Dear Trojan Community,
The Center for International and Public Affairs is a hub of history, international studies, and scholarship. Sitting at the heart of our campus, it brings people together across many different cultures and communities. After the USC Board of Trustees approved the renaming of this building in June 2020, I appointed a Naming Committee for the Center for International and Public Affairs. The Naming Committee was charged with identifying an alum who reflected USC’s values, significantly influenced the university and its mission, and established a lasting legacy of leadership. The committee surveyed the entire USC community and considered more than 200 recommendations. Today it is my great pleasure to announce the selection of Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow for this tremendous honor.
Dr. Medicine Crow earned his master’s degree in anthropology from USC in 1939 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2003. He was a much beloved historian and storyteller for the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation. Throughout his life, he shared Native American history and culture with millions around the world, and his efforts to champion the stories of Native Americans have increased understanding of indigenous communities everywhere. A World War II veteran and war chief of the Crow Nation, he received the Bronze Star and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. We believe it is very fitting for his name to be connected to this building, which serves as a crossroads for different cultures and communities from around the world, and where our students can carry on his passion for scholarly inquiry.
I look forward to making Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow and his legacy of bringing people together a source of inspiration, joy, and learning for generations of future USC students. We will celebrate the dedication of the new Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs at a formal ceremony in Spring 2022.
Please join me in congratulating and thanking the Medicine Crow family, as well as our Native American and veteran students, faculty, and staff, on this exciting and important day for our community.
Thank you and Fight On!
Sincerely,
Carol L. Folt
President