The University of Southern California (USC) has announced a $50 million commitment from Ronald and Leslie Sherwin in support of environmental initiatives at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. 

The largest single gift to USC’s environmental initiatives will establish the Ronald and Leslie Sherwin Initiative, which will focus on protecting the environment through research, education, and practice. To that end, the initiative will fund 10 USC Dornsife faculty chairs focused on ecosystem conservation, half of whom will have research expertise related to ecosystem diversity and species preservation, including everything from coral reef restoration to the development of alternative fuels. The other half will have expertise in the many human factors associated with environmental protection, including environmental economics, behavioral science, and political science. 

“This generous gift will have a profound and lasting impact on USC Dornsife’s ability to address the critical challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss,” said USC Dornsife dean Amber D. Miller. “By supporting endowed faculty chairs, research, and educational programming, the Sherwin Initiative will not only establish Dornsife as a leader in ecosystem conservation, but also inspire the next generation of environmental champions who will shape a sustainable future for our planet.” 

“What’s important to me is that this gift will promote interdisciplinary research tied to environmental issues,” said Ron Sherwin, president of Sherwin Inc. “It’s going to take many academic disciplines working together to help protect our environment, including psychology, spatial sciences, political science, even philosophy. So, giving to USC Dornsife, which includes all of those as well as the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, just makes sense.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/AzmanL)