The USC Associates

The USC Associates. . , In 1959, a new breed of support group took shape at the University of Southern California. Several school-specific organizations were already in place, composed of individuals - mostly alumni - who made annual gifts of $100 or more. In contrast, the USC Associates brought together "influential and representative" professional and business people from the Los Angeles area , alumni and non-alumni alike , who contributed at least $1,000 a year to academic programs at USC. , In the beginning, this group was closely connected to the USC Board of Trustees. Charter membership included 18 of the 26 trustees for 1959-60, and the board chairman did double duty by overseeing the USC Associates as well. It was not until 1971 that the group gained its first dedicated president. , The mission of the USC Associates has always been to advance knowledge in the sciences, the humanities and the professions through financial support of academic programs at the university. In turn, viewing teachers as "the heart of a university and the essential element of our future greatness," the group set itself the initial task of honoring members of the faculty: An early brochure stated: The Associates believe that one of the most crucial decisions a fully educated man can make is to enter the teaching profession, and that the concerned with the future of higher education must seek ways to make this decision materially rewarding. Thus, at the first USC Associates dinner , held at the Beverly Hills Hotel on June 6, 1960 , the group presented $1,000 checks to eight professors who had been voted by graduating seniors as the best at USC. , Teaching awards continued to be a highlight of the Associates' annual dinners until 1982, when President James H. Zumberge and the Academic Senate inaugurated the Academic Honors Convocation. Since then, the USC Associates Award for Creativity in Research and Scholarship and the Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching , the highest honors the university bestows upon its faculty , have been conferred on this occasion. , Over the years, the USC Associates dinners also have welcomed some of the region's , and the country's , most prominent leaders. A guest speaker at the 1963 event, for example, was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States. At the group's 10th annual dinner in 1969, President Richard M. Nixon made a tribute to Eisenhower, who had died earlier that year. Nixon's wife, Pat , 1937 graduate of USC , addressed the 12th USC Associates dinner in 1972. , As membership expanded, so did the USC Associates' spectrum of support. In 1970, the group infused the student-sponsored Norman Topping Student Aid Fund with a substantial gift to make it immediately viable. Later, the Associates endowed a series of chairs and professorships in fields ranging from humanities to accounting and dentistry. The Associates scholarship program was launched in 1983 to recognize students for exemplary leadership in academics as well as community service. , The 1970s saw the beginning of the tailgate parties, the brainchild of Kennedy Galpin and his wife, Bobbie. A powerful tool for recruiting new members, these parties evolved into the perennially popular USC Associates pregame football picnics. , In time, the original membership structure gave way to a multi-level arrangement. A junior level was established in 1983 to encourage people under 35 to engage in philanthropy. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a presidential level was created in 1988, and in 2006, the minimum gift amount was increased to $50,000 and a new chairman level was added. , There can be no doubt that the USC Associates has earned its reputation as the university's premier academic support group. Members contributions have enriched ventures ranging from training programs for teaching assistants to library technology enhancements. One of the university's professional schools , the USC Rossier School of Education , is powered by the names of Associates members Barbara J. and Roger W. Rossier. Numerous campus landmarks , Ahmanson Center for Biological Research, Birnkrant Residential College, Asa V. Call Law Library, Dedeaux Field, Richard K. Eamer Medical Plaza, General William Lyon University Center, Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower, Jane Hoffman Popovich and J. Kristoffer Popovich Hall, Salvatori Computer Science Center and Ronald Tutor Hall, to highlight just a few , also bear the names of members of this extraordinary group. , USC President Steven B. Sample summed it up at the USC Associates' first Orange County gala in 1993: "I was told that when the president's office calls for help, the Associates deliver. That was right."