University of Southern California President Dr. Carol Folt announced Friday that she will retire on July 1, 2025, at the end of the academic year.
Folt took over the university five years ago to bring stability after a major admissions scandal, but came under fire last year during pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Folt called serving as the university’s 12th president “one of the greatest privileges of my life.”
“However, after more than twenty years leading three great universities, I am excited to embrace the freedom that comes with taking the next great leap, and to pass the baton to the next president, who will be able to build on our achievements and create new creations. a new chapter for this extraordinary institution,” Folt said in a statement.
“While Carol’s retirement marks a transitional moment for USC, her leadership positions the university well for the future,” said Suzanne Nora Johnson, chair of the USC Board of Trustees. “We are fortunate that she will continue to be part of the Trojan family as a permanent faculty member.”
Her leadership experience spans twenty years, at three universities. Before USC, Folt served as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill and held several leadership appointments at Dartmouth College, including interim president, provost, dean of faculty and Dartmouth professor of biological sciences.
Folt took the helm of the university in 2019. She is an internationally recognized life scientist with faculty appointments in biological sciences, civil and environmental engineering, and population and public health sciences, according to her biography in the USC Office of the President.
She began her term when the university was reeling from a national problem college admissions cheating scandal that included parents, athletics officials and coaches at several other schools.
The university was also rocked by the criminal case involving a longtime campus gynecologist George Tyndallwho was accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of students. Many sued the university, claiming campus leaders failed to take action on complaints about his actions. USC agreed to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle class action lawsuits
against the university.
Folt pointed to a series of achievements during her time as US President, including “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,” along with upgrades to athletics facilities, the relocation of athletics programs from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, and the opening of the university’s Capital Campus in Washington, D.C.
Over the past year, however, Folt — like many university leaders across the country — came under fire from some critics for responding to pro-Palestinian protests and encampments. Earlier this year, an encampment at Alumni Park on the USC campus was dismantled by law last year enforcement operation in which 93 arrests were made.
Continued unrest led to the cancellation of the traditional ceremony on the school’s main stage, which was replaced by a festive event in the schoolyard. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The university also canceled pro-Palestinian farewell Asna Tabassum of speaking about safety issues at the start of activities.
Johnson said Folt will remain president with the support of her dedicated leadership and academic team for the remainder of the 2024/2025 academic year.
