The Franklin Lecture
Dr. Carl M. Franklin, Vice President and Professor of Law emeritus, served USC for over 51 years. He and his wife, Carolyn, raised more than $150 million for USC, and they personally donated more than $13 million to various universities and charities, including USC.
Dr. Franklin earned an A.B. in economics from the University of Washington (1931); and an MA in economics from Stanford (1935); an MA in administration from Columbia (1939); and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1940). After serving in WWII, he received a J.D. in law from the University of Virginia (1948). He was Academic Vice President and Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma (1948 to 1953). In 1956, he earned a Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) from the Yale Law School. He and Carolyn came to USC in 1953, where he taught law until 1960, when he became USC Vice President for Financial Affairs.
Dr. Franklin was civic-minded. As President of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (1964-66), he helped pass an initiative providing state grants to graduate students in public and private California colleges and universities. In 1967, he was President of Town Hall of California (Los Angeles) where he admitted women members for the first time. He served as a Trustee of the Seeley G. Mudd Fund, John Stauffer Trust, and the Donald and Katherine Loker Foundation, among others, where he directed donations of over $100 million to charities in the United States, including over $40 million to USC.
Carl passed away on September 6, 2004, Labor Day, which was fitting because Carl loved to work and was still working for USC when he died at the age of 93.
Previous Franklin Lectures
2020 – Mark S. Humayun, University of Southern California
2019 – Michael J. Ahearn, First Solar
2018 – Raymond C. Stevens, University of Southern California
2017 – Kip S. Thorne, California Institute of Technology
2016 – Michael Jung, University of California, Los Angeles
2015 – Daniel R. Cohn, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2015 – Antonio Damasio, University of Southern California
2013 – Steve A. Kay, University of Southern California
2012 – Norman Arnheim, University of Southern California
2011 – Kevin O. Starr, University of Southern California
2010 – Donald Rapp, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2009 – Michael S. Waterman, University of Southern California
2008 – Qingyun Ma, University of Southern California
2007 – Caleb E. Finch, University of Southern California
2006 – Richard F. Thompson, University of Southern California
2005 – Peter A. Jones, University of Southern California
2003 – George A. Olah, University of Southern California