USC Board Approves Athletics Upgrades, Coaching Deal

0:00On April 30th, the USC Board of Trustees wrapped up their April 24th meeting with big approvals for athletics, greenlighting funds for Williams-Brice Stadium upgrades and new revenue refunding bonds to boost facilities. They also locked in a two-year deal for assistant men's basketball coach Bob Dunwald, paying him $400,000 a year through March 31st, 2028, with bonuses tied to NCAA tournament runs. Shifting gears, the Board extended software deals with Oracle for two years at $1,640,000 plus a five-year pact, with the Alumni Association worth $2,670,000 annually and tweaks to the Learfield multimedia rights. Development VP. Michelle Dodenhoff shared strong numbers, smashing the $170 million fundraising goal with $286 million in gifts, led by 25 million from the McNair Foundation fueling programs, activities and sports.

1:00Alumni CEO Tiffany Foxworth highlighted new events, fresh chapters in Honolulu and London, and pushes for global engagement, better comms, and student awareness. Communications saw a 92% spike in FOIA requests since 2022, blamed on better public know-how and sports media heat, wow. They're rolling out AI ethics guides and media training. CFL Ed Walton covered new laws on NIL deals, tenure and affordability, noting is the eighth-year holding tuition steady with state help. Other bright spots include high enrollment in the new biomedical engineering bachelor's at the engineering college and 96% residency. Matches for Med students with the board's next session set for June 19 at the Pass Tides Alumni Center.