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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Steven Browning Sample, who passed away
4on March 29, 2016; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Steven Sample was born in St. Louis, Missouri on
6November 29, 1940; while attending the University of Illinois
7at Urbana-Champaign, he married his college sweetheart,
8Kathryn Brunkow; he later earned his bachelor's degree,
9master's degree, and Ph.D. in electrical engineering; and
 
10    WHEREAS, After college, Steven Sample accepted a faculty
11position at Purdue University; he later continued his academic
12career at the University of Illinois and the University of
13Nebraska; at the age of 41, he was selected to serve as the
1412th president of the State University of New York at Buffalo;
15during his tenure there, the university was elected to the
16prestigious Association of American Universities, where he
17later served as chairman; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Steven Sample served as the University of Southern
19California's 10th president from 1991 to 2010; during his
20tenure as president, the University of Southern California
21became a highly selective undergraduate university, recruited
22many nationally prominent faculty, created a global presence,

 

 

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1completed what was at the time the largest fundraising campaign
2ever in higher education, and built partnerships in the
3communities surrounding the University of Southern
4California's campuses; he made improving undergraduate
5education the university's highest priority, overseeing the
6revision of the curriculum, introducing the Renaissance
7Scholars program and creating new majors and minors to provide
8"breadth with depth"; he co-founded the Association of Pacific
9Rim Universities, a consortium of 45 leading research
10universities in the Pacific region, and promoted the University
11of Southern California's role in positioning Los Angeles as the
12de facto capital of the Pacific Rim; he also launched the USC
13Good Neighbors Campaign, asking University of Southern
14California faculty and staff to contribute funds to
15transformative programs such as the USC Neighborhood Academic
16Initiative, which prepares low-income students from the
17surrounding areas for admission to University of Southern
18California and other universities; and
 
19    WHEREAS, During Steven Sample's tenure, the University of
20Southern California rose dramatically in the college rankings,
21the number of freshman applicants more than tripled, and the
22student body grew increasingly diverse; Time
23Magazine/Princeton Review also named the University of
24Southern California "College of the Year" in 2000; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, After retiring as president in 2010, Steven Sample
2remained active at the university; he served on the USC Board
3of Trustees as a Life Trustee and continued to co-teach the
4popular undergraduate course "The Art and Adventure of
5Leadership" with the late management expert Warren Bennis; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Steven Sample was a member of the National Academy
7of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
8he invented and patented several devices, including digital
9appliance controls and touch pads, which are used in more than
10300 million microwave ovens and other home appliances
11worldwide; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Steven Sample was the author of "The Contrarian's
13Guide to Leadership", a Los Angeles Times bestseller that was
14translated into five languages; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In recognition of his civic achievements, Steven
16Sample received the Distinguished Business Leader Award from
17the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of the
18City Award from the Central City Association of Los Angeles; he
19also received honorary doctorates from Canisius College,
20Buffalo, D'Youville College, Hebrew Union College,
21Northeastern University, Purdue University, SUNY Buffalo, the
22University of Nebraska, the University of Notre Dame, and the
23University of Sheffield, England; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Steven Sample is survived by his wife, Kathryn
2Brunkow Sample; his daughters, Michelle Sample Smith and
3Elizabeth Sample, his son-in-law, Kirk Smith; and his
4grandchildren, Kathryn and Andrew Smith; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his
7family and friends, mourn the passing of Steven Browning
8Sample; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to the family of Steven Sample as an expression of
11our sympathy.