Carol L. Folt to become USC BoardUSC’s of Trustees selects 12th internationally president recognized biologist and former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill chancellor to lead the university into new era. Carol L. Folt will become the 12th president of the University of Southern California. Photo by Gus Ruelas By USC News staff | March 20, 2019 NOTED LIFE SCIENTIST, TEACHER AND was known for advancing student access we spoke to over a hundred diverse and academic leader Carol L. Folt will become and affordability, promoting research, world-class candidates. Dr. Folt stood out the University of Southern California’s discovery and academic excellence at from the very beginning as a courageous and 12th president, the USC Board of Trustees the university, and steering the campus compassionate person who always places announced today. toward greater accountability. the well-being of students, faculty, staff Formerly chancellor of the University of “As I have come to know Dr. Folt and and patients at the heart of all she does. North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Folt how she thinks, it is clear that USC has “She has a deep appreciation for the brings decades of experience in academia chosen a brilliant, principled leader with breadth and depth of USC’s mission, and to USC, launching a new era for the clarity of purpose and integrity to lead I’m confident she will further strengthen 139-year-old university. She will take the university forward and upward,” said the academic and athletic programs, office as USC’s new president on July 1. Rick Caruso, chair of the USC Board of professional schools and health sciences. The first woman to lead UNC, she Trustees. “Ours was a global search, and Her experience, energy and dedication 1 2 to these essential elements of USC are integrity and trust across USC. 2017. Folt also oversaw one of the nation’s needed now more than ever. She is the “Dr. Folt is a seasoned leader who has an top medical schools and served on the board right leader at the right time. She is a excellent track record of listening to others,” of UNC’s integrated health care system. remarkable and accomplished woman.” Austin said. “She clearly understands the At the same time, she spearheaded new value of reaching out across campus, and environmental sustainability initiatives, New USC president: Unanimous choice for standing strong for the character and entrepreneurship across campus and an of search committee principles of a university’s community. expansive effort to make the arts accessible Folt was the unanimous choice of USC’s Her experience gives me great confidence to everyone at the university. 23-member Presidential Search Advisory that she will uphold a culture of integrity “Carol Folt’s entire career, as both a Committee. The group presented Folt as at USC.” faculty member and leader, embodies a a candidate after a seven-month national The search committee praised Folt’s commitment to all aspects of academic search shaped by the input of hundreds of broad-ranging academic experience and excellence while always putting people USC faculty and staff members, students, commitment to putting students at the first,” said Yaniv Bar-Cohen, president of alumni and other members of the Trojan center of her mission. During her time at the USC Academic Senate and professor Family. UNC, the diversity of students grew and of clinical pediatrics and medicine at She will assume leadership of the 20 percent of UNC students were in the the Keck School of Medicine of USC. university from interim President Wanda first generation of their family to attend “The search committee set out to find the M. Austin, an alumna and member of the college. The university also attracted its most very best leader for where our institution USC Board of Trustees who has led USC academically accomplished classes ever. wants to go, and I believe we found the since August 2018. Austin also served on the She developed the university’s first perfect match.” Presidential Search Advisory Committee. strategic plan and spearheaded a $4.25 Folt will continue work begun under Austin billion fundraising campaign. UNC Challenging times are familiar to USC to promote positive cultural change and surpassed $1 billion in annual federal president-elect uphold the highest values of excellence, research expenditures for the first time in Folt has deep experience leading a 1 Dr. Carol L. Folt addresses student leaders as the incoming president of USC. 2 Dr. Folt speaks with faculty members in Town and Gown. 3 Dr. Wanda M. Austin, who currently serves as interim president of USC, with Dr. Folt. 4 Dr. Folt met with student leaders on campus. Photos 1, 4, Gus Ruelas; photo 2, Eric Abelev; photo 3, Steve Cohn 3 4 university through challenging times. When “USC is a world-class global research a degree in aquatic biology and a master’s she became chancellor of UNC in 2013, university, and I am deeply grateful to in biology two years later, while working she inherited a university grappling with the USC community and its leaders for as a waitress to fund her education. Later, highly publicized past academic and athletic giving me the privilege of serving as its she obtained her doctorate in ecology irregularities. One of her first actions was co- president,” Folt said. “The lifeblood of at the University of California, Davis, commissioning an independent investigation every great university is its students, and did postdoctoral work at the W.K. to fully understand the scope of the issue, faculty, staff and alumni, and I am so Kellogg Biological Station of Michigan and she oversaw the implementation of looking forward to meeting with you and State University. more than 70 reforms — designed together learning more about you. The opportunities She began her career as a professor with the faculty — to ensure the highest and potential I see ahead for USC are at Dartmouth College, where she was a standards of accountability and integrity extraordinary.” faculty member in biological sciences and across the university. “Of course, I also am aware that our an academic leader — including as dean At the same time, in partnership with the community is deeply troubled by a number of faculty, provost and interim president. UNC Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and of immediate challenges. I assure you that Folt’s research has focused on the effects students, she drove critical conversations we will meet these challenges together, of dietary mercury and arsenic on human about race, appointed a special assistant to directly, decisively and with honesty and and ecosystem health, salmonid fisheries the chancellor to focus on diversity and candor. This is a moment of responsibility management and restoration, and global inclusion, and completed the removal of and opportunity, and we will seize them climate change. She is a fellow of the a Confederate monument from campus. both.” American Association for the Advancement As colleges nationwide grappled with Folt is no stranger to California. A native of Science. sexual violence, Folt strengthened the of Akron, Ohio, she headed west for college Folt is married to David Peart, an university’s policies on sexual assault and and attended the University of California, emeritus professor of biological sciences spoke out strongly on the topic on panels Santa Barbara, after transferring from at Dartmouth. They have two adult children, at the White House and other universities. Santa Barbara City College. She earned Noah and Tessa..