will join the Big Ten Conference, with plans to begin membership in August 2024. This decision was made after serious deliberation and analysis, and with great appreciation and respect for our Pac-12…
Dear Trojan Community, I am writing with exciting news about the future for our student-athletes and university community. We are announcing today that USC will join the Big Ten Conference, with plans to begin membership in August 2024. This decision was made after serious deliberation and analysis, and with great appreciation and respect for our…

Greetings Trojans, Fifty years ago today, on June 23, 1972, life changed for women in education across the country. Title IX legislation was passed making it illegal for all institutions receiving federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education to discriminate based on sex. This landmark law sought to level the playing field across…
Dear Trojan Community, I am pleased to announce that Suzanne Nora Johnson has been elected the next Chair of the USC Board of Trustees, effective immediately. This election, the result of a thorough process developed, vetted, and executed by our Board of Trustees, demonstrates the important governance reforms our Board has implemented over the last…
January 7, 2022 Good morning, Trojans, and welcome to our first Convocation at the University of Southern California, in 2022! With me today on the platform are senior leaders of the university, deans of our schools, members of the Board of Trustees, and today’s speakers. I hope you’re feeling the joy and excitement of the…
January 8, 2021 Hello everyone, and welcome to our spring 2021 New Student Convocation. Congratulations to you all! I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to say to you today. We’re here to celebrate and mark a new, exciting phase in your lives – the start of your time at USC. And that…
May 14-20, 2021 Greetings, everyone! And welcome to the 2021 and 2020 Commencement at the University of Southern California. Here we are in the historic LA Coliseum – the first class to graduate here in 70 years – and we even lit the torch in honor of you, our graduates. I can’t tell you how…
January 10, 2020 Hello, and Happy New Year! New Trojans and Trojan parents, welcome to the University of Southern California’s New Student Convocation. It’s both an honor and a privilege to be leading today’s celebration. Students, today you begin your USC journey. Enjoy the anticipation and enjoyment that the start of a new adventure brings. …