Beong-Soo Kim, who has led the University of Southern California on an interim basis since July, was named the university’s 13th president on Wednesday, taking the helm of a school that has found itself at the center of major debates over campus culture.
Mr. Kim, 53, previously served the school as senior vice president and general counsel and was a lecturer at the U.S.C. Gould School of Law. The U.S.C. board of trustees named him president after a unanimous vote, reflecting “widespread confidence in Beong’s leadership,” said board chair Suzanne Nora Johnson.
In a brief interview after accepting the job, Mr. Kim said he is focused on providing the greatest possible value in a U.S.C. degree, ensuring the school will continue to conduct “life-changing research,” and making sure “all of our students and faculty can express their viewpoints and engage with other viewpoints respectfully.”
In October, Mr. Kim faced an early test of his leadership, after the Trump administration included U.S.C. among a small set of schools asked to sign on to a proposal that would have given them funding preferences if they agreed to concessions like capping international enrollment and freezing tuition. The federal government also asked schools to take steps to protect conservative viewpoints.
Mr. Kim joined other university leaders in rejecting the proposal. In a note to Linda McMahon, the education secretary, Mr. Kim wrote: “We are concerned that even though the compact would be voluntary, tying research benefits to it would, over time, undermine the same values of free inquiry and academic excellence that the compact seeks to promote.”
Before joining the university, Mr. Kim worked at Kaiser Permanente, was a partner at an international law firm and served as a prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, according to U.S.C.
He earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from Harvard University, and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
Mr. Kim’s predecessor, Carol Folt, announced in November 2024 that she would step down the following year.
She had faced widespread campus criticism for her handling of protests tied to Israel’s war in Gaza and for U.S.C.’s decision to cancel its principal graduation ceremony in 2024. The university cited security concerns for the move, which had followed its decision to scrap a planned commencement address by the valedictorian in the wake of objections from campus Jewish organizations over the student’s selection.
Mr. Kim was general counsel at the time of the disputes.
Alan Blinder contributed reporting.
Mark Arsenault covers higher education for The Times.
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