After a Break, Back at USC

USC’s half century trojans reawaken their inner student by spending a day on campus.

It’s never too late to go back to school.

Witness the few hundred members of USC’s venerable community of Half Century Trojans who returned to the University Park campus in February for the first annual Half Century Trojans Going Back to College Day.

Sponsored and hosted by the USC Alumni Association in partnership with select USC schools and divisions, Going Back to College Day allowed the Half Century Trojans to rekindle their memories of student life on a regular USC school day.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for Half Century Trojans to engage in a full day of campus academic, cultural and spirit-related activities, and to promote the Half Century Trojans among the entire university community,” says Half Century Trojans president Seymour Canter ’55. 

The schools were able to connect with their own Half Century Trojan populations. This was not possible in past years, as the group’s only previous annual event – the Half Century Trojans Luncheon – took place on the busy Reunion Weekend during football season.

By definition, Half Century Trojans include all USC alumni, no matter their degree(s) earned here, who were awarded a bachelor’s degree from any university at least 50 years ago. The group was established on June 11, 1949, when then-USC President Rufus B. von KleinSmid declared that the Half Century Trojans, who “had aided in many ways to make the success that the university now enjoys, are now privileged to enjoy the fruits of their labor and the evidence of their faith.”

Today there are upwards of 20,000 Half Century Trojans – about one-fifteenth of USC’s total living alumni population of approximately 300,000. In addition, the Half Century Trojans have traditionally welcomed emeritus faculty members and retired USC administrative personnel.

For this first Going Back to College Day, guests arrived at Widney Alumni House before noon to socialize before lunches hosted by the deans of the schools they attended. Represented were USC College, USC Marshall School of Business, USC Annenberg School for Communication, USC Rossier School of Education, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, USC Thornton School of Music and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Participants with degrees from schools whose deans were not hosting lunches attended an interdisciplinary gathering at the USC Emeriti Center.

During the various lunches, the deans paid tribute to their guests, who represent one of the most important branches of the Trojan Family tree, and provided updates on the latest trends in faculty research and student activities.

After lunch, members of the young-at-heart crowd enjoyed one of three activities – a campus tour, a curatorial walk through two exhibitions (Cinematic Cervantes and Duke: The Life and Legend of John Wayne) at Doheny Memorial Library with USC Libraries Dean Catherine Quinlan, or a tour of the new USC School of Cinematic Arts complex that opened this winter.

After the tours, it was literally back-to-school day, when the Half Century Trojans attended classroom lectures organized by the USC Emeriti College. The lectures covered political science (“The Genius of Our Constitution” by Robert P. Biller, founding dean of the School of Policy, Planning, and Development), fine arts (“Jazz in the Swing Era” by Thom D. Mason, founder of the jazz studies department) and science/health (“The Status of Healthcare in Los Angeles” by Robert E. Tranquada, former dean at the Keck School of Medicine of USC).

The day ended with a dinner sponsored by University Advancement, where guests were addressed by USC President Steven B. Sample, who characterized the Half Century Trojans as “a link between our present and our past, an enduring symbol of the lasting bond among all members of the USC community.” This university, he continued, “has benefited greatly from your efforts, your experience and your judgment, and I’m very grateful for all of your contributions.”

– Ross M. Levine

FIFTY AND COUNTING

A Commitment to Serve

Behind the scenes with the USCAA Board of Governors

More than 100 former members of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors returned to campus for an unprecedented re­union in February.

Held at USC Davidson Conference Center, the inaugural event offered current and former members an opportunity to connect and exchange ideas during an afternoon forum followed by a special reception with USC Board of Trustees chairman Edward P. Roski Jr. ’62.

Although it has long served an advisory role to the USC Alumni Association, the Board of Governors may be an unknown entity to many Trojans. In fact, the board is composed of a broad cross-section of alumni, representing a diversity of ages, ethnicities, geographic locations, genders, graduation years and professions.

According to Scott M. Mory, associate senior vice president for alumni relations, “The Board of Governors is one of the Trojan Family’s greatest re­sources. USC is fortunate to have such a dedicated team of advisers, focused on en­hancing alumni programming and services.”

Every year, the board’s president-elect appoints eight new members to serve three-year terms. During their tenure – which lasts a maximum of six years (two consecutive terms) – the at-large members lend their experience and expertise to a variety of tasks, whether selecting honorees for the annual Alumni Awards Gala, reviewing applications for alumni club charters or providing feedback on the Alumni Association’s Web site.

One of the board’s top priorities is upholding the ideals of the university and the alumni association while adapting to the changing demographics and needs of the Trojan Family.

Achieving and maintaining such a delicate balance of tradition and innovation may sound daunting, yet the board, under the leadership of president Richard A. DeBeikes Jr. ’78, has embraced the challenge.

For example, at its December 2008 meeting, the board’s student outreach committee reported on its collaboration with the recently formed Society 53 (the Student Alumni Association) in organizing “Trojan SCuppers,” a program in which alumni host meals for students, either at a private home or in a restaurant. Other issues covered at the meeting ranged from alumni philanthropy to business partnerships, with board member Gregory Pollack ’86, MBA ’94 giving a detailed presentation on defining and strengthen­ing the alumni association’s “brand,” for both alumni and students.

While making the alumni association more appealing to younger alums and current students has been one of DeBeikes’ primary goals, the 2008-09 president is keenly aware that the national economic crisis has intensified alumni interest in career services. To that end, the board committed itself to working with the alumni association, the USC Career Planning & Placement Center and alumni club leaders to increase and diversify career services programming for alumni.

The two groups partnered to create an immensely popular alumni vocational seminar, “Taking Charge of Your Career in Today’s Job Market,” which was presented nine times between October 2008 and May 2009 (see page 49). The board also advised the alumni association on working with the career center on the “Trojans Hiring Trojans” job placement program launched in February.

For DeBeikes, who passes the torch to president-elect Robert Padgett ’68 in June, working with the career center has been a highlight.

“I am proud that the Board of Governors took a proactive stance with regard to helping alumni through this difficult economic time,” he says.

“Now, more than ever, is the time to live up to the aspirations of the Trojan Family, and do what we can to support each other.”

– Timothy O. Knight

Celebrating Sisterhood

Co-chaired by alumnae Bryn DeBeikes and Carol Fox, a host committee of alumni leaders and volunteers, USC deans, senior university administrators and senior alumni association staff spent months developing the conference agenda. According to Fox, the guiding principle for the conference was to “inspire women to think about specific ways they can support and work with each other.”

Martha Harris, senior vice president for university relations, welcomed the attendees. USC Roski School of Fine Arts Dean Ruth Weisberg then introduced the conference’s key­note speaker, artist/philanthropist Gayle Garner Roski, who discussed “The Art of Being a Woman” – i.e., balancing career and family.

The focus then shifted to “Hot Topics in Wo­men’s Health,” presented by the Doctors of USC, a conference sponsor. Doctors Leslie A. Saxon, Laila I. Muderspach and Helena Chang Chui of the Keck School of Medicine of USC spoke about heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively, in a panel moderated by senior Keck administrator Jane Brust.

A panel entitled “Achieving Personal and Professional Success” covered topics ranging from gender politics in corporate America to the unique challenges women face taking care of elderly family members. Emmy-winning KTLA morning news co-anchor Frank Buckley ’87 mod­erated the panel, which included Courtney Surls, the university’s vice president for development.

Janet W. Lamkin, president of Bank of America California, closed the event with a talk on financial empowerment.

– Timothy O. Knight

For details on these and other USC Alumni Association programs, visit http://alumni.usc.edu

TROJAN SPIRIT HOME AND AWAY

The Alumni SCene

From philanthropy to Dr. Phil

1. Community Service, Trojan Style

The USC Alumni Association along with Society 53, the Student Alumni Association, organized a day of student and alumni volunteering on Jan. 24. Despite inclement weather, USC Friends and Neighbors Service Day attracted more than 50 members of the Trojan Family eager to help out at a number of social service sites throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Pictured are volunteers at the Olympia Convalescent Hospital in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.

2. The Check Is in the Mail

On Jan. 19, the USC international office in Hong Kong, along with the USC Alumni Association and the USC Hong Kong Parents’ Association, presented a $60,567 check to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong to aid victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The funds were raised at a premiere of The One Man Olympics, a film about China’s first Olympic athlete, Liu Changchun, who competed in the 1932 summer games in Los Angeles. An additional $239,000 was raised at the premiere and at a fundraiser in July 2008 for the new Ronald Tutor Campus Center.

3. ‘SC in the City

Midtown Manhattan’s historic University Club provided the elegant backdrop for “An Evening with C. L. Max Nikias” on Feb. 5. Co-hosted by the USC Alumni Association and the USC Alumni Club of New York, the reception brought out more than 200 alumni, parents and Trojan Family friends, as well as Michael L. Jackson, vice president for student affairs; Courtney Surls, vice president for development; and Scott M. Mory, associate senior vice president for alumni relations. Pictured left to right are Nikias and New York Trojans Garrett Taylor ’06 and Paul Hogan ’08.

4. Town & Gown Group Gets Real with Dr. Phil

Several Town & Gown of USC members attended the Jan. 21 taping of Dr. Phil in Los Angeles, where they met popular television psychologist Phil McGraw and his wife, Robin. The McGraws – whose youngest son, Jordan, is a Trojan, Class of 2010 – later received Town & Gown of USC’s Recognition Award at the alumnae group’s annual benefit luncheon and fashion show at the Beverly Hilton on April 7. The group also honored veteran KTLA reporter Stan Chambers ’44 with its 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award.

TIME TRAVELERS

Pointing Their Pens to the Past

USC volunteers preserve and archive the USC Alumni Association’s distinguished history.

The USC Alumni Association has a long and fascinating past – no argument there. The challenge has been to record that past and catalogue its artifacts in a way that makes the material readily accessible to alumni and other interested individuals or organizations.

With this objective, the alumni association in 2007 recruited volunteers to work on its USC History Project.  Over time, this group evolved into the Trojan Family Historians, a USC Alumni Association committee tasked with researching and recording information for eventual inclusion in a Web-based archive to be known as the Trojan Family SCrapbook.  

The first phase of the USC History Project involved the creation of written profiles for every winner of the USC Alumni Association Asa V. Call Achievement Award, the premier alumni honor that has been be­stowed each spring at the USC Alumni Awards Gala, since the prize’s inception in 1932. Committee members wrote biographies for all the winners, a group that includes the late First Lady Pat Nixon, Apollo 11 astronaut and first man on the moon Neil Armstrong, former secretary of state Warren Christopher and Grammy-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert.

The Trojan Family Historians then em­barked on their second assignment – researching and writing biographies for all past alumni association presidents.  George Finley Bovard, USC’s fourth president (1905-1921), was the alumni association’s first chief from 1885 to 1886.  The association then slipped behind the scenes for 37 years until its reorganization in 1923.  Since then, it has had 84 presidents, including current president Richard A. DeBeikes Jr. ’78. (President-elect Robert Padgett ’68 will take the helm in June.) 

Future projects for the volunteer historians may include researching prominent international USC alumni and USC’s many Olympic gold medal winners.  Other possibilities include compiling data on distinguished USC faculty, creating profiles of Trojans who have been on the covers of prominent magazines, and recording oral and visual histories. In short, says Scott M. Mory, associate senior vice president for alumni relations, the Trojan SCrapbook “will convey the remarkable breadth and depth of the USC alumni experience that began with the Class of 1884.”

In an effort to gather a wide range of contributions for this virtual archive, the USC Alumni Association and the Trojan Family Historians have been reaching out to affiliated alumni associations. These groups include the Asian Pacific Alumni Association, Black Alumni Association, Mexican American Alumni Association and Lambda Gay + Lesbian Alumni Association. In addition, the group is receiving support from USC Public Relations as well as the USC Archives, overseen by university archivist Claude Zachary.

Asked why she was devoting much of her free time to the Trojan Family Historians, committee member, Alumni Service Award winner and Half Century Trojan Mildred “Millie” Farnsworth ’46 had this to say: “The University of Southern California has played a very special role in my life for more than 60 years. To be a part of a project that will reflect this institution and its remarkable alumni from the past as well as the future is an opportunity I value beyond words.”

– Ross M. Levine

CAREER Rx

In addition to career counselors and advisers from the center, representatives from USC Employee Recruitment Services, the State of California Employment Development Office, the USC Marshall School of Business Crocker Library and the USC Center for Work and Family Life share their expertise with attendees.

Center director Lori Shreve Blake explains that the three-hour agenda is not set in stone: “When alumni told us they enjoyed learning from a panel of experts and networking with fellow Trojans from diverse professions in similar situations, we adjusted the program to allow more time for the panel and introduced a formal business card exchange.”

That alumni have enthusiastically welcomed these seminars is no surprise, given the national economic downturn. In fact, the response has been so overwhelming that the career center has made podcasts of the seminar available on its Web site (http://careers.usc.edu/podcasts). 

The actions taken to help Trojans during these tough economic times impressed Tommie Pippin, an Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. field-recruiting specialist who participated in the job search panel during the Jan. 30 seminar on the University Park campus.

“To have access to all these career re­sources on campus is an outstanding benefit for USC alumni,” she says. “Few universities are offering this level of career assistance to their graduates.”

For information about upcoming “Taking Charge of Your Career in Today’s Job Markets” seminars, visit http://careers.usc.edu/alumni.

– Timothy O. Knight

For details on these and other USC Alumni Association programs, visit http://alumni.usc.edu