Los Angeles – The University of Southern California, the nation’s premier research institution and the city’s largest private employer, formally installed Beong‑Soo Kim as its 13th president on Friday. The ceremony highlighted Kim’s deep personal ties to the campus and his vision for a more industry‑integrated academic experience.
Local roots, national ambition
Kim, a Calabasas High School graduate whose Korean immigrant parents both attended USC, spoke emotionally about his family’s connection to the university. “My mother passed away in 1996. It’s incredibly meaningful that my father is still here to see this happen,” he said. “This is not a celebration of me, but of USC and the incredible future ahead.”
Addressing higher‑education challenges
Kim acknowledged the pressures facing colleges nationwide – soaring tuition, mounting student‑loan debt and declining enrollment – and framed them as opportunities for USC. “Few universities can do this as well as USC because few cities contain as much as the future as Los Angeles,” he remarked.
Drawing on his background as a Harvard‑educated lawyer, Kim emphasized critical thinking over ideological conformity. “How do we teach students to come to their own conclusions and own beliefs in a critical, self‑reflective way? That’s what’s most important, not producing ideological clones,” he said.
Industry‑faculty collaboration
Kim pledged to expand partnerships with business and technology leaders who already serve as USC faculty. “We have amazing faculty who actually are from industry. They might be business leaders. They might be technology leaders. They come to USC, and they teach our students and even some of our faculty what’s happening at the frontier,” he explained. The president wants to make “back‑and‑forth interactions” easier, believing that such exchanges will benefit faculty, students and staff alike.
He outlined plans to create more joint research labs, internship pipelines and executive‑in‑residence programs, aiming to keep USC at the cutting edge of innovation while providing students with real‑world experience that can offset rising education costs.
Community impact
USC’s leadership change arrives at a pivotal moment for Los Angeles, where the university’s economic footprint supports thousands of jobs and drives regional development. Local officials praised the appointment, noting that a president with strong industry connections could further boost the city’s tech and biotech sectors.
Kim’s vision aligns with the city’s broader goals of fostering a skilled workforce and maintaining Los Angeles’ status as a hub for creative and scientific enterprise. By linking academic curricula with industry needs, the university hopes to attract and retain talent, thereby strengthening the local economy.
Looking ahead
In his first weeks, Kim will convene faculty, alumni and business leaders to refine the university’s strategic plan. He stressed that the upcoming initiatives will be guided by transparency, accountability and a commitment to the core values of faith, family and liberty that many in the community hold dear.
As USC embarks on this new chapter, the administration’s focus on practical education, fiscal responsibility and community partnership aims to set a model for other institutions navigating today’s higher‑education landscape.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
