Bob Beyer
Visionary Investor in Dornsife’s Future
Investing is very much Bob Beyer’s area of expertise. After graduating from USC with a degree in business in 1981, Beyer went on to a successful career in investment management. He served as Chief Executive Officer of The TCW Group and founded Crescent Capital Group and Chaparal Investments LLC. He has served with distinction on the boards of such companies as Kroger and Allstate, while also providing his financial expertise as a board member of the Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System and Los Angeles World Airports. With nearly 35 years of experience directing investment strategy, Beyer knows how to distinguish promise from pure risk, sound fundamentals from shaky foundations, a strong vision from a weak one.
Beyer views USC Dornsife through that same lens, as a good investment in the future of American higher education. “In the 35 years since I graduated, I’ve witnessed the results of intelligent investments by the university administration in the increased quality of the research and teaching and the reputation that the college enjoys today,” he says.
Beyer sees these results often in his work on the USC Dornsife Board of Councilors. It’s one of the reasons why, after 15 years on the board, he recently agreed to serve as its chair. In this capacity, he provides strategic advice to Dean Amber Miller and the rest of the USC Dornsife leadership team on the direction of the college. He also sees it in the experience of his daughter, a current USC Dornsife student.
21st Century Learning
“My children are part a generation of future leaders who don’t necessarily want to be boxed in by narrow areas of study or expertise. They want to combine fields and areas of study. They also want to use their skills and experience to positively impact the future of society and humanity. I am confident that USC Dornsife is focused on the same results,” says Beyer.
This focus on the future and cross-disciplinary research is one of the main reasons Beyer made the decision to endow a faculty chair in the natural sciences in 2015. The Robert D. Beyer (’81) Early Career Chair in Natural Sciences is currently held by Professor Moh El-Naggar, a biophysicist who researches the use of biological material to generate usable energy. El-Naggar’s research combines various fields of inquiry with a focus on practical application, two features that Beyer believes set USC Dornsife apart.
“Natural science is where some of our best research is occurring, and it stands at the apex of so many of our interdisciplinary opportunities,” says Beyer. “As a significant priority for Dornsife, supporting and promoting our younger faculty in the sciences became my family’s priority as well.”
In his time and service at USC Dornsife, he’s watched leaders transition and the college continue its growth trajectory. But he views the current phase of USC Dornsife’s development as particularly exciting. “With the arrival of Dean Miller and her drive and determination to raise Dornsife to even greater academic prowess, I think we have a unique opportunity,” he says. “We are going to have to significantly up our game to keep pace.”