We Are Southern California
USC, L.A. and California’s southland are inextricably linked, having grown together from a literal "cow town" in the 1800s to today’s global epicenter in creativity, diversity and innovation. As a great private research university that serves the public good, we foster a symbiotic relationship across the city and throughout SoCal — advancing society and elevating humanity.
Briefly stated, the enduring relationship between them.
History of USC and Los Angeles
Since the beginning, USC reflects the ethos of our home city. From our open invitation for everyone to benefit from the university to serving others through research, the building of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to attract the Olympics and more, we come alive with the forces of L.A. in everything we do.
USC and SoCal today
It’s simple: At USC, we care about being good neighbors. We love partnerships. We dig into the communities around us. We’re everywhere across the city. While generating billions to the region annually, ultimately we pride ourselves on the contributions that can’t be measured — our relationships.
Around the Community
USC students, faculty, staff, partners, volunteers and more create the fabric of a large-scale research university that takes one-on-one time with people in our surrounding community.
At street medicine event, mayor and USC president underscore cooperation on homelessness
A “fireside chat” between USC President Carol L. Folt and Mayor Karen Bass reinforces the university’s collaborative work with the city in a united quest to care for the unhoused, whose numbers have increased since COVID.
Where to Find Advanced Computing at USC (Hint: It’s Everywhere!)
A visual guide to where USC has made its mark on the computing landscape throughout Southern California.
A winning partnership helps make Los Angeles homes safer
The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and Rebuilding Together team up to serve Angelenos in need and teach professionals how to help older adults age safely at home.
USC partners with College Track to promote school success for first-gen high school students of color
The national nonprofit’s new Crenshaw center is just miles from USC’s University Park Campus.
Student muralists spruce up Peace Garden near University Park Campus
The vibrant artwork on a 120-year-old house enlivens the walk to campus.
University Park Slow Jams collaboration raises awareness of local traffic dangers
USC’s Kid Watch joins Public Matters to improve pedestrian safety.
When COVID-19 vaccinations began, the USC community sprang into action
From day one of distribution to today, Trojans have been delivering vaccines to hard-hit communities, volunteering at mega-sites and ensuring that hundreds of thousands of shots get into arms.
Creative Industries at USC
Powerful technology is built from the ideas and advances that came before it. Similarly, USC’s creative research comes from the deep collaboration between creators, technologists and artists’ real-world experiences as well as the visions allowed to grow in our university. These emerging forms of media and technology are then disseminated through the powerhouse of the music and film industries, which are housed within the city. These industries have taken the seedlings formed in our academic places and given them real-world applications.
When Local Means Global
USC reflects L.A.’s diversity, which reflects the world’s. Our countless nationalities and ethnic groups shape the nuance and detail we give to every aspect to our academic experience. Alongside our community focus, we never forget where we are on the Pacific Rim. Our place in the world gives us the advantage to receive and foster innovation, because being here is unlike being anywhere else.
From USC to the Screen
Hollywood, our neighbor, is the epicenter of the latest technological developments in creative storytelling. The Light Stages at USC are used to create ever-more realistic virtual characters, from USC-led initiatives such as the Institute for Creative Technologies’ partnership with the U.S. Army to major studios like Sony Pictures Imageworks, who come to USC to create photoreal digital actors as part of Academy Award-winning visual effects in Spider-Man 2, King Kong, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Avatar and more.
Every Person Counts
People experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles is a priority issue for the USC community. Data from the annual LA homeless count demographic survey is analyzed by the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, which helps the LA Homeless Services Authority better allocate resources and serve people.
A Grounded View
It’s true: Southern California sits in earthquake country. USC experts keep a close eye on the geophysics of the surrounding area and beyond to gain deep knowledge of earthquakes and provide societies with key ways to prepare and recover.
Key Partnerships for Climate Action
USC aims to be carbon-neutral by 2025, turning to renewable energy sources such as solar power. An agreement between USC and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has reduced the university’s carbon consumption by 25% while at the same time making renewable energy more accessible and affordable for residents in multifamily dwellings.
Environmental Changemakers
Pristine Catalina Island sits just 22 miles from the mainland and offers unparalleled access to natural systems unaffected by urban human activity. Home to the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, the island welcomes Trojan researchers, scientists and students who produce solutions-focused investigations at the intersection of people and planet.
A Star-Studded Marching Band
Performing at the Hollywood Bowl is just one of the many thrills of being a part of the world-renowned Trojan Marching Band, aka “the Spirit of Troy.” Having performed many times there with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in 2022 USC band members joined Gwen Stefani on stage to kick off Bowl season with the first-ever joint performance alongside a friendly rival — the UCLA Marching Band.
