Los Angeles was a rough-and-tumble frontier town in the early 1870s,
when a group of public-spirited citizens led by Judge Robert Maclay
Widney first dreamed of establishing a university in the region. It took
nearly a decade for this vision to become a reality, but in 1879 Widney
formed a board of trustees and secured a donation of 308 lots of land
from three prominent members of the community – Ozro W. Childs, a
Protestant horticulturist; former California governor John G. Downey, an
Irish-Catholic pharmacist and businessman; and Isaias W. Hellman, a
German-Jewish banker and philanthropist. The gift provided land for a
campus as well as a source of endowment, the seeds of financial support
for the nascent institution.
When USC first opened its doors to 53 students and 10 teachers in
1880, the “city” still lacked paved streets, electric lights, telephones
and a reliable fire alarm system. Today, USC is home to more than
33,000 students and nearly 3,200 full-time faculty, and is located in
the heart of one of the biggest metropolises in the world.
Los Angeles was a rough-and-tumble frontier town in the early 1870s,
when a group of public-spirited citizens led by Judge Robert Maclay
Widney first dreamed of establishing a university in the region. It took
nearly a decade for this vision to become a reality, but in 1879 Widney
formed a board of trustees and secured a donation of 308 lots of land
from three prominent members of the community: Ozro W. Childs, a
Protestant horticulturist; former California governor John G. Downey, an
Irish-Catholic pharmacist and businessman; and Isaias W. Hellman, a
German-Jewish banker and philanthropist. The gift provided land for a
campus as well as a source of endowment — the seeds of financial support
for the nascent institution.
USC’s participation in the Olympics dates back to 1904, when Emil Breitkreutz’06
traveled to St. Louis, becoming the first USC student to compete in the
Olympic Games. Breitkreutz took home a bronze medal in the 800-meter
run — marking the beginning of a Trojan Olympic legacy that today is
unrivaled.
Since then, USC has produced more Olympians, overall medalists and
gold medalists than any other university in the United States.
USC’s star-studded Olympic roster
includes 418 Trojans who attended the university before, during or
after their Olympic appearances. These athletes have represented 60
countries and participated in 28 different sports, ranging from those
generally associated with USC, such as track and swimming, to more
unusual sports, such as team handball, canoeing and bobsled. While
Trojans traditionally have found their place in the sun during the
Summer Olympics, USC athletes also have competed in the Winter Olympics
nine times.
USC has a long history of support for veterans and the military. The
university became a training school for Army officers during World War I
and expanded its role during World War II, serving as a naval
preparatory flight cadet school and hosting Army, Marine Corps and Navy
training programs.
In addition, USC is one of only two universities, along with Notre
Dame, to have maintained an unbroken, decades-long relationship with
the ROTC.
The ROTC program at USC was founded in 1943 and currently numbers
120 future officers in four branches of the military — the Air Force,
Army, Marine Corps and Navy. Applicants must receive a scholarship from
the national ROTC program and are admitted separately from other
students at USC. Graduates of the program join their military branch as
officers.
USC also enrolls approximately 600 veterans each semester,
supporting their return to civilian life through the USC Veterans
Association, the USC Veterans Certifying Office, Transfer and Veteran
Student Programs, and other initiatives.
The Schoen Family Scholarship Program for Veterans Endowment,
which has assisted close to 200 students since its creation in 1986, was
established with a $15 million donation from USC Trustee William J.
Schoen ’60, MBA ’63 and his wife, Sharon. This scholarship provides
additional support for veterans studying at the USC Marshall School of
Business and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The university’s commitment to the military extends to other
schools and units. For the last 12 years, USC has hosted the Institute
for Creative Technologies, a leading center in artificial intelligence
and virtual humans funded by the U.S. Department of Defense to improve
training and preparedness of officers and their troops.
In 2008, the School of Social Work won federal funding to create a
master’s program designed to train social workers specifically in the
needs of veterans and their families. The school also runs the Center
for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families.
In 2012, The USC Marshall School of Business launched the Master
of Business for Veterans (MBV), a new degree program for veterans.
Developed through conversations with Marshall alumni and the California
Department of Veterans Affairs, the MBV is geared for veterans and
active military personnel and is designed to translate specific skills
acquired through military service to the business environment.
You found the secret section!
