On Feb. 14, USC Viterbi held its first Thank a Donor Day, inviting students, faculty and administrators to honor the many individuals who have so generously supported the school through private funds.

Visit the USC Viterbi Initiative page for more information.

For an entire day, the USC Viterbi Trojan Family gathered at Epstein Plaza on the Olin Hall of Engineering Patio to express sincere and creative words of gratitude through individual notes and postcards.

“Recognizing kindness is important to all of us,” said junior Rhea Choudhury. “We were excited at the opportunity to share our feelings. We are enormously grateful for the support of so many people, and we wouldn’t be here if it were not for their thoughtfulness.”

Besides recognizing donors for scholarship and fellowship support, participants thanked individuals who have supported other initiatives at the school, including the new USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience and student design teams.

USC Viterbi has raised more than $450 million towards an 8-year goal of $500 million, with much of this amount gifted from parents, alumni, our board of councilors and other friends of the university. It is this
generosity that allows the school to create opportunities for the most promising and talented individuals, to advance the school’s quality and reputation, and to help create the leaders and experts of tomorrow.

 “Thank a Donor Day is a meaningful way to remind everybody who walks these halls that they are impacted either directly or indirectly by generosity,” USC Viterbi Dean Yannis C. Yortsos said. “Simply, our school would not be the top institution it is today without the contributions of our friends.”