Beong-Soo Kim to be USC’s next president
As interim president, Kim launched the USC Open Dialogue Project and oversaw USC layoffs and budget reductions.
As interim president, Kim launched the USC Open Dialogue Project and oversaw USC layoffs and budget reductions.

Beong-Soo Kim will serve as USC’s 13th President, according to a community-wide email sent Wednesday. Kim has served as USC’s interim president since July 2025. The election by the Board of Trustees was unanimous.
A Feb. 5 email from Suzanne Nora Johnson, chair of the USC board of trustees, stated that Kim, formerly general counsel and senior vice president at USC, would not be a candidate for the presidency in order to “dedicate all of his efforts to being a faithful steward of USC’s work and responsibilities throughout this transition.”
In his tenure as interim president, Kim launched the USC Open Dialogue Project, an initiative to guide campus debate on controversial issues in a more civil direction.
Kim also inherited a $200 million operating deficit after former President Carol Folt’s six-year tenure. According to Provost Andrew Guzman, USC set a $400 million savings goal to address the deficit “in its entirety,” which was divided among USC’s schools.
USC laid off over 1,000 employees under Kim to reach the savings goal.
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