Just saying, and regardless of controversy, this is what I look for in a university president: when she needs to make a pithy statement about her university, learning and research are the things she mentions. Athletics is not mentioned. Buildings are not mentioned. Identity (i.e. platitude about branding of university) is not mentioned. I wished she had said “a student body engaged in learning” and that financial aid “increases opportunities for learning for those most in need” but one cannot have everything.

When I look at U.S.C. I see so much that is opportunity. I see the $320 million in grants-in-aid, one of the largest financial aid pools in the country. I see incredible faculty, with Nobel laureates and Genius awards, making discoveries that are changing health care, and I see a student body that is outstanding.

From new USC president Carol Folt.