Register for News Updates
KAUST Inauguration Symposium Speaker
Steven Sample
University of Southern California
Steven B. Sample became the 10th president of the University of Southern California in 1991. He is the university's first holder of the Robert C. Packard President’s Chair.
President Sample is an electrical engineer, a musician, an outdoorsman, an author, and an inventor. In February 1998 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to consumer electronics and leadership in interdisciplinary research and education. In 2003 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of his accomplishments as a university president.
Dr. Sample earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. He came to USC from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he had served as president since 1982. He remains an active member of USC’s faculty, co-teaching with management expert Warren Bennis a popular course for juniors and seniors titled “The Art and Adventure of Leadership.” His bestselling book, The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, was named one of six “must-reads” for leaders by Harvard Business Schools’s Harvard Management Update, and has been translated into five languages. All royalties go to a scholarship fund for USC undergraduates.
Under Sample's leadership, USC has become world-renowned in the fields of communication and multimedia technologies, received national acclaim for its innovative community partnerships, and solidified its status as one of the nation's leading research universities.
Dr. Sample is the author of numerous journal articles and published papers in science and engineering and higher education. His patents in the field of digital appliance controls have been licensed to practically every major manufacturer of appliance controls and microwave ovens in the world. Over 300 million home appliances have been built using his inventions.
He has chaired a number of statewide and national groups examining the state of elementary, secondary, and higher education. He co-founded the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), a consortium of 42 premier Pacific Rim research universities located in 15 countries. He is a past chairman of the Association of American Universities (AAU), chaired a special AAU committee on postdoctoral education, and co-chaired an AAU task force on increasing protection for human subjects in university-based research.
President Sample has received eight honorary doctorates, and numerous technical awards. He has also received numerous civic and humanitarian awards, including the Distinguished Business Leader Award from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Heart of the City Award from the Central City Association of Los Angeles, and the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal, the highest award bestowed by the State University of New York at Buffalo.
President Sample and his wife have two daughters and two grandchildren.
