Dean Jack H. Knott has announced that USC Trustee David C. Bohnett ’78 pledged $2.5 million to establish and endow a new fellowship program at the USC Price School of Public Policy. The David C. Bohnett Leadership Fund will provide masters-level public policy students with valuable hands-on experience in local government through a two-year fellowship with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The Fellow will receive a stipend as well as tuition coverage to work directly for the office of the current Board of Supervisors Chairperson on major policy issues that impact and affect the lives of Los Angeles County residents.
“Public service has been a hallmark of the Price School since its establishment in 1929, and the David C. Bohnett Leadership Fund will help us continue to develop smart, resourceful and innovative local leaders,” Knott said.
The Price School has more than 16,000 alumni worldwide, many of whom serve in key leadership roles in local public policy and government administration, Knott noted. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis is a graduate of the Price School, and Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas serves on the school’s Board of Councilors.
Since 1999, the mission of the David Bohnett Foundation has been to improve society through social activism. Deeply involved in the arts as well as social justice, Bohnett is chairman of the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, and a trustee of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Bohnett also serves as a member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
“The David Bohnett Foundation is an ideal partner to help the Price School educate and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of a career in public management,” Knott explained.
He added: “Bohnett has established similar programs at UCLA, NYU and the University of Michigan, and I am proud to have the Price School join this exceptional network of academic institutions. The Price School, currently ranked No. 4 in public management and administration by U.S. News & World Report, is a nationally recognized leader in public policy and administration, and we share the Bohnett Foundation’s deep commitment to developing the next generation of municipal leaders.”