USC Receives Gift of $200 Million from Alumnus

College Search & Selection
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<p>georgiagirl:</p>

<p>I referenced Ming Hsieh, wrt, “high tech, high achieving, a lot like an MIT, Cal Tech grad in engineering.” </p>

<p>Re, Mr Mork, great accomplishments…and I’m sure teh technological advances, which he helped institute, helps his company in the drilling for oil. </p>

<p>Re, Mr Stevens, also great accomplishments in venture cap. I"m sure his firm invests in various high-tech ventures, using his knowledge in engineering to determine winners and losers and in what to invest.</p>

<p>But I still think Mr Hsieh is still USC’s top grad in engineering because he uses his know-how gained in his education to design and create. Not to reverse engineer things and create a cheaper product, etc. It’s just a personal preference: I like technology officers over CEO managers. I like high tech more than low tech. Etc…</p>

<p>UCB:</p>

<p>Love your telling it like it is…</p>

<p>Our bodies will give out, but the name lives on, dang it.</p>

<p>I don’t think the school is without culpability, though. You name your price, we’ll give you naming rights. </p>

<p>d’s: “50?”</p>

<p>school: “No way. We’ll give you a department name, but not a college.”</p>

<p>d’s: “100?”</p>

<p>school: “two departments…”</p>

<p>d’s: “150?”</p>

<p>school: “three…”</p>

<p>d’s: “200?”</p>

<p>school: “SOLD!!!”</p>

<p>This is all in jest, at least my part, and it is a good idea to name the Letters -> more money in…</p>

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<p>then this really shouldn’t be considered a philantropic donation by Mr. Mann. It should be considered a joint venture between USC and a third party. Which, by the way, would not necessarily be considered bad for USC, but lets call it the way it is.</p>

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<p>^^^^It’s a business investment with a guaranteed return that happens to be tax deductable. Very smart move by Mann.</p>

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<p>People may not realize but $200 million is a LOT of money. And it is unrestricted. </p>

<p>Most donations at other schools that were considered highly generous are about $20 mil or so. This is 10x that. Crazy</p>

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<p>Agreed–so tacky. If they weren’t so intent on getting their names put on something major, they’d realize most colleges don’t have their letters/arts/sciences schools named after someone. It’s the core of the university, so IMO it shouldn’t be named after someone.</p>

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<p>Nobody has given them $200 million yet either. Not much difference between named engineering, business, law, medical and liberal arts really except liberal arts usually needs the money even more. I’m sure there are some already–just too lazy to look.</p>

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<p>^ I would argue that there is a huge difference between those professional schools and the letters/science schools (the school in question is letters, arts, and sciences, not just “liberal arts”). The latter usually makes up the majority of the university; it’s usually the first school implemented, has the most professors, the most students, the most departments, etc. It’s intimately tied to the core of the university, in ways that the professional schools of business, etc. are not (they’re often add-ons when the university has enough financial resources to establish them or a donor gives the money to help establish them–hence why they’re often named). It should retain the identity of the university itself, rather than some donor who gave money only because they wanted their name on it. As said, tacky.</p>

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<p>Whatever. Not tacky at all. Most private colleges were named after a founder who put up the most money. Was Mr Stanford tacky for naming the school after his son? Or does time make that go away?</p>

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<p>It was named Leland Stanford Junior University because it was *founded *in his honor, as he died young. —> not tacky</p>

<p>These people donated the money only to get their name on the school. —> tacky</p>

<p>I see some fundamental differences, but to each his own.</p>

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<p>so I guess Rice, Cornell, Smith College, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon, and many more were all tacky schools from the beginning</p>

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<p>I did not say that. I said that it’s tacky to donate to a long-established school within a university just to get your name on it.</p>

<p>Seriously, get over this one small comment.</p>

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<p>$200 million is never tacky. Schools have changed their entire name for less–see Rowan.</p>

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<p>^ We’re not saying the donation is tacky. We’re saying the L.A. Times article implied the motivation of the couple to donate was a naming opportunity…that, in my opinion, is tacky.</p>

<p>They also didn’t disclose how the $200 million will be funded. It could be $1 million/year for 200 years for all we know…</p>

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<p>USC alumnus donates $110 million</p>

<p>Published: April 27, 2011 at 8:03 PM</p>

<p>A man who made a fortune in the oil and gas business says he is donating $110 million to his alma mater, the University of Southern California.</p>

<p>John Mork, 63, and his wife, Julie, who live in Colorado, are making the donation in an effort to attract more of the nation’s top students to go to the private institution, the Los Angeles Times reported.</p>

<p>The money is projected to cover tuition and expenses for about 100 undergraduates each year, with an unspecified number of the $47,000 scholarships set aside for graduates of high schools near the downtown Los Angeles campus.</p>

<p>Mork, a 1970 graduate of USC’s engineering school, joined his father in the gas and oil exploration industry and later started up the Energy Corp. of America based in Denver, the Times said.</p>

<p>The executive said he’s concerned about well-paying blue collar jobs disappearing from the United States. He contends a university education is the ticket to a middle-class life.</p>

<p>“Public and private education has gotten more expensive over time. I think this will allow the very best kids to get a degree at USC, whether they can afford it or not,” Mork said.</p>

<p>The scholarships are based on merit and may be given to anyone showing academic promise not financial need.</p>

<p>Read more: [USC</a> alumnus donates $110 million - UPI.com](<a href=“USC alumnus donates $110 million - UPI.com”>USC alumnus donates $110 million - UPI.com)</p>

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<p>Here’s the [LA Times](<a href=“Couple donates $110 million for USC undergraduate scholarships”>http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-usc-scholarships-20110427,0,2977965.story&lt;/a&gt;) story on the Morks’ donation, which is a bit more detailed.</p>

<p>Here’s a quote from the same:</p>

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<p>The article also said that some of the money will be used on star local students. Local high schools are Dorsey, Fremont, etc. </p>

<p>My big question is, how can someone from Dorsey, Fremont predict to a 3.5 or greater?</p>

<p>Another is, say, someone from a local hs is admitted with this scholarship; if he/she doesn’t maintain a 3.5, what happens next?</p>