USC President Carol Folt announced that she will step down from her position at the end of the academic year on July 1, 2025, in an email to students and staff on Friday morning.
Folt said in her statement that she “will be laser-focused on running this great university” for the next nine months, and “ensuring a smooth transition to the new president.”
Folt’s leadership ability has been the subject of criticism in recent months, particularly regarding the handling of pro-Palestine student protesters on the USC campus last April, and the subsequent adjustments made to the graduating class of 2024.
The USC Board of Trustees extended her contract this summer for another year, however, few details about that contract have been revealed to the public.
In the same email at the bottom of Folt’s letter, Board of Trustees Chair Susan Nora Johnson wrote that she “offers her deepest appreciation” and that ” [Folt] He will remain a part of the Trojan family as a permanent member of the faculty.”
Details surrounding her future role with the university are currently undisclosed.
Folt joined USC in 2019, replacing former interim president Wanda M. Austin. Prior to her time at USC, Folt served as chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has also held a wide range of leadership roles at Dartmouth College, including interim president, provost, and provost.
During her time at the university, Volt has made significant investments in sustainability programs including several landmark clean energy deals with LADWP. She also led the school during the COVID-19 pandemic and started the School of Advanced Computing with the Viterbi Faculty of Engineering.
The university says more information about the search for her replacement will be released at the beginning of the new year.
