2009 Move-In Day at USC & Lucas School of Cinematic Arts Building

Yesterday was the official move-in day at the University of Southern California, but today was the day our daughter moved back up to her dorm. Has it really been three months already since she returned from her semester in London?

Here's new university construction as you approach the campus, at Figueroa and Jefferson:


It's good to see Tommy Trojan again! In the background is Bovard Auditorium, seen in countless movies and TV shows.


The Von KleinSmid Center is a Los Angeles landmark -- the globe is visible from freeways miles away:


USC's mascot Traveler arrives on campus for a Welcome Week event:


The USC Thornton School of Music is celebrating 125 years:


The courtyard entrance to the new USC School of Cinematic Arts building somewhat calls to mind the entrance to Paramount Studios:


The George Lucas Building:


The statue of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in the middle of the Academy Courtyard:


The plaque below the Fairbanks statue reads "Douglas Fairbanks founded the USC Cinema program when President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1929."


The original faculty included William DeMille, D.W. Griffith, Irving Thalberg, and Ernst Lubitsch.

The Spielberg Building on the other side of the complex, with the Fairbanks statue in the Academy Courtyard:


The lists of contributors to the Cinema School are rather interesting for those who appreciate film history. (Click to enlarge and read.) For instance, John Hench is a Disney Legend who worked for Disney for over 65 years.


Truth to tell I've never been a Jack Oakie fan, but I certainly respect the way he and his wife supported USC. Their names are in the upper left corner, below:


When we walked into the Spielberg Building, our daughter said she'd like to move in (grin). It's gorgeous. The walls are decorated with posters celebrating the work of USC supporters like Alfred Hitchcock...


...Hal Roach (the Cinema Library houses his collection)...


...and Disney:


Harold Lloyd's name is in evidence several places on campus:


It hardly seems possible that our daughter is starting her senior year. Wasn't it just her very first move-in day? Or second or third? It goes so quickly.

A proud parental note: our daughter enters her senior year as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has been certified as a candidate to be named a USC Renaissance Scholar at graduation, based on both her GPA and the diversity of her studies in history, geology, and cinema. She works very hard and has had a fantastic experience at USC.

Fight on!

Update: The annual U.S. News and World Report college rankings are out today, and USC has continued its steady rise, moving up to No. 26 on the list.