Beong-Soo Kim

As president of the University of Southern California, Beong-Soo Kim leads one of the world’s top private research universities — home to 23 schools; more than 46,000 students; 4,700 faculty; 500,000 alumni; and Keck Medicine of USC, one of California’s leading academic health systems. Kim launched the Open Dialogue Project, aimed at strengthening USC’s academic culture of engagement with differing perspectives. He also formed an AI Strategy Committee, and launched university-wide initiatives to engage faculty, staff, and students on the opportunities and challenges posed by AI. Kim has focused on re-engaging alumni across the globe and relaunching alumni networks. He has also worked to strengthen USC’s partnerships with private industry, foundations, and local community leaders. Kim is recognized for his thought leadership on free expression and the future of higher education.

Kim first joined USC senior leadership in 2020 as senior vice president and general counsel. In that role, he helped USC navigate unprecedented changes in higher education, accelerate investment in research and innovation, and expand its community impact.

Prior to USC, Kim held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente, was a partner at an international law firm, and served in the U.S. Department of Justice as a highly-regarded federal prosecutor. Kim earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, his master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and his law degree from Harvard Law School.