Dexter Holland, frontman for rock band The Offspring, to deliver USC Dornsife commencement address
Before Dexter Holland sold more than 45 million records as frontman of The Offspring, he was a student at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 1988, a master’s degree in molecular biology in 1990 and a PhD in molecular biology in 2017.
Now, he’s returning to his alma mater to deliver the commencement address at both USC Dornsife ceremonies on May 15 at USC’s Alumni Park on the University Park Campus, speaking to about 2,000 graduates.
“Dexter Holland earned his PhD in molecular biology and also fronts one of the defining bands of the last 30 years,” said USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock. “That combination isn’t a contradiction. It exemplifies how the liberal arts develop the intellectual range to go deep in a field as well as the confidence to build something entirely your own outside of it. I’m thrilled he’s returning to make that case in person.”