My fellow alumni,

It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as our university’s interim president, and I write to you one final time to express my deepest gratitude for all the support you’ve shown me in this role. I am constantly amazed at the reach and passion of our Trojan Family around the world. I felt that passion in thousands of ways, as you made your voices heard.  

As a proud alumna myself, and a committed trustee, I know that we Trojans profoundly care about our university. Your hopes have always been lights to guide us.  

Last fall, I made a commitment to change our culture across our university. Once we set a new course, we took action. We established the Office of Professionalism and Ethics as the center for complaint reporting, and we opened ombuds offices on both campuses to provide a safe space for any member of our community to voice concerns without fear of reprisal, or shame. We created the President’s Culture Commission, whose members advise the president and senior leadership on how best to ensure that our core values guide us. We continued to bring in new leadership for our student health services, and pursued USC’s wellness campaign for the entire Trojan community. We have also made leadership changes in key positions while continuing to provide operational excellence across the academic and medical enterprise.  

All of this work will keep moving forward with our incoming president, Dr. Carol L. Folt. I am so pleased to see Dr. Folt’s administration taking shape. I ask that all Trojans everywhere stay engaged, as Dr. Folt creates our path forward. She is a visionary, and will quickly learn first-hand who we Trojans are: a family whose strength lies in caring, generation to generation, lifelong and worldwide.

I know our university community will inspire Dr. Folt and her leadership team. She arrives knowing that we have taken important first steps, and that we need to, as many of you said, “get it right.”
 
Finally, my fellow alumni, always remember that through your unwavering support and deep love for USC, you are showing the world what it means to be a Trojan. I stand with you, and I thank you with all my heart. And, yes, always, Fight On!

Sincerely,