The University of Southern California has announced a $15 million pledge from alumni Harlan Martens ('70, JD '74) and his wife, Linda ('69), in support of scholarships and fellowships at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

The gift will launch the Martens Scholars Program, which will provide up to six undergraduates every four years with full-tuition scholarships, along with four half-tuition scholarships, two partial need-based scholarships earmarked for transfer students, two two-year fellowships for doctoral and graduate students, and two senior fellowships for postdoctoral fellows, as well as stipends of $5,000 to help cover recipients' research, travel, and conference costs. Among other requirements, Martens Scholars must embody what are known as the "five traits of a Trojan": faithfulness, scholarship, skillfulness, courageousness, and ambition.

Harlan Martens is retired from Exxon Mobil, where he served as chief attorney of producing operations, and Linda Martens is a former president of the National Charity League. Their previous support for USC include gifts to name Martens Plaza, establish the Linda and Harlan Martens Endowed Director's Chair for the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute at USC Dornsife, and endow the Linda and Harlan Martens Economic History Forum.

"Generous scholarships are among the most important resources we have for attracting the brightest students to USC Dornsife," said the school's dean, Amber Miller. "We are thankful for the Martenses' remarkable gift and their longstanding commitment to our academic community. I am confident that their vision will be reflected in the distinct achievements made by each of our USC Martens Scholars."