Issue: Spring 2003

President’s Page

When the trustees voted in 1993 to begin USC’s Building on Excellence campaign, through which we hoped to raise the unheard-of sum of $1 billion, one of the trustees asked a very important question: “Steve, what is the key to making this campaign a success?”

I immediately responded, “Our alumni. If they don’t believe in USC’s excellence, no one else will either.”

We concluded the campaign December 31, having raised nearly $3 billion. You, our alumni, were the single most important component of its overwhelming success. You gave generously, showing the value you place on our mission. In fact, your contributions alone exceeded our original $1 billion target. You participated in large numbers, showing the value you place on your USC education. And just as important, you inspired others to join you in building this great university. Your support, particularly in the early years of the campaign, helped create the momentum that enabled us to develop one of the most innovative and successful undergraduate programs in the country, to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, and to advance USC’s contributions in medicine, science, technology, the arts and the humanities.

Our Building on Excellence campaign ranks as one of the three most successful fundraising campaigns in the history of American higher education. We initially gave ourselves seven years to raise $1 billion – and we did it in four. The bar was then raised to $1.5 billion – and we reached that new goal in just two more years. The bar was then raised again, this time to $2 billion, and the duration of the campaign was extended to nine years – i.e., to December of 2002. We passed the $2 billion mark quickly and kept right on going. In the end we raised close to $3 billion, nearly triple our original goal!

Let me share with you some facts about the campaign. There were 1.5 million individual gifts, made by 350,000 different donors. We received four gifts of $100 million or more, each a record that has been matched by only one other university in history. Five of our professional schools received naming gifts. Dozens of new academic centers and institutes were established, and 110 new chairs were endowed.

The campaign couldn’t have done so much and gone so far without the untiring efforts of Kenneth Leventhal, chairman of the campaign and a member of the USC Board of Trustees for 26 years. All Trojans owe Kenny their thanks for his leadership, energy, and commitment.

Indeed, all of our trustees took personal responsibility for the success of the campaign. They participated with a level of generosity unprecedented in our history and unmatched by all but a handful of other universities. Our trustees accepted, and indeed welcomed, the opportunity to enhance and improve this great university.

The Building on Excellence campaign was successful across the board. Practically all of our schools met or exceeded their individual goals. The deans excelled at fundraising, as did our faculty and students. In the final analysis it was the extraordinary quality of our deans, our faculty, and our students that attracted so many donors to the campaign.

Our alumni also rose to the occasion. You were not forced to give – rather, you chose to give. You know the university better than most do, having spent years in its embrace becoming who you are today. The generous gifts of your time and your means showed the world that ours is a mission worthy of investment.

USC made history with the Building on Excellence campaign. But we’re not resting on our laurels. The campaign was a great start, but it was only a start. We’re going to continue to grow, to build, to improve, and to establish USC as the leading university of the 21st century.