USC President Carol Folt announces retirement

LOS ANGELES – Carol L. Folt, president of the University of Southern California, announced her retirement Friday. She will hold her position until the end of the academic year.

Folt, who took over the university nearly five years ago to bring stability after a major admissions scandal, but like many other American academic leaders came under fire last year during pro-Palestinian campus protests.

Folt joined USC in 2019 after leading the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for six years. She previously worked at Dartmouth College, where she served as interim president, provost, dean of faculty and professor of biological sciences.

She was hired by USC at a time when the university was reeling from a nationwide college admissions fraud scandal involving parents, athletics officials and coaches from several institutions, in which students were allegedly admitted to colleges on athletic scholarships despite never having had practiced their alleged sport.

The university was also rocked by the criminal case against longtime campus gynecologist George Tyndall, who was accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of students. Many sued the university, claiming campus leaders failed to take action on complaints about his actions. USC agreed to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle class action lawsuits against the university.

The scandal led to the departure of USC president CL Max Nikias in 2018.

Folt pointed to a series of accomplishments from her time as president, including “the $1 billion investment in Frontiers of Computing and USC’s new School of Advanced Computing, Health Sciences 3.0, Athletics Reimagined, Sustainable Urban Futures and USC Competes,” along with upgrades to athletics facilities, the relocation of athletics programs from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, and the opening of the university’s Capital Campus in Washington, D.C.

Over the past year, however, Folt — like many university leaders across the country — came under fire from some critics for responding to pro-Palestinian protests and encampments. Earlier this year, an encampment at Alumni Park on the USC campus was dismantled last year during a law enforcement operation that resulted in 93 arrests.

Continued unrest also threw the proceedings into disarray, with the traditional main stage ceremony canceled and replaced with a celebratory event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The university also banned pro-Palestinian valedictorian Asna Tabassum from speaking at commencement activities, citing security concerns.

The university also canceled plans to award honorary degrees to recipients including filmmaker Jon Chu and tennis legend Billie Jean King.

Suzanne Nora Johnson, chair of the USC Board of Trustees, issued a statement Friday praising Folt’s “exceptional tenure” as the university’s twelfth president.

“Carol was hired at one of the most important times in the school’s history, bringing with her unique and important experience as university president and chancellor at two leading institutions,” Johnson wrote. “Carol’s leadership skills and her innate ability to connect with community members on a personal level have been evident throughout her tenure, and we are grateful for her commitment to our entire Trojan family: students, faculty, staff, alumni and our wider university community.

“While Carol’s retirement marks a moment of transition for USC, her leadership positions the university well for the future. Her dedication to solving the difficult problems before her – both past and present – ​​has never held her back to focus on what lies ahead. Her sharp strategic view of the future, and the groundbreaking initiatives she has launched as a result, will benefit both the current and next generation of Trojans, and will undoubtedly contribute to the sustainable excellence of Trojans. USC in the long run.

A letter Folt wrote to the USC community states:

Dear Trojan family,

It is with sincere gratitude that I write to share my decision to retire as President of USC at the end of the academic year on July 1, 2025. Serving as the twelfth president of the University of Southern California is one of the greatest privileges of my life. Working with so many of you to fulfill the promise of our incredible Trojan family brings me joy and inspiration every day. However, after more than twenty years leading three major universities, I am excited to embrace the freedom that comes with taking the next great leap, and to pass the baton to the next president, who will be able to to build on our achievements and create a new world. new chapter for this extraordinary institution.

My North Stars have always been: students first; academic excellence (in research, teaching, creative practice and visionary discoveries); safe, welcoming and sustainable campuses; tackling major challenges; and building ethical, people-centered and empathetic teams. With these principles in mind, we have spent the past five years creating a forward-looking vision that will serve our students, faculty and staff well as they strive to improve the country and the world.

I cherish the many relationships and friendships I have developed – none more so than those with our exceptional students. I’m amazed at the countless ways Trojans fight on! and shine. The service, dedication and talents of our students, faculty and staff make USC a powerhouse for good – a valued member of our entire region, and a model for how universities strengthen democracy.

It was an honor to work with you to launch five transformational Presidential Moonshots. These initiatives – including the $1 billion investment in Frontiers of Computing and USC’s new School of Advanced Computing, Health Sciences 3.0, Athletics Reimagined, Sustainable Urban Futures and USC Competes – have positioned USC securely for the future. Our reorganization of the USC Health Sciences business, the creation of an exciting strategic plan and the addition of USC Arcadia Hospital are ensuring Keck Medicine thrives. We are upgrading our athletic facilities, we have tripled in both student mental services and student cultural spaces, and we have opened our Capital Campus in an iconic home in Washington, DC. We moved to the Big Ten to ensure the competitive success of USC programs and athletes. Our research funding continues to grow at historic levels. And as part of the USC Competes moonshot, we made our largest-ever investments in student financial aid, as well as faculty and staff salaries.

I am also deeply grateful for the way our campus and community came together during the COVID pandemic. Our people ensured that our educational, medical, and community-based missions could continue—often at great personal cost—and Trojan care teams saved countless lives. You have also helped us correct deeply painful episodes, restore a tarnished reputation, resolve serious legal issues, drive culture change, and develop new policies to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.

Of particular note during my time here are four actions we have taken to rethink our university’s mission and values. In 2022, we awarded honorary degrees to 33 Nisei students – Japanese Americans who were victims of forced detention during World War II and were unable to continue their studies after the war ended. In their honor we created the “Nisei Garden”. That same year, we renamed the Center for International and Public Affairs Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, a Native American leader and USC alumnus who served our country with great honor during World War II. Then, in 2023, we renamed the home of USC athletics to honor USC alumna and proud Angeleno, Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history. And in 2024, we awarded the University Medallion for the fourth time to Holocaust survivors whose testimonies are now preserved at the USC Shoah Foundation.

Looking ahead, I am excited about exploring the possibilities ahead of me as a permanent faculty member. However, over the next nine months, my team and I will be fully focused on running this great university and ensuring a seamless transition for the new president. And when Commencement takes place in May, I will proudly greet our new graduates with an eye to the future and a heart full of gratitude.

I believe the future of USC is bright, thanks to all of you. I want to express my appreciation to my extraordinary team of professional leaders, our generous philanthropists, the hundreds of volunteers and community leaders who advise our boards and centers, the elected officials who help advance higher education here and across the country, and our Trojan family – worldwide and lifelong – who love USC and have opened their arms to welcome me everywhere. I extend a special shoutout to the Presidential Task Force on Sustainability and thank them for the incredible progress USC has made to become a leader in this critical area. Finally, I extend my sincere appreciation to the USC Board of Trustees, with whom I have worked so closely.

I look forward to seeing you again in the coming months. As always: fight on!

With gratitude,

Carol L. Folt
President
Robert C. Packard Chairman’s Chair