$30 million donated to build new hall

Verna B. Dauterive, a USC trustee, donated $30 million to the university to fund a building that will serve as a center for interdisciplinary social science research and teaching, President C. L. Max Nikias announced Thursday.

Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall will be built along Childs Way at the current location of the University Club, said Nikias in a statement. The six-story building will have space for classrooms, laboratories and offices.

Love stack · Verna and Peter Dauterive met while studying in Doheny Memorial Library when Verna B. Dauterive was getting her master’s degree. - Carlo Acenas | Daily Trojan

“[The building] will become an active resource for scholars in all social science fields, fostering fresh connections between the traditional disciplines in the social sciences and those of business, law, public policy and other professional studies,” Nikias said in an email to students. “As the physical link among these disciplines, the building will become the heart of [students’ and faculty members’] interdisciplinary collaborations, a place where our insightful social scientists can study and work to solve today’s most pressing social problems.”

Verna B. Dauterive, who held a faculty position in the Rossier School of Education, where she received her master’s degree in 1949 and doctoral degree in 1966, made the donation in honor of her late husband, who received his bachelor’s degree from the Marshall School of Business in 1949. The university first announced a $25-million donation from Verna B. Dauterive in memory of her husband in 2008, saying it was the largest single monetary gift from a black donor to an institution of higher learning.

“For more than 60 years, she has been a passionate ambassador for her alma mater, and we should all be extremely grateful for her exceptional support,” Nikias said. “Through her generosity, she creates a singular legacy, one that will benefit the Trojan Family — and our society — for generations to come.”

Verna B, Dauterive served as a teacher, superintendent’s coordinator of integration programs and principal during her 62-year career with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She also served as chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing for two terms and was the first female president of the USC School of Education’s Educare Support group, where she looked at the viability of expanding USC’s study abroad program in Europe. She is a member of the USC Associates, the USC Alumni Association and Town & Gown.

Peter W. Dauterive served as an executive at Founders Savings & Loan Association before becoming president and CEO in 1973. In 1986, he formed his own property management firm. He was a member of the Republican National Committee and President Ronald Reagan named him  to the National Commission for Employment Policy. At the time of his death in 2002, he was a director of the California Science Center, active in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and was involved with the Los Angeles Figueroa Corridor.

The couple met in Doheny Memorial Library while studying at USC. Verna B. Dauterive was one of the founding members of the USC Black Alumni Association. Donations under her and her husband’s name have been made to the Norris Cancer Center, Marshall School of Business, Rossier School of Education and USC School of Theatre.