USC President Carol Folt, who sought to reset the scandal-plagued college with main initiatives to spice up athletics, broaden computing applications and widen scholar entry — but additionally drew criticism for her dealing with of pro-Palestinian protests — will retire in July, she introduced Friday.
“After greater than twenty years of management at three nice universities,” Folt wrote to the USC group, “I’m excited to embrace the liberty that comes with a subsequent huge leap, and to cross the baton to the subsequent president who will have the ability to construct upon our accomplishments and create a brand new chapter for this extraordinary establishment.”
Folt, 73, will stay at USC as a tenured college member. Her future had been doubtful after the USC Board of Trustees in July provided her an extension on her five-year contract — however wouldn’t disclose the size or phrases — as they reviewed her efficiency. After she took the helm on July 1, 2019, with a contract that compensated her on the similar degree as former President Max Nikias, she was anticipated to serve for at the very least a decade, Rick Caruso, then USC board chairman, had mentioned on the time.
USC Board of Trustees Chair Suzanne Nora Johnson expressed appreciation for Folt, saying she was employed at “probably the most essential moments within the college’s historical past.” In a letter Friday to the USC group, Johnson praised her management expertise and “innate capability to attach with group members on a private degree.”
“Her dedication to fixing the troublesome points earlier than her — whether or not previous or current — have by no means impeded her deal with what lies forward,” Johnson wrote. “Her eager strategic eye in the direction of the longer term, and the groundbreaking initiatives she has launched because of this, will profit each the present and subsequent generations of Trojans, and [undoubtedly] contribute to USC’s long-term sustainable excellence.”
Rectified troubled previous on racial justice
Folt mentioned she was happy with her work to broaden applications in computing, well being sciences, athletics, monetary assist and scholar well-being. She launched a $1-billion plan to broaden computing throughout the college, as an example, with a brand new College of Superior Computing as its cornerstone.
Folt additionally cited “of particular significance” her efforts to rectify the college’s checkered previous on racial justice — providing honorary levels to 33 Japanese Individuals incarcerated throughout World Warfare II who have been denied the prospect to proceed their USC research, stripping the identify of eugenicist Rufus von KleinSmid from a outstanding constructing and renaming it after Dr. Joseph Medication Crow, a Native American chief, and honoring survivors of the Holocaust with a College Medallion.
“You additionally helped us rectify deeply painful episodes, restore a tarnished popularity and resolve critical authorized points, drive tradition change, and develop new insurance policies to make sure the security and well-being of our group,” she wrote to the USC group.
Folt was hired with an overriding mandate to restore trust within the college, which had been rocked by one scandal after one other. She replaced key administrators and brokered a $1-billion settlement with alumnae victimized by a sexually abusive gynecologist.
The first woman to lead USC since its 1880 founding, Folt also worked to open access to more low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students of color. In one of her most highly touted initiatives, Folt directed USC to eliminate tuition for households incomes $80,000 or much less yearly and not contemplate house fairness in monetary assist calculations. The estimated annual price to attend USC for 2024-25 is $95,225 for college students dwelling away from their households.
She drew nationwide consideration for outstanding strikes to reshape USC’s athletics program. That included hiring a nationally famend head soccer coach, Lincoln Riley, on a $10-million annual contract — one of many highest salaries within the sport, which is now coming below criticism as USC’s efficiency falters. She additionally helped lead the transfer to the Massive Ten that in the end resulted within the demise of the Pac-12 Convention, and employed Jen Cohn, the primary feminine athletic director at USC.
Censure over spring protests
However these actions have been overshadowed this spring by huge controversy over her handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
Specifically, her determination to rescind pro-Palestinian valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s talking slot in USC’s predominant graduation ceremony drew widespread outrage. Folt justified the choice by citing unspecified security threats.
The turmoil escalated when Folt canceled the “predominant stage” graduation ceremony, depriving college students and their households of a treasured ritual. Folt and her staff referred to as in police to dismantle a tent encampment that college students arrange in assist of Palestinians, resulting in 93 arrests.
She made no public remarks for 2 weeks, drawing criticism that she was lacking in motion throughout essentially the most explosive problem of her tenure.
Such actions price Folt key college assist. In Could, the USC Academic Senate voted to censure her and Provost Andrew Guzman over their dealing with of occasions round graduation. Among the many Educational Senate’s 44 members, who signify about 4,500 college, 21 supported the censure movement, seven opposed and 6 abstained.
Folt’s supporters, nevertheless, famous that the president had created the new school of advanced computing and boosted psychological well being providers. She additionally presided over a report variety of candidates — 82,000 for fall 2024 — driving down the admission charge to 9.3%, a report low. Admitted college students, one-fifth of them the primary of their households to attend school, had a mean 3.89 GPA.
Underneath Folt, USC raised greater than $800 million in fiscal yr 2024, the biggest haul in eight years, and its fundraising complete the earlier yr ranked within the prime 10 amongst U.S. analysis universities, a USC assertion mentioned. Analysis expenditures grew to $1.1 billion in fiscal yr 2023, a 27% improve over 4 years, in line with the emailed assertion.
Athletics
Inside her first six months as president in 2019, Folt got down to reshape USC’s athletic division. She changed Lynn Swann, a Trojan soccer hero who resigned as athletic director that September, with Mike Bohn, the primary outsider to helm USC athletics in a quarter-century.
However Bohn resigned abruptly final Could after The Occasions despatched inquiries to him and USC concerning his conduct as athletic director and administration of the division. In his place, Folt employed Cohen.
On Thursday, Folt introduced a $50-million reward for a state-of-the-art Bloom Soccer Efficiency Heart — a part of a $200-million fundraising effort she led, USC mentioned. It is only one of a number of capital services tasks at present within the works.
