Longtime benefactor donation establishes the new Center for Civic Society at the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service

USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim on Monday morning revealed a substantial donation from philanthropist Leonard D. Schaeffer that intends to strengthen democracy and civic standards both nationally and globally. This contribution will create the new Center for Civic Society within the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service.

“Robust democracies rely on active citizens and competent institutions,” expressed Leonard Schaeffer, USC trustee and chair of the Schaeffer Center Advisory Board. “The Center for Civic Society at the USC Schaeffer Institute will undertake thorough research that provides evidence and insights to significantly tackle our most pressing civic issues. This investigation and the subsequent policy suggestions will assist us in discovering common ground and innovative methods to nurture a sense of shared purpose within communities.”

Kim also declared the appointment of the Right Honourable Gordon Brown, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, as Distinguished Scholar at the USC Schaeffer Institute, which incorporates the Steel Chair established through a donation from the late USC Professor Emeritus Ronald Steel, a globally recognized figure on U.S. foreign policy. Brown will head the new center and instruct courses at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Brown will accept no personal compensation for his contributions. All funds will be directed towards research by attracting additional academic specialists to the center.

Over more than thirty years of public service in the United Kingdom, Brown’s leadership led to substantial policy accomplishments, including major reforms in Britain’s monetary and fiscal policy and ongoing investment in health and education. Since leaving office, he has maintained his leadership role, driven by a strong commitment to enhancing global democratic norms and improving social welfare.

“At a time when numerous democracies are being torn apart by the politics of division, this center will symbolize something different: the diligent pursuit of understanding,” Brown stated. “Our research will not only uncover the origins of polarization but help clarify the route to renewed civic trust. Universities have historically been places of inquiry, but today they must also act as engines of empathy, reintegrating evidence, logic, and humanity into the core of public discourse.”

Kim — whose dedication to fortifying democracy and encouraging civil discourse is a primary focus — made the announcement on the International Day of Democracy, a day established by the United Nations to promote and uphold democratic principles.

“As political divides deepen across the nation, USC continues to be a space where scholars with differing viewpoints can unite for real-world solutions to some of society’s most persistent challenges,” Kim stated. “Through this new center, USC will uphold its legacy of guiding the leaders of tomorrow and producing engaged, civic-oriented scholars.”

An everlasting partnership

Schaeffer — a USC trustee since 2013 and chair of the USC Health System Board — has collaborated with the university for more than 15 years in his lifelong dedication to finding implementable solutions for society’s most pressing issues. In 2009, Schaeffer and his wife, Pamela, contributed a donation to the university establishing the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy.
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& Economics as a partnership between the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the USC Price School of Public Policy. It stands as one of the nation’s premier resources for health economic research and policy counsel.

In 2014, Schaeffer also initiated the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, a program that instructs 50 undergraduate students annually through compensated internships. In 2024, Schaeffer enhanced these enduring initiatives by establishing the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy and Government Service to function as a policy incubator to cultivate and assess concepts generated by the USC academic community while providing a platform to engage federal policymakers. The institute recently inaugurated a new office at USC’s Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., alongside its University Park Campus headquarters.

The common thread among these initiatives — which prompted the inception of the new Center for Civic Society — is a persistent aspiration to promote nonpartisan, evidence-informed research that translates into improved public policy and constructive discourse.

Commemorating a public intellectual who enriched foreign policy dialogue

The late Ronald Steel, after whom the new chair is named, was a cherished professor of international relations at USC. Through countless essays and seven pivotal books, Steel molded the way foreign policy topics were comprehended by wide audiences. Steel’s heritage of public intellectual involvement aligns perfectly with the new center’s aim to connect academic inquiry on global social matters with public awareness.

“Ronald Steel was a thorough intellectual who raised the standard of public discourse on intricate global challenges. He was deeply immersed in the academic aspirations of USC for more than two decades,” stated Susan Sherwin, a companion of Steel’s and a trustee of his estate. “We anticipate that Gordon Brown’s policy accomplishments and leadership on the global stage will honor Ron’s legacy of integrating critical scholarship into public discussions.”

Encouraging open dialogue through pioneering research

At its essence, the Center for Civic Society is structured to encourage open dialogue and discussion. Under Brown’s guidance, and in collaboration with established Schaeffer Institute scholars, the center will endeavor to bridge gaps across political, social, and ideological divides. Areas of research will involve employing behavioral science to comprehend and sway public opinion; investigating methods to boost civic engagement, voter participation, and public confidence; and assessing the effects of artificial intelligence on democratic practices.

“The Center for Civic Society embodies precisely the type of endeavors USC and the Schaeffer Institute are designed for: tackling intricate societal issues with thorough analysis and practical solutions,” remarked Dana Goldman, founding director of the USC Schaeffer Institute. “With Gordon Brown at the helm, this center will further our commitment to delve into the data, interpret the evidence, and create resources that policymakers can genuinely utilize.”

Center scholars will also create a Schaeffer Civic Engagement Index to evaluate how factors like loneliness, social network size, and social network diversity have impacted political polarization and fragmentation throughout the nation. A proposed Schaeffer Standard of Living Index will assist policymakers in grasping how indicators of inequality such as inflation, unemployment, and changes in welfare programs influence individuals’ lives.

Nurturing future leaders

With the inauguration of the new Center for Civic Society in 2026, the USC Schaeffer Institute will uphold its legacy of established trust across political boundaries and cultivate the next generation of global leaders committed to employing Schaeffer’s evidence-informed approach to public service and policy to enhance lives.

During his address at the inauguration celebration of the USC Schaeffer Institute in 2024, Schaeffer emphasized the importance of USC’s ongoing role “to generate research that supports evidence-based policymaking and to educate students to be responsible and engaged citizens of a genuine, functioning democracy.”

As democracies across the globe grapple with an increasing distrust in science and government, the center’s — and Schaeffer’s — mission to engage leaders in the public and private sectors in fruitful, nonpartisan discourse is more relevant than ever.