USC President Carol Folt, who has sought to reposition the scandal-plagued university with major initiatives to boost athletics, expand computing programs and expand student access — but has also drawn criticism for her handling of pro-Palestinian protests — will retire in July, she announced Friday. .
“After more than twenty years of leadership at three great universities, I am excited to embrace the freedom that comes with the next big leap, and hand the baton of leadership over to the next president who will be able to build on our accomplishments and create a new chapter for this institution,” Folt wrote to the USC community. Exceptional.
Folt, 73, will remain at USC as a permanent member of the faculty. Her future was in doubt after the USC Board of Trustees in July offered her a five-year contract extension — but did not disclose the length or terms — while reviewing her performance. She assumed office on July 1, 2019, with a contract that compensated her at the same level as former President Max Nikias. Rick Caruso, then USC board president, said at the time that he had hoped she would serve for 10 years.
USC Board of Trustees Chair Susan Nora Johnson expressed her appreciation for Folt, saying she was appointed at “one of the most important moments in the school’s history.” In a letter Friday to the USC community, Johnson praised her leadership skills and “innate ability to connect with community members on a personal level.”
“Her dedication to solving the difficult issues she faces — both past and present — has never hindered her from focusing on what lies ahead,” Johnson wrote. “Her strategic insight into the future, and the pioneering initiatives she has launched as a result, will benefit both current and future generations of Trojans, and [undoubtedly] Contribute to the long-term sustainable excellence of USC.
Correcting the troubled past on racial justice
Folt said she is proud of her work to expand programs in computing, health sciences, athletics, financial aid and student well-being. It launched a $1 billion plan to expand computing at the university, for example, with a new School of Advanced Computing as its cornerstone.
Folt also cited her “particularly significant” efforts to rectify the university’s checkered past with regard to racial justice, in which she presented honorary degrees to 33 Japanese Americans who were imprisoned during World War II and who were denied the opportunity to continue their studies at USC, resulting in the scholar’s name being stripped Eugenicist Rufus von KleinSmid removed the landmark building and renamed it after Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, a Native American leader, and honored Holocaust survivors with a university medal.
Folt was appointed with an important mandate to restore confidence in the university, which was being rocked by one scandal after another. She replaced key officials and brokered a $1 billion settlement with female graduates who were victims of a sexually assaulting gynecologist. She previously served as interim president of Dartmouth College and chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Caruso said her higher education experience and crisis management skills helped her land a job at USC. He said her performance “exceeded all expectations.”
“She took a university that was at the darkest moment in its history, rebuilt it, and restored pride,” Caruso said.
Sean Harper, a professor of education, business and public policy at the University of Southern California, praised Folt’s leadership in the wake of serial scandals and the pandemic.
“It took a special leader at that time to transform this university,” Harper said. “We are in a much better position than we were in 2019. That is indisputable. This will be her presidential legacy.”
But Ariela Gross, who was a law professor at the University of Southern California for much of Folt’s tenure before leaving for USC last year, said the president has failed to provide the moral reckoning he promised. She said USC had backed away from its commitment to announce a public investigation into decades of wrongdoing and repair harm to the campus community.
Gross also criticized Folt for launching what she described as a wide-ranging investigative bureaucracy of police faculty and others who spoke out about the war between Israel and Hamas and other issues.
Meanwhile, Gross said, USC began showing financial difficulties — reducing long-standing benefits of free tuition for family members of employees who have served 15 years or more, excluding her daughter.
“I have no concerns about the future or current financial viability of this university. Not for a second,” Caruso said. “I’ve seen all the numbers, and I’m very confident that the university is doing well financially.
USC said in a statement that the university is in a “very stable financial position.” Like all universities, we continue to navigate major changes affecting higher education. We manage our operations and expenses to ensure a sustainable future.
The first woman to lead USC permanently since its founding in 1880, Folt has also worked to open access to more low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students of color. In one of its most high-profile initiatives, Folt directed USC to eliminate tuition and fees for families earning $80,000 or less annually and no longer take home ownership into account in financial aid calculations. The estimated annual cost of attending USC for 2024-25 is $95,225 for students who live far from their families.
She has drawn national attention for high-profile moves to reshape USC’s athletics program. That included hiring a nationally renowned football coach, Lincoln Riley, to a $10 million annual contract — one of the highest salaries in the sport, which is now under fire as USC’s performance falters. She also helped lead the move to the Big Ten that ultimately led to the realignment of the Pac-12 Conference and the hiring of Jennifer Cohen, USC’s first female athletic director.
Criticism of the spring protests
These actions were overshadowed this spring by massive controversy over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
In particular, her decision to cancel a speaking slot for pro-Palestinian valedictorian Asna Tabassum at USC’s main commencement ceremony sparked widespread outrage. Volt justified the decision by citing unspecified security threats.
The turmoil escalated when Volt canceled the Main Stage commencement ceremony, depriving the students and their families of a cherished ritual. Folt and her team called in the police to dismantle a camp set up by students to support the Palestinians, leading to the arrest of 93 people.
She did not make any public statements for two weeks, sparking criticism that she was absent from work during the most controversial issue of her tenure.
Such actions cost Volt the support of key faculty members. In May, USC’s Academic Senate voted to censure her and Dean Andrew Guzman over their handling of events related to the commencement ceremony. At a meeting of the Senate, which represents about 4,500 faculty members, 21 members supported the censure motion, seven opposed it, and six abstained from voting.
“Carol was disliked by many different constituencies for many different reasons, although I think until recently most of the faculty, myself included, viewed her as a “A breath of fresh air from the ethical lapses of the previous administration.” Rossier Education was a member of the Academic Senate task force that issued a report this fall criticizing the administration’s response to the spring controversies. “Given the budget pressures facing the university and higher education in general, as well as the current political climate, I would not be surprised if someone more conservative or business-oriented is chosen to replace her, but time will tell.”
However, Volt’s supporters pointed out that the president created a new school for advanced computing and boosted mental health services. She also presided over a record number of applicants — 82,000 for fall 2024 — which brought the acceptance rate down to 9.3%, a record low. The accepted students, the first fifth in their families to attend college, earned an average 3.89 GPA.
Under Folt’s leadership, USC has raised $3.75 billion, including more than $800 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the most in eight years. A statement by the University of Southern California said that the total donations it collected in the previous year ranked among the top 10 research universities in the United States. Research expenditures rose to $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022-2023, an increase of 27% over four years, according to the emailed statement.
Devin Griffiths, associate professor of English and comparative literature, credited Folt with building relationships with communities around USC and Los Angeles along with her focus on the environment. But he said the coronavirus crisis had “created a hole in the budget,” and like many other faculty members, he criticized her for her weak leadership during the protests last spring. He and Gross criticized security measures taken on campus since the protests, including closing entry to all unregistered guests.
“The campus is really hurting right now. We face huge challenges moving forward, and I hope we find a leader who can address them and rebuild trust within USC and with our community,” he said.
Caruso also said that dealing with today’s difficult political environment was one of USC’s biggest challenges in the future. “You have to create an environment where people feel safe and secure to go into classes, express their opinions, and disagree,” he said. “This is what the academic establishment is all about. I don’t think there is an academic institution to hold positions.”
Harper said USC’s next leader must continue efforts to transform campus culture, commit to prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion, and be strong enough to handle the enormous pressures of being a university leader.
“We need a president who does not collapse under the pressure of the political context in which we all live,” Harper said. “This is a difficult time to be a university president.”
Times staff writers Harriet Ryan and Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.
