The University of Southern California has announced a $20 million gift from alumnus Randall R. Kendrick ('86) in support of the global supply chain management program at the Marshall School of Business.

The gift will be used to endow the position of institute director; create a faculty chair and faculty fellows in supply chain management; provide student scholarships and research assistantships; establish a USC Marshall-branded supply chain case collection; found a consortium on blockchain in the supply chain; and expand existing academic programs including a progressive degree program in which USC Marshall and USC Viterbi School of Engineering undergraduates can take a fifth year to earn a master's degree in global supply chain management. In recognition of the gift, the program will be renamed the Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute.

"I can truly say that my USC education was the foundation that prepared me to build Xebec to where it is today: one of the country's largest real estate asset managers focused on the industrial/logistics sector," said Kendrick, the founder, president, and CEO of industrial real estate firm Xebec. "I am immensely grateful for my Marshall experience, as it helped me develop critical analytical thinking and gave me a strong foundation in real estate, finance, and strategic decision making."

"Randy's story shows the transformative power of education," said USC president Carol L. Folt. "He arrived at USC as a first-gen college student, and he went on to create one of our nation's top businesses. His generous gift will expand Marshall's existing academic programs and help future generations of USC students follow their own paths to professional fulfillment."

(Photo by Kevin Le)