USC formally installs Beong-Soo Kim as 13th president

At an Oct. 16 investiture ceremony on the University Park campus, Kim announced the first comprehensive overhaul of undergraduate general education in decades.
Why it matters
This is USC's first comprehensive redesign of its undergraduate general education program in decades. Kim laid out three priorities — reimagining education, combining research strengths to tackle major societal challenges, and expanding partnerships beyond the campus — a direction that will shape the university's role in Los Angeles and U.S. higher education.
Ceremony and agenda
On Friday morning at 9:30, thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members gathered in Alumni Park for the investiture. Kim announced a bottom-up redesign of undergraduate general education requirements, the first such comprehensive effort in decades, plus more experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and stronger ties with Los Angeles-area industries and communities. “The measure of a great university is not simply what we achieve, but what we make possible for others,” Kim said in his address.
Who he is
Kim, 53, was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of two USC graduates. He served nine years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, leading its Major Frauds Section, joined USC's senior leadership in 2020, became interim president in July 2025, and was unanimously elected the 13th president by the Board of Trustees on Feb. 4, 2026.
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