USC alumnus and trustee donates $110 million to USC

USC engineering school alumnus John Mork and his wife, Julie Mork, will announce Wednesday a $110-million donation for scholarships expected to cover tuition and other expenses for 100 undergraduates every year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The couple will officially announce the gift Wednesday. They said the gift will “allow the very best kids to get a degree at USC, whether they can afford it or not.”

The Colorado couple made their fortune in the oil and gas industry. 63-year-old John Mork is chief executive of the Energy Corp. of America in Denver. According to the firm’s website, the 40-year-old company has assets in the Gulf Coast, the Rockies and overseas in New Zealand, but the majority of its properties are comprised of Appalachian land.

Mork said blue collar jobs that pay well are disappearing in America, and he wants as many people to be able to get a university education to obtain a middle class life, according to the LA Times.

“Public and private education has gotten more expensive over time. I think this will allow the very best kids to get a degree at USC, whether they can afford it or not,” he said.

USC President C.L. Max Nikias said he was glad the gift was going to undergraduate scholarships.

“Julie and John are giving the gift of education to students of all walks of life. And ultimately, thousands of students will benefit,” Nikias told the LA Times.

According to the LA Times, Nikias said Mork did not disclose when the donation would be paid in full.

The donation follows a string of donations to USC, including a $200-million naming gift given to USC’s College of Letters, Arts & Sciences from David and Dana Dornsife last month. 

ATVN will have more on the donation and on Wednesday’s announcement as the story develops.