Word from Widney

What inspires people to help others? It’s a question that has preoccupied everyone from philosophers to neurologists, who are currently studying what happens in the brain when we place the interests of others before our own. This altruistic instinct will be on full display March 24, when hundreds of Trojans worldwide give freely of their time and energy during our inaugural Alumni Day of SCervice. More . . .


Alumni Headlines

USC WOMEN'S CONFERENCE EMPOWERS ATTENDEES
USC first lady Niki C. Nikias welcomed more than 900 Trojan alumnae, friends and family to Bovard Auditorium on March 1 for the largest Women’s Conference in USC history. She likened the attendees to Hecuba, queen of the Trojans, who gave her people the spirit to fight on.



MEET THE 2012 ASA V. CALL ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREE
Trader Joe's chairman and CEO Dan Bane '69 will receive the university's highest alumni honor at the 79th Annual USC Alumni Awards on April 28. He joins an illustrious list of past honorees who include Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong and screen icon John Wayne.



SCERVICE WITH A SMILE
From Los Angeles to London, 'SC alums and friends are getting ready to roll up their sleeves and give back to their local communities during our March 24th USC Alumni Day of SCervice, sponsored by the Science Channel.



TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: GOING BACK TO COLLEGE DAY
Feeling like undergrads again, more than 150 members of our senior alumni community returned to campus for a stimulating day of panel discussions and presentations during the fourth annual Half Century Trojans Going Back to College Day February 16. Click here to view the photo gallery.




CELEBRATING A PARTNERSHIP
On February 16, alumni, community and university leaders celebrated the presentation of a $150,000 check from Bank of America to support university and alumni programs.. Our heartfelt thanks to Bank of America for their generous support. Click here to view the photo gallery.



TIME FOR SCUPPERS
Over the weekend of February 10-12, 650 students got the opportunity to meet influential alumni over dinner during our fourth annual series of Trojan SCuppers. Kudos to our SCupper hosts, who held 41 dinners across Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Click here to view the photo gallery.




DAUTERIVE GIFT NAMES NEW SOCIAL SCIENCES BUILDING
USC trustee Verna B. Dauterive ME '49, EdD '66 has committed her $30 million gift to name the first interdisciplinary social sciences building on campus. The groundbreaking for Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall is expected to take place in the fall. Click here to read more.


HAIL TO THE NEW CHIEF
Congratulations to Mikey Geragos, a junior and executive board member of Society 53, who has been elected the 2012-2013 president of the Undergraduate Student Government. A Pasadena native studying business, Mikey is a SCion and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.



BOOK NOW AT THE LA TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Want to sell your book(s) or publicize your literary organization to 140,000+ book lovers? Purchase a booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and join booksellers, publishers and literary organizations on campus for the April 21-22 celebration of the written word.



ALUMNI AUTHORS: THEIR FIVE "MUST-READS"
As we countdown to the April 21-22 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC, we're asking our alumni authors to pick their five "must-read" books. Click here to read the picks of acclaimed historical novelist William Martin. And check our new titles by Trojan writers.





Trojan Alum-inaries


Ria Carlson
Ray R. Irani
Anthony Moretti

Ria Carlson '83 has joined the University of California-Irvine as the associate vice chancellor for strategic communications. USC trustee Ray R. Irani PhD '57 has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Architect Anthony Moretti '79 has been named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.




Young Alumni Spotlight
SOWING THE SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY
The co-founder of Blue Kitabu, a nonprofit supporting sustainable education in developing nations, Elizabeth Barreras '07 teamed with Steven Lamy, USC Dornsife's vice dean for academic programs, to launch USC Dornsife's first Summer Research Fellowship to Ghana in 2011.



Alma Matters
USC Video Games Program Named No. 1 for Third Year in a Row
For the third year in a row, The Princeton Review has named USC as the top school in the nation for studying video game design.

USC Introduces Op-Ed Site
For those jaded by partisan talk radio, there is ThinkUSC.

USC Delegation Returns From Visit to Israel
USC recently concluded an educational visit to Israel that explored the country's advanced science and technology sector, strengthened ties to the research and teaching community, and produced high-level discussions with leaders in government, industry and cultural organizations.

Down To The Wire, USC Wraps Up Washington 62-55
Christina Marinacci leads USC to victory with a double-double..