“I can trace back so many of my personal and professional accomplishments to my four years as an undergraduate student at USC, where I learned how to excel academically and how to give back through service to others.”
— David C. Bohnett ’78, USC Trustee, philanthropist, technology entrepreneur
On May 25, 2016, USC announced that USC Trustee David C. Bohnett ’78 has pledged $15 million to endow and name a residential college at USC Village.
The David C. Bohnett Residential College will focus on the principles of social justice and community service, and will form part of a thriving student community that integrates living and learning for 193 students as well as faculty-in-residence and student support staff.
Bohnett is a philanthropist and technology entrepreneur. In 1994, he founded the media and e-commerce company GeoCities.com, which paved the way for modern social media. A year after taking Geocities.com public in 1998, he sold it to Yahoo! Inc. He then established the David Bohnett Foundation as well as Baroda Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early stage technology start-ups.
Bohnett Residential College will be a community built around a core ideal of social action through entrepreneurship. In collaboration with faculty, staff, and social entrepreneurs within the Los Angeles community and beyond, students will engage with and seek innovative solutions for a broad range of social issues such as homelessness, gun violence, diversity & inclusion, college access, and many other pressing social justice concerns facing the world today.
Through speaker series, small group seminars, professional and community collaborations, and the support of the Bohnett community investment fund, students will be given entrepreneurial skills and tools to innovate new concepts and technologies to address today’s most significant social challenges.
For further information about student residential life programming in this residential college, visit the Residential Education site.
For information about housing selection, application deadlines, fees, and building amenities, visit the Housing site.