Alan Casden
USC Scholarship Luncheon Remarks
April 20, 2006 — Town & Gown
Good afternoon, students, faculty and fellow donors. It is an honor to be asked to be the keynote speaker today. I feel a little like Winston Churchill when he was getting ready to speak and one of his friends asked if he was impressed to be speaking to such a large audience. Sir Winston responded: “No — because ten times as many would come to see me hanged!”
It is very impressive to be asked to speak to such an incredible group of people — people who have made remarkable contributions to this university. People who embody the greatness of USC.
As James Angell, who served as president of Yale and University of Chicago, once aptly observed: the primary purpose of education is not to teach you to earn your bread, but to make every mouthful sweeter! And all of us who have gained our education at USC know that it is the crème brulee.
And I almost ended up with vanilla pudding. I almost ended up at UCLA! Let me tell you how I escaped UCLA — it was because I was fortunate like you to be a scholarship recipient. Because of my grades, I received a merit scholarship from the Schenley Foundation. It covered the full amount of my tuition here at USC — $1200 a semester! Of course that was just my tuition. My father got very ill after I started college so I needed to work. In the good old days, we didn’t get financial aid. Only merit scholarships.
Believe it or not, I was a short order cook at a little dive over in Burbank. A lot of studio people came in for lunch. One of my regulars was Walt Disney. He ordered the same lunch every time — a hamburger topped with pastrami (a Jewish bacon burger), plenty of fries, plus a side order of chili with onions. I always kept a roll of Tums handy, but he never seemed to need them. He always sat outside on the patio and ate alone.
One day I asked him if I could sit with him while he ate. I thought perhaps I could gain some sage advice about a career, starting a business, maybe some inside scoop on Mickey Mouse. He said, “Sure, son, sit down.” And when I did here’s the advice he gave me: “It’s okay to bother humans when they eat, not animals, they attack if bothered while they are eating!” I wasn’t exactly sure how to interpret this. Looking back, maybe it was good advice. I have never forgotten it!
When I started thinking about my remarks today, I began to ponder — is it greater to give or to receive? I am sure I know the answer, depending upon which side of this audience I am addressing.
Students, congratulations. What a terrific opportunity you have received through this scholarship program. I trust it has allowed you to pursue activities that you would not have otherwise been able to do and that you have explored new intellectual realms or expanded your worldview.
Also that you will always remember the generosity and support of these donors, people who believe that they have gained the most by giving. What greater gift could one give than helping a deserving and talented young person move a step closer to realizing his or her dreams?
As a USC trustee, I am very pleased to be able to thank each of you who donated scholarships. You have made the best investment any of us can make, an investment in the education of a young person. Because of your generosity, USC is able to ensure its place at the academic peak with the best of the best.
Scholarships are critical to helping USC College attract the top students from around the U.S. and the world. And as you know, scholarships are one of the most valuable means USC has for sustaining the all-important connection between students, faculty and supporters.
Friends and fellow donors, I would like to thank you for taking your responsibility to our Trojan Family so seriously. There is an old Chinese saying that each generation builds a road for the next. You truly have.
The calibre of USC students today is superb, as we see from those sitting among us. And I would like to take a couple of minutes to tell you about my experiences with a few of them. Thanks to the good dean here, I am a new honorary USC College lifetime faculty member. Last spring I was initiated into the club by helping teach an archaeology class about the ancient Near East and Mediterranean.
One of my great passions is collecting ancient Jewish coins and I now have more than 3,000 in my collection. Unlike coins today, the face on Ancient Roman coins was changed every time a new emperor came into power. Rather than taking coins out of circulation, the new leader would strike new coins for major events and victories with his portrait on the new coin. Thus the historical chronology of these coins records major events, victories during that emperor’s reign. These coins can be a wide portal into the ancient world, giving us the opportunity to explore ancient laws, values, propaganda, economy and religion.
I encouraged College religion professor Bruce Zuckerman to make ultra-high resolution photographs of several coins so students could participate in original research. None of the students had ever studied ancient coins or been active in an archeological research environment, and it was truly amazing to see how much they accomplished in only one semester.
The highlight of this experience came when a group of four students made a huge discovery. They were able to pinpoint the origin of a coin that had not been known before. During the second Jewish revolt against Rome during 137-138 A.D. (the bar kochba revolt), the Jews used Roman coins but filed off the emperor’s face and overstruck them with a picture of temple columns and the ark of the covenant. On the reverse was engraved the lulaw and etrog (used in temple offerings). By studying tiny traces of design on the bottom layer of one of the coins, they discovered that the coin’s underlying portrait was that of the roman emperor, Nero.
In just one semester four USC students solved a 2000 year-old mystery!
I also found that one who teaches is also taught by his students. One important thing I learned is that USC students are not merely passive players in the educational process — they are active contributors. That, even at the undergraduate level, students have the potential to introduce knowledge to the world.
Looking back I can say with confidence that the undergraduate foundation I received at USC has been incredibly important in my life. Of course I apply what I learned in business school to my career on a regular basis. But I have come to realize that it was studying the liberal arts at USC College that truly gave me the ability to think critically and creatively, to develop a curiosity about our world and to really see what needs to be changed. This in turn led to civic engagement and social conscience. It was a major inspiration in my decision to establish the Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life at the University of Southern California.
In Judaism there is a powerful concept called tikkun olam, which means "to repair the world." It also means to leave the world a better place than we found it, and thus move the whole human enterprise forward. It involves recognizing our gifts and generously investing these gifts in the world around us.
In the Hebrew language only one word, “natan,” is spelled the same way backwards and forwards, to which our tradition teaches “natan,” “he who gives receives more in return.”
Supporters and donors, you have shown us the way. Students, soon it will be your turn. Make it your mission to give back, to leave the world a little bit better. you will discover that it is equally blessed to give as to receive.
Congratulations, again, and my very best wishes to each of you.
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