New USC President Beong-Soo Kim faces high stakes: Trust, Trump and Trojan football

Key Points:

• Beong-Soo Kim was formally installed as the 13th president of USC, succeeding interim leadership and inheriting significant challenges including a $200 million deficit and a need to restore trust after scandals such as the Varsity Blues admissions bribery and a $1.1 billion sexual abuse settlement.
• Kim has implemented major cost-saving measures including layoffs of over 900 workers, a hiring freeze, and halted merit raises, while aiming to exceed a $30 million surplus forecast and improve the financial health of USC’s health system, Keck Medicine.
• USC faces ongoing debates over admissions policies, including whether to require standardized tests, and is maintaining holistic admissions practices despite California’s ban on legacy preferences, emphasizing diversity and support for first-generation and Pell Grant students.
• The university is investing heavily in artificial intelligence research with a $200 million gift, while Kim acknowledges the ethical risks of AI and emphasizes USC’s role in promoting safe and moral use of the technology.
• USC is preparing to showcase its Olympic tradition and global community during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, reflecting Kim’s vision of a university with broad impact beyond athletics.