USC is an active partner in efforts to improve the social, economic, physical and cultural quality of the neighborhoods surrounding both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses.
To promote these efforts, USC Civic and Community Relations (USC-CCR) maintains close relationships with community agencies, leaders and public officials, and serves as a point of access between the metropolitan, neighborhood and university communities.
In conjunction with USC-CCR, thousands of USC students, alumni, faculty and staff participate in more than 180 programs designed to serve the residents of Southern California. Areas of activity include partnerships with local schools; scholarship programs; programs for children, youth and the elderly; health services; and ventures for the transfer of technology to the local business community.
Each year, tens of thousands of Los Angeles school children benefit from these programs. Through the Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles, magnet schools and other programs, USC offers educational outreach services responding to the social, health and financial aid needs of community children and youth. These programs range from the National Youth Sports Program, a six-week summer sports and education program for economically disadvantaged Los Angeles area youth, to Spirits in Action, which sponsors a "Special Olympics" track meet for mentally or physically challenged athletes, and KUSC in the Schools, a project designed to introduce classical music into the lives of children.
USC is in the forefront of educational outreach with innovative new projects such as the Neighborhood Academic Initiative and Project EEXCEL (Educational Excellence for Children with Environmental Limitations), which offer enhanced academic training and far-reaching service programs for neighborhood children and their families. The importance of teacher enrichment programs has also been recognized through model programs such as the Latino Teacher Project.
USC and its graduates play an important role in making Los Angeles one of the world's great centers for the arts. The schools of Music and Theatre produce a regular series of concerts, operas, musicals, plays and other events. There are four major music, drama and cinema theatres on campus. For up-to-date information on cultural events at USC, call the University Ticket Office at (213) 740-7111.
USC sponsors 10 varsity sports for men and 10 for women, involving more than 500 of the nation's top-ranked athletes. In their pursuit of athletic and academic excellence, USC varsity teams have won more national championships than any other NCAA member institution] 13 women's team titles and 68 men's team titles - including eight unofficial football titles. USC is one of only two universities in intercollegiate athletic history to win five national championships in one year (1962-63 and 1976-77). Forty-three USC athletes have been awarded NCAA postgraduate scholarships.
In Olympic competition, USC has fielded more athletes than any other institution. Since 1904, 272 Trojan athletes have participated in the Olympic Games, accumulating a total of 87 gold, 53 silver and 46 bronze medals.
At least one USC athlete has won a gold medal in every summer Olympiad since 1912, making USC the only university in the world with this distinction.
The Intramural Recreation Department welcomes members of the university community who wish to participate in its competitive and recreational sports programs or make use of its services and facilities. Six separate intramural programs (coed, women's, all-university, HICCUP [Housing Intramural Challenge Cup], fraternity and sorority) are directed by the department, altogether offering more than 100 sports involving 9,000 participants. Some 30 on-campus interest clubs and 15 club sport teams have 750 participants each semester.
Outdoor recreational facilities include the Olympic-size McDonalds Swim Stadium, tennis courts and fields. The new General William Lyon University Center houses gymnasia, racquet sport courts, locker room, aerobic room, fitness center, cardiovascular room, department offices and student organization space. Nearly 500,000 participants used the Lyon Center during 1993-94.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995