USC Rossier to Salute McCain and Sample

By Andrea Bennett on October 27, 2009 7:32 AM

In celebration of its 100th anniversary and a century of innovation, education and transformation, the USC Rossier School of Education will host a Centennial Gala fund-raiser on Feb. 1 at Town & Gown.

The gala will honor alumna Cindy Hensley McCain BA ’76, MA ’78, the wife of Sen. John McCain, and USC President Steven B. Sample.

McCain will receive the Dean’s Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of her personal and philanthropic efforts to improve educational opportunities for children around the world.

As a USC student, McCain participated in pilot programs testing Movement Therapy, which is now a widely accepted standard for working with severely disabled children. After she received her B.A. in education and M.A. in special education, McCain went on to teach at Agua Fria High School in Arizona, where she continued her work with disabled children.

McCain has been a consistent advocate for children’s needs throughout her career. She founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team, which provided emergency medical and surgical care to impoverished children throughout the world, from 1988 to 1995, and she led 55 medical missions to Third World and war-torn countries.

In recent years, McCain has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the HALO Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to landmine removal and weapons destruction in war-torn countries, and she has traveled to numerous countries on its behalf, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique and Angola.

She also has traveled as part of her service on the boards of directors of CARE USA, which works to fight global poverty among women and children, and Operation Smile, a nonprofit whose mission is to repair facial deformities for children around the world.

“I am deeply honored to be selected for this acknowledgment by the USC Rossier School,” McCain said. “The education and experiences I gained at USC have been invaluable throughout my life, and I am proud to have been part of their 100 years of achievement.”

Sample will be awarded the Global Education Leadership Award in honor of his work as a global educational leader, mentor, scholar and teacher and his success transforming USC into a global university and America’s leader in international education.

Under Sample’s leadership as its 10th president, USC has become home to the largest number of international students of any university in the United States.

As founding chairman of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, a consortium of 42 Pacific Rim research universities located in 15 countries, Sample has forged international collaborations that contribute to the economic, scientific and cultural advancement in the Pacific Rim.

Sample’s work has raised the international visibility, reach and impact of USC’s research, scholarship, art, education and service programs, and he has prepared USC students to truly thrive in the global marketplace.

USC Rossier School of Education Dean Karen Symms Gallagher said: “It is fitting that during our centennial year, we pay tribute to two such committed educators. Both Mrs. McCain’s and President Sample’s professional work and personal passion exemplify the USC Rossier School’s mission to improve educational outcomes locally, nationally and globally.”

Proceeds from the benefit will be used to establish two new fellowships. The Cindy Hensley McCain Global Educator Fellowship will be awarded to aspiring teachers and other school-based educators who will face global challenges in meeting the learning needs of children and youth.

The Steven B. Sample Global Education Leadership Fellowship will enable every USC Rossier Ph.D. and Ed.D. doctoral candidate to participate in international study tours to Asian Pacific and Latin American schools and universities, government ministries and multinational NGOs.

For information about table and ticket availability, contact Tyson Reyes, director of development at the USC Rossier School of Education, at (213) 740-2157 or treyes@usc.edu.

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