Presidential Medallion awardees embody USC’s objectives in scholarship, progress, and spirituality

During this month’s Academic Honors Convocation events, USC President Carol Folt revealed the recent Trojans to be awarded USC’s Presidential Medallion, conferred to those who have brought notable honor and prestige to the university’s campuses. They include: USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni; Jimmy Iovine and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, co-founders of the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy; along with Leslie and William McMorrow, patrons of the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative.

“The recipients of this accolade are individuals whose contributions resonate with many hearts and minds, becoming part of the essence of our Trojan community,” Folt stated. “They’ve infused invaluable worth and creativity into the educational journey for our students, and it is an honor to recognize everything they’ve accomplished to facilitate a new era of learning.” The Presidential Medallion is the university’s most prestigious accolade.

USC’s Academic Honors Convocation spanned two events this year: on April 16, 29 faculty members were acknowledged, while an April 21 ceremony celebrated the efforts of 49 students.

Varun Soni

Few individuals possess a résumé comparable to Varun Soni. Apart from his academics — holding a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, master’s degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the University of California, Santa Barbara, along with a juris doctor from UCLA and a doctorate from the University of Cape Town — Soni’s life experiences make him an exemplary leader for the USC Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. With roots in India and upbringing in Southern California, he has relatives across five continents who collectively embody many of the world’s principal religious traditions. He has lived in a Buddhist monastery, undertaken research throughout South Asia, and has been published in numerous journals. Now, he stands as a recipient of USC’s highest accolade, the Presidential Medallion.

“It was a moment of sheer disbelief followed by profound gratitude,” Soni remarked in an interview regarding the honor. “For 17 years, I’ve been giving the invocation at academic award ceremonies, so I am well aware of what a significant honor this is.”

In addition to serving as dean of religious life, Soni functions as a University Fellow at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s Center on Public Diplomacy and teaches as an adjunct professor at the School of Religion in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He is the author of the book Natural Mystics: The Prophetic Lives of Bob Marley and Nusrat Fateh Ali.

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Khan, alongside articles in outlets like The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Crosscurrents, Jewish Journal, and the Harvard Divinity Bulletin. Soni also explored the domain of graphic novels, creating the well-received Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, which is currently being transformed into a feature film.

Soni’s passion for and proficiency in music also prompted him to produce and host his own radio broadcast on KPFK-Pacifica that highlighted tunes from South Asia and its diaspora. In 2009, he played a pivotal role in organizing the significant Concert for Pakistan, a charity event at the United Nations General Assembly Hall showcasing Salman Ahmad, Sting, Outlandish, Jeff Skoll, Deepak Chopra, and Melissa Etheridge.

Despite the breadth of his achievements, Soni remarked that receiving the Presidential Medallion is “incredibly humbling” and “a validation of the crucial work that numerous individuals have undertaken in religious and spiritual life over the past two decades.”

“USC adopts a broad perspective on human thriving that encompasses spiritual wellness, allowing us to be innovative and collaborative in meeting the spiritual needs, ambitions, and possibilities for our community,” Soni stated. “Consequently, USC is genuinely focused on the future of well-being in higher education and stands out as a pioneer in this field — there’s no way I could engage in this work in this manner at any other American institution.”

Jimmy Iovine and Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young

In 2013, two icons of the music industry collaborated to establish a distinct educational venture at USC that fuses technology, design, and business. With a $70 million contribution, renowned producer Jimmy Iovine and hip-hop icon Andre “Dr. Dre” Young established USC’s 21st academic institution, the USC Iovine and Young Academy.

“Education was compartmentalized,” Iovine remarked while sharing the stage with Young to accept their accolade during the student awards night on April 21. “So, we proposed, ‘What if we create a school where individuals collaborate and innovate together?’ Therefore, if you lean towards engineering or design, you’ll actually comprehend each other’s perspectives.”

Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records and Beats Electronics, began his extensive music career as a teenager, working as a recording engineer at Record Plant in New York City. Subsequently, Iovine produced for artists like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Nicks. He met Young in 1990, following the co-founding of Interscope Records.

An emblem of the hip-hop community, Young co-founded the groundbreaking group N.W.A. before launching a solo career. In 1992, he debut album, The Chronic, was released on Iovine’s Interscope Records. The album achieved triple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and climbed into the top 10 on Billboard 200, earning Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards — for “Let Me Ride” — in 1994.

In 1996, Young established Aftermath Entertainment, which has discovered and fostered hip-hop talents such as Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, and Eminem.

Young subsequently expanded into television and film production, including the Emmy Award-nominated HBO docuseries The Defiant Ones.

More than a decade after their initial meeting, the duo partnered to launch Beats Electronics (Beats by Dre) in 2006 and Beats Music in 2014.

In 2013, Iovine delivered the commencement speech to USC’s graduating class after being conferred an honorary degree. The following year, the USC Iovine and Young Academy welcomed its inaugural freshman class.

“This institution was exceedingly patient and supportive in helping us achieve something quite new at the time … so I want to express my gratitude to those individuals for truly believing in us, as we were unsure of what we were doing,” Iovine shared to laughter from the audience at the awards ceremony. “I believe we created something exceptional, and we are immensely proud of it. Thank you, Dr. Dre — you are the finest partner and friend ever.” 

In 2022, Iovine and Young inaugurated the Iovine and Young Center Integrated Design, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Magnet in Los Angeles, and last year, the Iovine and Young Center at Frederick Douglass High School opened in Atlanta. Both high schools provide students with the same state-of-the-art curriculum as the USC Iovine and Young Academy.

Leslie and William McMorrow

For Leslie and William McMorrow, giving back is second nature. In 2018 — the year that William McMorrow received the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award, USC’s highest alumni honor — the McMorrows contributed the largest single donation ever to the university’s community outreach initiatives.

The endowment enabled a significant enhancement of what is now referred to as the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative, which delivers college admission and graduation support to nearly 1,000 sixth to twelfth-grade students from low-income families in adjacent communities each year.

The dedication of the McMorrows to philanthropy and to USC earned them the USC Presidential Medallion.

“This moment allows me to truly reflect on my life and recognize how fortunate I’ve been,” William McMorrow expressed to attendees at the faculty award dinner on April 16. “USC has been at the crossroads of every aspect of my life. … It’s genuinely been an honor and privilege.”

Founded in 1991, USC NAI boasts a 100% high school graduation rate and a 99% college graduation rate. Graduates of the program, many of whom are first-generation college students, enroll in esteemed institutions nationwide, with many opting for USC as their next academic destination.

William McMorrow shared that his enthusiasm for USC was ignited by childhood visits to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He attributes much of his success to the insights gained and relationships formed while pursuing his undergraduate and master’s degrees in business from the USC Marshall School of Business.

McMorrow has transformed his real estate investment and management firm, Kennedy Wilson, into a global titan. Over three decades, he expanded it from one office with 11 staff members to 25 offices employing approximately 500 individuals worldwide. He has persistently supported real estate research and education at USC for years, participating on the executive board of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, funding the McMorrow Global Real Estate Initiative, and helping launch the Performance Science Institute. He has been a member of the USC Board of Trustees since 2015.

Leslie McMorrow, an authority in the L.A. art scene, graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a bachelor’s degree in business economics and Asian studies. She then pursued further studies at Sophia University in Tokyo, enhancing her understanding of Asian aesthetics, culture, art, and design. Her community involvement also includes serving on the board of overseers at the Hammer Museum and the board of The Rape Foundation.

“We are immensely thankful to the faculty of this university who influence young lives and contribute positively to our nation and, honestly, to the entire world,” William McMorrow stated. “So many of these youth have proceeded to extraordinary careers. It has genuinely been one of the greatest privileges that Leslie and I have ever had to partake in this remarkable journey.”

USC’s Greg Hernandez contributed to this report.