Overview
- The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Kim, making the role effective immediately.
- Kim had served as interim president since July 1, 2025, after joining USC in 2020 as senior vice president and general counsel and previously working as a federal prosecutor.
- During his interim tenure he imposed sweeping cost reductions, including more than 1,000 layoffs, to address a large budget gap.
- The board shifted from initially not considering him a candidate to endorsing him after observing his stewardship.
- USC navigated federal pressure over campus protests, declining a Department of Education “Compact,” as Kim launched an AI Strategy Committee, an Open Dialogue Project, and co-hosted the university’s first AI Summit.