Chair in Biological Sciences in 1998 and the Harold Dornsife Neurosciences Chair in 2000, as well as the Harold Dornsife Section in USC’s Galen Center in 2005. Through the Hedco Foundation, the Dornsife family’s legacy also has helped create the Hedco Neurosciences Building, the Hedco Auditorium and the Hedco Petroleum and Chemical Molecular Biology Laboratories. “The Dornsifes’ investment of their family’s name, and their vision for what
[student support]
are essential to create great universities and research. “The Dornsifes are the best kind of philanthropist,” Damasio says. “They are generous, they are committed to an ideal and they know precisely what they want to achieve.” “We are honored to participate in the development of a literal ‘brain trust’ in the college,” says Dana Dornsife, who is founder and president of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to defray the costs associated with patient participation in U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trials. “The progressiveness of the research and, most importantly, the caliber of the students and postdocs it attracts are a reflection of the high standards we’ve come to expect at USC,” she adds. l
this research center will accomplish, are legacies that will last for generations,” says President Emeritus Steven B. Sample. He calls the new institute “a vital academic and research tool that will serve as an interdisciplinary catalyst for important scientific, medical and educational breakthroughs that will improve human health and well-being.” According to Antonio Damasio, USC’s David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, the actions of donors such as the Dornsifes
New Annenberg Grants
The Annenberg Foundation has donated $10 million to establish the Wallis Annenberg Endowed Scholarship Fund to support students at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. The fund – divided evenly between the schools – covers a substantial portion of tuition costs, providing up to $35,000 per year to recipients at the Keck School and $25,000 per year to undergraduates at USC Annenberg. By its third year of existence, the fund
Running the Numbers
will support up to 17 Annenberg scholars in the two disciplines.
USC Preliminary FY10 Fund raising
“The ability to provide scholarship support is a vital component of USC’s quest to attract the
$420M
most talented students,” says USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “This generous gift will not only pro-
Increase in overall giving
vide a strong incentive for those students to come to USC, but also will help ensure both schools’
Increase in number of donors
2%
legacy of educating and training world leaders in their respective fields.”
Increase in average USC gift
4%
At the same time, scholarship support helps to “level the playing field,” according to Wallis Annenberg. “Scholarships ease the burden of students who might not have the money to attend college or graduate school,” says the chairman of the board of the Annenberg Foundation, who is also the longest-serving member of USC’s Board of Trustees. “They are crucial to offering access to higher education to a broader range of people, regardless of any one person’s or family’s financial circumstances.” The establishment of this fund comes at a pivotal time for USC Annenberg and the Keck School. As the information landscape continues to transform, USC Annenberg is helping chart the course of communication and journalism for the 21st century. “Wallis’ outstanding vision and philanthropy continue to ensure that, in a time of extraordinary need and rising costs in higher education, more students will be able to pursue their dreams,” says USC Annenberg dean Ernest J. Wilson III. The Keck School also is facing transformative challenges, according to dean Carmen A. Puliafito. “We are on the forefront of medical education, with a recently designed curriculum that is integrated and hands-on,” he says. “With the generosity of the Annenberg Foundation, we will ensure that generations of P h o t o C o ur t es y o f t h e A n n e n b er g F o u n d a t i o n
Estimated fund raising
Keck students receive the financial assistance they need.” Established in 1989 by Walter H. Annenberg, the Annenberg Foundation supports nonprofit organizations around the world. Its major program areas are education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic and community life; health and human services; and animal services and the environment. – Sam Lopez
For more on the Annenberg Foundation, visit www.annenbergfoundation.org
16%
Largest gift (Herman Ostrow – Dentistry) $35M Rank among top fund-raising universities 7th