루카스 감독 모교에 1750억원 기부
  
'스타 워즈' 시리즈로 유명한 조지 루카스 감독이 자신의 모교에 2억달러 가까운 거액을 기부해 화제를 모으고 있다. 로스앤젤레스 타임스는 조지 루카스 감독이 남캘리포니아대(USC) 영화학교에 1억7500만달러(1750억원)를 기부하기로 했다고 보도했다. 루카스 감독이 기부한 1억7500만달러는 USC대학에 대한 단일 기부금으로는 역대 최대 규모. USC는 루카스 감독의 기부금으로 새로운 영화학교 건물을 짓기로 했다.

USC 대변인은 20일(현지시간) "루카스 감독의 기부금은 명성이 높은 USC 영화학교의 새로운 건물을 짓는데 사용될 것"이라고 말했다. 루카스의 기부금으로 새롭게 지어질 영화학교 건물은 USC 영화학교가 설립되던 1929년을 회상시킬 수 있는 디자인으로 꾸며질 전망이다. 특히 최첨단 멀티미디어 기술과 함께 할리우드 무성영화시대의 영화기술을 접목시키는 형태가 될 것이라는 전망이다. 지금까지 USC에 대한 기부금 가운데 가장 많았던 것은 외교관을 지냈던 월터 에넨버그가 지난 1993년에 내놓았던 1억2000만달러이다. 미국 대학에서 가장 규모가 컸던 기부금은 지난 2001년 캘리포니아공대에 기부된 6억달러였다. 당시 이 기부금은 인텔 창업자 고든 무어 부부와 그들의 재단에서 공동으로 기부된 바 있다.

[로스앤젤레스 = 김경도 특파원]
[출처: 매일경제 2006. 9. 21.]

원문기사

Lucasfilm Donates $175 Million to USC
09/20/06
Gift continues filmmaker George Lucas' long-standing support of educational initiatives at his alma mater. The newly named USC School of Cinematic Arts will be announced at Oct. 4 ceremony.

By John Zollinger

StudioAcclaimed filmmaker George Lucas, creator of the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movies, has announced that his private foundation, Lucasfilm Foundation, will provide $75 million for the construction of new educational buildings and renovations of existing structures at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In addition, his foundation has agreed to provide a $100-million endowment for the school.

Taken together, these gifts will be the largest single donation in USC’s history, said USC President Steven B. Sample. The School of Cinematic Arts, which is under the leadership of Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, holds the distinction of being the oldest cinema school in the United States.

The USC Board of Trustees has renamed the school, formerly known as the USC School of Cinema-Television, as the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The new name will be formally announced at a ceremony on the University Park Campus Oct. 4.

“I discovered my passion for film and making movies when I was a student at USC in the 1960s, and my experiences there shaped the rest of my career,” Lucas said. “I’m also an ardent advocate for education at all levels and encouraging young people to pursue their ambitions by learning. I’m very fortunate to be in a position to combine my two passions and to be able to help USC continue molding the futures of the moviemakers of tomorrow.”

Said Sample, “Through this gift, George Lucas manifests the distinctive traits that make him an extraordinary exemplar of the Trojan Family: a prolifically fertile imagination, courage to take creative risks and a heartfelt desire to educate the next generation of young people. To give back so generously to his alma mater will encourage our students and faculty to continue the legacy that will ensure USC’s preeminence in cinema, television and new media well into the future."

Building on its excellence in cinema, television and new media, the school also has undertaken a groundbreaking initiative that expands the definition of literacy to include a mastery of moving image, sound and databased resources, as well as text.

The exploration and development of this area is the primary focus of the USC Institute for Multimedia Literacy, an organized research unit within the School of Cinematic Arts that works with students, professors and staff at USC and beyond to introduce multimedia communication as an object of study and a new language for research and teaching.

“Multimedia has become an important 21st-century vernacular that must be understood and embraced,” Lucas said. “In the media landscape of today’s world, multimedia as a primary means of communication is simply a reality.”

Lucas’ gift continues his long-standing dedication to fostering and supporting educational initiatives. He became actively involved in education in the mid-1980s when he created Lucasfilm Learning, which worked with such leading companies as Apple Computer, the National Geographic Foundation and Fujitsu to develop innovative educational software.

Today, Lucas serves as chairman not only of San Francisco-based Lucasfilm Ltd. ? which includes film and television, visual effects and videogame production ? but also of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

GLEF was founded to compile and disseminate information about the best, most successful teaching practices in the United States and to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. GLEF publishes the acclaimed magazine Edutopia as part of its endeavors.

Lucas has long been a supporter of educational and children’s charities. Since its inception, Lucasfilm Ltd. has focused its charitable efforts on organizations that serve young people in California and throughout the country. In addition, special premieres of all of Lucas’ “Star Wars” movies have raised millions of dollars for children’s charities worldwide.