Before coming to USC, Carol Folt was chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and held several leadership appointments at Dartmouth College, including interim president, provost, dean of faculty and Dartmouth Professor of Biological Sciences. (USC Photo)
Carol Folt to retire as president of USC at end of academic year
Folt, the university’s 12th president, will remain on the USC faculty. Read the letters to the USC community from Folt and USC Board of Trustees Chair Suzanne Nora Johnson.
Today, USC President Carol Folt announced her plans to retire as president of USC at the end of the academic year. Following are statements released by Folt and USC Board of Trustees Chair Suzanne Nora Johnson.
Dear Trojan Family,
It is with heartfelt gratitude that I write to share my decision to retire as the president of USC at the end of the academic year on July 1, 2025. Serving as the 12th president of the University of Southern California is one of the greatest privileges of my life. Working with so many of you to achieve the promise of our incredible Trojan Family brings me joy and inspiration each day. After more than 20 years of leadership at three great universities, however, I am excited to embrace the freedom that comes with a next big leap, and to pass the baton to the next president who will be able to build upon our accomplishments and create a new chapter for this extraordinary institution.
My north stars always have been: students at the center; academic excellence (in research, teaching, creative practice and visionary discoveries); safe, welcoming and sustainable campuses; tackling grand challenges; and building ethical, human-centered and empathetic teams. With these principles in mind, over the last five years, we have created a forward-looking vision that will serve our students, faculty and staff well as they look to better the country and the world.
I treasure the many relationships and friendships I have developed — none more than those with our exceptional students. I marvel at the myriad 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 enhance democracy.
It has been an honor to work with you to launch five transformational presidential “moonshots.” These initiatives — which include 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 securely positioned USC for the future. Our reorganization of the USC Health Sciences enterprise, the creation of an exciting strategic plan and the addition of USC Arcadia Hospital have Keck Medicine thriving. We’re upgrading our athletics facilities, we’ve tripled both student mental services and student cultural spaces, and we opened our Capital Campus in an iconic home in Washington, D.C. 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 investments ever in student financial aid, as well as faculty and staff salaries.
I also am immensely grateful for the way our campus and community came together during the COVID pandemic. Our people made sure that our educational, medical and community-driven missions continued — often at great personal cost — and Trojan care teams saved countless lives. You also helped us rectify deeply painful episodes, restore a tarnished reputation and resolve serious legal issues, drive culture change and develop new policies to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.
Of special significance during my time here are four actions we took to memorialize our university’s mission and values. In 2022, we conferred honorary degrees upon 33 Nisei students — Japanese Americans who suffered through forced detention during World War II and were prevented from continuing their studies once the war ended. We created the “Nisei Garden” in their honor. That same year, we renamed the Center for International and Public Affairs to bear the name of 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 track and field for a USC alumna and proud Angeleno, Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history. And in 2024, for only the fourth time, we presented the University Medallion to survivors of the Holocaust whose testimonies now live at the USC Shoah Foundation.
Looking forward, I am enthusiastic about exploring opportunities ahead as a tenured faculty member. For the next nine months, however, my team and I will be laser-focused on the business of running this great university, and ensuring a seamless transition for the new president. And when commencement comes in May, I will proudly salute our new graduates with an eye to the future and a heart filled with gratitude.
I believe that USC’s future burns bright, thanks to all of you. I want to express my appreciation for 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 drive higher education here and across the nation, and our Trojan Family — worldwide and lifelong — who love USC and have opened their arms to welcome me everywhere. I offer a special shoutout to the Presidential Working Group on Sustainability and thank them for the incredible progress USC has been making to become a leader in this critical area. Finally, I express my sincere appreciation to the USC Board of Trustees, with whom I have worked so closely.
I look forward to seeing you out and about in the coming months. As always, Fight On!
With gratitude,
Carol L. Folt
President
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I offer our deep appreciation of Carol Folt, as well as our admiration for her exceptional tenure as the 12th president of USC. Carol was hired at one of the most important moments in the school’s history, bringing her unique and significant experience as a university president and chancellor at two institutions of distinction. Carol’s leadership skills, and her innate ability to connect with community members on a personal level, have been on display throughout her tenure, and we are grateful for her commitment to our entire Trojan Family: students, faculty, staff, alumni and our broader university community.
While Carol’s retirement marks a moment of transition for USC, thanks to her leadership the university is well positioned for the future. Her dedication to solving the difficult issues before her — whether past or present — have never impeded her focus on what lies ahead. Her keen strategic eye towards the future, and the groundbreaking initiatives she has launched as a result, will benefit both the current and next generations of Trojans, and undoubtably contribute to USC’s long-term sustainable excellence.
Carol will remain at the helm with the support of her dedicated leadership and academic team for the remainder of the 2024-2025 academic year. We are fortunate that she will continue to be a part of the Trojan Family as a tenured faculty member. The board will be celebrating and recognizing Carol’s contributions in the coming months.
We will begin the search process for the 13th university president. We will have more information to provide at the start of the year.
In the meantime, we hope our community will take the opportunity to share their appreciation for Carol’s accomplishments and reflect on her lasting legacy.
Always worth the repetition, Fight On!
Sincerely,
Suzanne Nora Johnson
Chair
USC Board of Trustees
