USC names Beong-Soo Kim as its 'next generation' president

[ad_1] USC has named Beong-Soo Kim — interim president for seven months — because it thirteenth president, college officers introduced Wednesday.

The USC board of trustees mentioned it unanimously voted for Kim, 53, the college’s former basic counsel who beforehand labored as a federal prosecutor, to right away take over the function.

When his interim place was introduced a yr in the past and the presidential search was launched, Kim, who changed outgoing President Carol Folt, was not thought of to be a candidate for the job.

However USC leaders mentioned they modified their minds about him after seeing his short-term stewardship of the campus in a troublesome time. He has carried out main austerity measures — together with greater than 1,000 layoffs final yr — to shore up a gaping funds deficit. He has navigated federal pressures from the Trump administration to remake USC in a extra conservative picture and is main USC’s response to know-how adjustments similar to synthetic intelligence which can be difficult instructional norms.

Kim has confronted college and employees criticism for what they considered as the dearth of communication over layoffs and funds cuts. Additionally, there was consternation amongst some USC group members who imagine campus management ought to converse out extra forcefully in opposition to Trump administration assaults on range packages, scientific analysis funding and campus free speech.

Suzanne Nora Johnson, chair of USC’s board of trustees, mentioned in a press release that the choice “vote displays what we discovered all through the search course of: widespread confidence in Beong’s management. As a subsequent era president, we imagine that he can dramatically speed up USC’s institutional development as a particular chief in larger training throughout a time of unprecedented change.”

In a press release, Kim mentioned he was “deeply honored.”

“USC is a really particular place, and we're uniquely positioned to advance our mission and influence throughout this era of change throughout larger training. Our unwavering dedication to tutorial excellence, groundbreaking analysis, and international influence positions us to form the long run – not simply reply to it,” he mentioned.