Steven Sample

Steven Browning Sample (November 29, 1940 – March 29, 2016) was the 10th president of the University of Southern California (USC). He became president in 1991 and was succeeded by C. L. Max Nikias on August 3, 2010. Prior to his presidency at USC, Sample was the 12th president of the University at Buffalo (UB) in the State University of New York (SUNY) system from 1982 to 1991. and grew up in the Belden Hill neighborhood of Wilton, Connecticut, and received a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois to study engineering. Sample held B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was initiated as a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Career University at Buffalo presidency Sample was president of the University at Buffalo from 1982 to 1991, Also in 2004, a scholarship fund was established in Sample's honor to go toward funding four years for an undergraduate who is a student in the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department, as well as being in the University Honors Program. In 2010, the final year of Sample's term, USC was ranked #26 in the same listing (USC is now ranked #23). In 2008, his own salary was $1.9 million.

USC announced on November 1, 2009, that Sample would step down as its president in August 2010. He explained that he wanted to see "fresh leadership" take charge. These donations included major contributions of $112.5 million from Alfred Mann to establish the Mann Institute of Biomedical Engineering, $120 million from Ambassador Walter Annenberg to create the Annenberg Center for Communication, $100 million from the Annenberg Foundation, and a $110 million from the W. M. Keck Foundation for the Keck School of Medicine. More recently, Sample has overseen the $175 million gift from George Lucas to the School of Cinematic Arts.

Construction projects He oversaw the construction of a number of important structures at USC. It explains his personal leadership philosophy and provides advice to readers. Sample was a resident of San Marino, California. On March 29, 2016, Sample died at the age of 75.