George Lucas to give USC $175 million

Wed., Sept. 20, 2006

Stuart Silverstein Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES – “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, through a foundation, plans to make a blockbuster donation to the University of Southern California of $175 million – the university’s biggest single gift ever – to build a new home for its prestigious film school.

The landmark gift from the Lucasfilm Foundation builds on Hollywood’s historical support for the film school, which was established in 1929 as a collaboration between USC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The new 137,000-square-foot facility, along with modernizing and expanding the film school’s cramped facilities, is believed to be intended to merge Hollywood storytelling skills with emerging digital technologies.

University officials, who have worked quietly on the project in recent months, announced the gift Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, in a separate ceremony, Lucas was named the grand marshal of the Rose Parade in Pasadena.

A formal groundbreaking for the new facility is planned for Oct. 4.

“I discovered my passion for film and making movies when I was a student at USC in the 1960s, and my experiences there shaped the rest of my career,” Lucas said in a statement. “I’m also an ardent advocate for education at all levels and encouraging young people to pursue their ambitions by learning. I’m very fortunate to be in a position to combine my two passions and to be able to help USC continue molding the futures of the moviemakers of tomorrow.”

In one behind-the-scenes move this spring, USC officials altered the university’s bylaws partly to clear the way for the formal name of the film school to be changed. It will be revised from the USC School of Cinema-Television to the School of Cinematic Arts – a switch possibly intended to accommodate the institution’s growing focus on newer entertainment technologies.

USC’s previous top gift, $120 million, came in 1993 from the late ambassador Walter Annenberg.

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George Lucas to give USC $175 million

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