Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award
The USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award is an official University Award. It honors up to four retired faculty each year for their eminent careers. Since its inception in 1982, the award has been bestowed upon retired faculty from the arts and humanities; social sciences; science, technology, engineering and mathematics; medicine; and other professional disciplines.
Awards are conferred at the annual Academic Honors Convocation. The Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award includes an honorarium of $2,000, an illuminated scroll setting forth the honoree’s contributions, and a citation in the Honors Convocation program, all provided through the generosity of the Provost.
For a complete list of previous Award winners, please visit the Provost’s Award Page.
Nominate a faculty member
ELIGIBILITY: Retired faculty who have been full-time USC faculty members for a minimum of 10 years prior to retirement.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS: Nomination letter from the dean describing nominee’s accomplishments; nominee’s complete curriculum vitae; nomination form; supporting letters from at least two of the nominee’s colleagues.
Contributions are evaluated on 7 criteria: teaching, research or artistic achievement, publications, university service, community/government service, professional organization contributions, awards/recognitions.
Nominations are due Friday, October 16, 2026
William Tierney
University Professor Emeritus USC Rossier School of Education Dr. William G. Tierney had a four-decade career that has profoundly shaped higher education worldwide. A visionary...
Read MoreKenneth Nealson
Kenneth Nealson Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies Professor of Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Kenneth Nealson has...
Read MoreAndrew McMahon
Professor and Chair of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine USC Keck School of Medicine Andrew (Andy) McMahon is a pioneer in mouse genetics who...
Read MoreAward Recipients
Recipient Articles
All Recipients Names
Recipient Articles
| Name | Excerpt |
|---|---|
| William Tierney | |
| Kenneth Nealson | |
| Andrew McMahon | |
| Amy Lee | |
| Robert Rueda | |
| Leo Braudy | |
| Estela Mara Bensimon | |
| Norman Arnheim | |
| John Slaughter | Dr. Slaughter has been a pioneer in science and education for more than half a century, resulting in extensive and long-lasting contributions to engineering as an executive, administrator, and researcher in industry, academia, and the federal government. |
| Michael Stallcup | Dr. Stallcup excelled in teaching, research, and service to the Keck School of Medicine and the scientific community. |
| Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo | Dr. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo is an internationally renowned scholar who has demonstrated exceptional achievement and a lifetime of scholarly contributions to the study of international migration, gender, and Latino/a sociology. |
| Alexander Sawchuk | Professor Alexander “Sandy” Sawchuk is a Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Viterbi School of Engineering. |
| Deborah MacInnis | Professor Deborah MacInnis has been an outstanding scholar with a devotion to developing and disseminating knowledge about consumer behavior and marketing at USC for almost 30 years. |
| Margaret Lazzari | Margaret Lazzari is an established painter, writer, and Professor Emerita of Art at the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Art and Design. |
| Scott Bice | Professor Bice’s legacy touches every Trojan regardless of affiliation to Gould School of Law. Through his relentless work as a professor, dean, and civil servant to USC, Professor Bice has become synonymous with what it means to be a part of USC. |
| Tridib Banerjee | For almost five decades, Tridib Banerjee served USC’s research, teaching, and service mission with dedication and distinction. |
| Ronald Garet | Ronald Garet studies theological ethics and constitutional law, especially in areas where the two fields intersect. He joined USC Gould School of Law in 1981 and taught Constitutional Law; Law, Language, and Values; Law Informed by Faith; and Concepts in American Law. In 2010, Prof. Garet received the William A. Rutter Distinguished Teaching Award. |
| Robert Arno Scholtz | Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering |
| Lois W Banner | Professor Banner has published numerous books on the history of women and gender in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She writes biography and cultural history and is now working in areas of feminist studies, queer theory, and masculinity studies. |
| Harry De Angelo | Harry DeAngelo specializes in corporate finance, with a focus on payout policy, capital structure, and corporate governance. |
| Gordon Cohn | Joined the University in 1961 as a member of the writing staff in what was then called University Planning, now University Advancement. Later served as fund-raiser for the medical school, head of fund-raising and public relations for the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, public relations director for the College of Continuing Education, and finally, as director of public relations for the Kenneth Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. Retired in 1992. |
| Marcel Nimni | Dr. Marcel Nimni, a dedicated educator and researcher over the course of his 54-year USC faculty career, had consistent grant support and published prolifically-more than 200 papers, several books and over 20 book chapters. |
| Joel Schechter | Dr. Joel E. Schechter is recognized with a USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to medical education and to students at all levels. He received an MA in Medical Illustration from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in Anatomy from UCLA. |
| Carl Q. Christol | Following his retirement from USC in 1987, Carl Q. Christol recommenced the full-time practice of law specializing in Wills, Trusts, Estates, and employment issues for university faculties and their administrations. |
| Dr. Nancy Warner | At USC, Dr. Warner distinguished herself as a surgical pathologist specializing in endocrine pathology, publishing her work in scientific journals and in a textbook that received wide acclaim as state of the art for many years. She was a gifted and celebrated teacher of medical students, residents, and fellows and received numerous awards for teaching at local and national levels. |
| Florence A. Clark | Florence A. Clark, Professor Emerita of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy |
| Robert E. Maxson, Jr. | Robert E. Maxson, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC |
| Michael Waterman | Michael Waterman’s visionary scholarship has changed the landscape of science and technology. A brilliant mathematician and statistician, he is known as the founder of computational biology, a discipline that deepens our understanding of the natural world through the use of massive data-based algorithms and computer models. His discoveries continue to inspire students and colleagues to push the boundaries of scientific research at USC, and beyond. |
| Martin H. Weiss | A leader within the world of neurosurgery, Martin H. Weiss has helped shape medical education and practice at USC for almost half a century. The Keck community admires his encyclopedic knowledge of general medicine, a trait that makes him a remarkable educator and scholar. That same mental fortitude comes across in his work as a practitioner and medical pioneer – one who has touched the lives of patients everywhere. |
All Recipients Names
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Guilbert Hentschke | 2019 |
| Joel Schechter | 2019 |
| Marcel Nimni | 2019 |
| Richard Easterlin | 2019 |
| Kathleen Allen | 2018 |
| Peggy Kamuf | 2018 |
| Jean Richardson | 2018 |
| Randolph Westerfield | 2018 |
| Stanley Azen | 2017 |
| Richard B. Chase | 2017 |
| James R. Kincaid | 2017 |
| Aristides Requicha | 2017 |
| Arnold C. G. Platzker | 2016 |
| Bert M. Steece | 2016 |
| Harold Charles Slavkin | 2016 |
| J. Ann Tickner | 2016 |
| Robert Harris | 2015 |
| Phoebe Liebig | 2015 |
| Donald Skinner | 2015 |
| William Steier | 2015 |
| Richard H. Day | 2014 |
| Walter R. Fisher | 2014 |
| Chester A. Newland | 2014 |
| Christopher D. Stone | 2014 |
| Richard E. Clark | 2013 |
| Terrence G. Langdon | 2013 |
| John E. Wills Jr. | 2013 |
| Murray Fromson | 2012 |
| William E. Rutherford | 2012 |
| Carole Shammas | 2012 |
| Jack R. Borsting | 2011 |
| Kenneth Price | 2011 |
| Richard F. Thompson | 2011 |
| Allen W. Mathies | 2010 |
| Gerald Nadler | 2010 |
| George V. Chilingar | 2009 |
| Marshall Cohen | 2009 |
| Donald Feinstein | 2009 |
| George A. Bekey | 2008 |
| Vern L. Bengtson | 2008 |
| Robert P. Biller | 2008 |
| Michael Ming-Chiao Lai | 2008 |
| Gail V. Anderson | 2007 |
| Malcolm Klein | 2007 |
| Phil R. Manning | 2007 |
| W. David Slawson | 2007 |
| Barbara Solomon | 2007 |
| Michael G. Fry | 2006 |
| Barbara M. Korsch | 2006 |
| Hans H. Kuehl | 2006 |
| Rino J. Patti | 2006 |
| Robert B. Kaplan | 2005 |
| Arnold S. Dunn | 2004 |
| Gerald A. Larue | 2004 |
| William C. Himstreet | 2003 |
| Lloyd R. Welch | 2003 |
| Herbert E. Alexander | 2002 |
| Robert S. Ellwood | 2002 |
| Alvin S. Rudisill | 2002 |
| Rodger Swearingen | 2002 |
| Donn S. Gorsline | 2001 |
| Alan J. Rowe | 2001 |
| Eudice Shapiro | 2001 |
| James C. Warf | 2001 |
| Ralph L. Knowles | 2000 |
| Jay Martin | 2000 |
| Gibson Reaves | 2000 |
| Charles R. Ritcheson | 2000 |
| Peter A. Berton | 1999 |
| Helen Northen | 1999 |
| Irving S. Reed | 1999 |
| Leonard Rosoff Sr. | 1999 |
| John A. Biles | 1998 |
| Ward Edwards | 1998 |
| Otto Schnepp | 1998 |
| David B. Wittry | 1998 |
| Paul A. Bloland | 1997 |
| Maurice B. Hamovitch | 1997 |
| Taylor W. Meloan | 1997 |
| Ross N. Berkes | 1996 |
| Tsien-Kei Cheng | 1996 |
| Clifton O. Dummett | 1996 |
| J. Tillman Hall | 1996 |
| George Oakley Totten III | 1996 |
| Nancy E. Warner | 1996 |
| Louis M. Brown | 1995 |
| Daniel Glaser | 1995 |
| J. Wesley Robb | 1995 |
| Max F. Schulz | 1995 |
| Harrison M. Kurtz | 1994 |
| Doyce B. Nunis, Jr. | 1994 |
| William G. Spitzer | 1994 |
| Virginia A. Tufte | 1994 |
| Totton J. Anderson | 1993 |
| David A. Berman | 1993 |
| Arthur W. Donovan | 1993 |
| Geddes MacGregor | 1993 |
| Emery Stoops | 1993 |
| Melville C. Branch | 1992 |
| Paul E. Hadley | 1992 |
| Mary R. Mahl | 1992 |
| Helen E. Martin | 1992 |
| Arthur W. Adamson | 1991 |
| Frances L. Feldman | 1991 |
| William H. Perkins | 1991 |
| Elizabeth J. Yerxa | 1991 |
| Bernard C. Abbott | 1990 |
| Sidney W. Benson | 1990 |
| Carl Q. Christol | 1990 |
| Theodore E. Harris | 1990 |
| Arthur J. Knodel | 1990 |
| Anton B. Burg | 1989 |
| Norman B. Sigband | 1989 |
| Gerhard L. Weissler | 1989 |
| Harriet H. Forster | 1988 |
| Robert J. Lukes | 1988 |
| Leonard G. Ratner | 1988 |
| Kenneth L. Trefftzs | 1988 |
| Richard F. Baker | 1987 |
| Orrin B. Evans | 1987 |
| Edgar L. Ewing | 1987 |
| John S. Garth | 1987 |
| Rex Ingraham | 1987 |
| Herbert Buseman | 1986 |
| Ferdinand E. Kroger | 1986 |
| E. Kent Springer | 1986 |
| Tracy E. Strevey | 1986 |
| Neely C. Gardner | 1985 |
| Irving Gordon | 1985 |
| William W. Grings | 1985 |
| Halsey Stevens | 1985 |
| Milo D. Appleman | 1984 |
| William H. Easton | 1984 |
| Irene A. McCulloch | 1984 |
| Margaret S. Rood | 1984 |
| James E. Birren | 1983 |
| John A. Russell | 1983 |
| Clarence J. Berne | 1982 |
| Martha Boaz | 1982 |
| Charles C. Hirt | 1982 |
| Floyd L. Ruch | 1982 |