Issue: Winter 2005

President’s Page

By Steven B. Sample

When University Professor Warren Bennis and I teach our class on leadership each spring, we tell our students that complacency and inflexibility will gum up even the most successful organization. Dynamic and resilient organizations thrive on new ideas and fresh perspectives. This process of continuous renewal is what helps an institution or company fulfill its underlying mission, which at USC is “the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.”

Note that it’s the human mind and the human spirit. As I complete my 15th year as president of USC, I’m keenly aware of the importance of renewal in maintaining one’s drive and creativity. One of the ways in which I replenish my spirit is hiking in the Grand Canyon, where I’ve logged almost 600 miles of hiking and backpacking over the past several years. This summer I joined my daughter, son-in-law, 13-year-old granddaughter and 10-year-old grandson in hiking across the Grand Canyon from the north rim to the bottom of the canyon and then on to the south rim. It’s a 24-mile trek, which we completed in just two hiking days. The views were spectacular, and so were the 5,000 feet of elevation loss and gain.

What a magnificent experience it was! And during the hike I had plenty of time to contemplate how I might become a better leader in general, and a better president of USC in particular.

As with people, organizations need to reenergize from time to time. For the past few months USC has undergone just such a renewal with the appointment of our new provost, C. L. Max Nikias. Since Dr. Nikias took office in June, he has brought in new staff and reinvigorated USC’s deans and senior administrators with his extraordinary talent, enthusiasm and vision.

Max was formerly dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Under his leadership, the Viterbi School accelerated as a research powerhouse. Max joined USC’s faculty in 1991, the same year my wife Kathryn and I came to USC. He has carefully studied and internalized the university’s new strategic plan, which was adopted by our trustees in October 2004. Max has already instituted steps toward achieving the plan’s overarching goal of developing USC into one of the most productive and influential research universities in the world.

This ambitious goal will benefit not only our current students, faculty, staff and alumni, but also the hundreds of thousands of Trojans yet unborn who will come to this proud and noble institution seeking wisdom and insight, love of truth and beauty, moral discernment, understanding of self, and respect and appreciation for others.

The building up of a university is a never-ending but immensely satisfying mission. USC has been in the process of self-discovery since its founding 125 years ago. I believe that our cycles of reinvigoration and renewal are the catalysts which make it possible for us to propel USC to even greater heights of academic excellence.