Roski establishes new professorship with donation


The Roski School of Fine Arts has established a professorship with a donation from USC trustee Robert A. Day, chairman and president of the W. M. Keck Foundation and a member of the Board of Overseers for the Keck School of Medicine of USC,  the university announced last week.

The professorship will be used to expand and retain Roski’s faculty. Provost Elizabeth Garrett and Dean of Roski Rochelle Steiner will determine the first recipient of this Robert Day Professorship.

President C. L. Nikias said the endowed professorship, the first in Roski’s history, will stand as a testament to Day’s commitment and support for the university and his understanding for the application of art in society.

“USC established this endowed professorship to honor Mr. Day’s stellar philanthropic legacy, not only at the university, but throughout southern California and the world,” Nikias said in a statement.

Steiner said the Robert A. Day Professorship in Fine Arts will help Roski rise as a leading art institution.

“The arts play an important role on USC’s campus, and in society at large,” Steiner said. “Roski’s faculty of artists, curators and critics are training the next creative generation that will impact visual culture in Los Angeles and beyond.”