Word from Widney

Dear Fellow Trojans,


Next weekend, the USC Alumni Association will welcome thousands of Trojans, their friends and families to campus for a two-day celebration of all things USC: Reunion Weekend 2013 and Homecoming. It's the ideal opportunity to either reconnect or deepen your ties to our alma mater, which continues to reach new heights of excellence. More . . .





Alumni Headlines
REUNION WEEKEND 2013
Five generations of Trojans will reconnect, rediscover and reunite, when the undergrad classes of 1963, 1973, 1983, 1988 and 2003 celebrate Reunion Weekend, November 15-16. Registration deadline is November 8, so sign up today!



OUR FIRST-EVER ALL-ALUMNI HOMECOMING TAILGATE
This year, the USC Alumni Association proudly hosts the first all-alumni Homecoming tailgate party. Come to Alumni Park on November 16 for delicious food, unlimited beverages, special entertainment and Trojan Family camaraderie. Click here to purchase tickets.



ALUMNI ATTITUDE SURVEY
We want to hear what you have to say! The online survey you recently received via e-mail will give us a better understanding of what you expect of USC and the USC Alumni Association. Please click on the link in the e-mail and take this confidential survey to help us enhance USC's celebrated connection to our alumni community.



BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION JOINS UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT TEAM
The USC Black Alumni Association (BAA) has moved from USC Student Affairs to join its fellow multicultural groups — the Asian Pacific, Lambda LGBT and Latino alumni associations — under the umbrella of the USC Alumni Association.



AN EVENING WITH PRESIDENT NIKIAS IN CHICAGO
Windy City Trojans and friends gave USC President C. L. Max Nikias a warm welcome when he visited Chicago — the second stop on his 2013-14 tour — on October 17 (view event photos here). And view all the 2013-14 tour dates and locations here.



FOOTBALL WEEKENDERS
You still have time to catch all the Weekender fun at two USC away games, this weekend in the Bay Area, when 'SC takes on Cal, and on November 23 in Boulder, where the Trojans face the Colorado Buffaloes!



TOASTING THE "PILLARS" OF THE TROJAN FAMILY
Hailing them as "true pillars of the Trojan Family," USC President C. L. Max Nikias delivered the keynote address at the 2013 Half Century Trojans Annual Hall of Fame Luncheon, which recognized five outstanding members of the university's senior alumni community on October 8. View event photos here.



TROJAN SCUPPERS
Sign up today to host one of our Student Alumni Society Trojan SCuppers — special dinners that will bring current USC students, alumni, parents and friends together the weekend of February 21-23, 2014. Register here by December 18 to host a SCupper. For more information, e-mail Charlene Fravien or call her at 213-821-5255.



A WILL-POWERED FRIENDSHIP
Actor/comedian Will Ferrell '90 and his friend, Cancer for College founder Craig Pollard '91, shared their professional and personal experiences in a discussion moderated by USC Marshall professor David Belasco on October 14. View Ferrell's performance with the Spirit of Troy here.



"JEP SPARKED A FLAME IN ME"
USC Dornsife alumna, actress and activist América Ferrera '13 delivered the keynote address during the 40th anniversary celebration of USC Dornsife's Joint Educational Project (JEP) on October 29. The Emmy Award-winning Ugly Betty star praised JEP for giving young people "an opportunity to be seen."





Trojan Alum-inaries


Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber
Cynthia Kadohata
Warren Lortie

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber '97, CEO of Masdar, is overseeing construction of a sustainable city in United Arab Emirates.

Cynthia Kadohata '79 is a 2013 National Book Award finalist for her young adult novel, The Thing About Luck.

Warren Lortie '66 has pledged $500,000 to establish the USC School of Architecture's Thom Mayne Full Study Abroad Scholarship.







Young Alumni Spotlight
Yingjun Hu MLA '12 has received a 2013 Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for a project that proposes turning the present concrete-laden confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco into a recreation destination.








Alma Matters

USC Pharmacy kicks off $100 million fundraising initiative
The USC School of Pharmacy launched its $100 million fundraising initiative during a gala event on Nov. 3 at the historic Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Olah and Prakash receive $1 million award for innovative fuel research
George Olah and G.K. Surya Prakash PhD '78 of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences chemistry department have received a first-ever $1 million prize from the state of Israel for their innovative research on alternative fuels.

USC launches International Academy
A partnership between the USC Rossier School of Education and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the academy will expand recruitment efforts to attract the brightest international undergraduate and graduate students to USC's various academic programs.

Josh Shaw named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week
He had team-best 8 tackles and endzone interception in win at Oregon State.