SR1720 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1720 LRB099 21300 GRL 47001 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Steven Browning Sample, who passed away on March 29, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Steven Sample was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 29, 1940; while attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he married his college sweetheart, Kathryn Brunkow; he later earned his bachelor's degree, master's degree, and Ph.D. in electrical engineering; and

WHEREAS, After college, Steven Sample accepted a faculty position at Purdue University; he later continued his academic career at the University of Illinois and the University of Nebraska; at the age of 41, he was selected to serve as the 12th president of the State University of New York at Buffalo; during his tenure there, the university was elected to the prestigious Association of American Universities, where he later served as chairman; and

WHEREAS, Steven Sample served as the University of Southern California's 10th president from 1991 to 2010; during his tenure as president, the University of Southern California became a highly selective undergraduate university, recruited many nationally prominent faculty, created a global presence, completed what was at the time the largest fundraising campaign ever in higher education, and built partnerships in the communities surrounding the University of Southern California's campuses; he made improving undergraduate education the university's highest priority, overseeing the revision of the curriculum, introducing the Renaissance Scholars program and creating new majors and minors to provide "breadth with depth"; he co-founded the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, a consortium of 45 leading research universities in the Pacific region, and promoted the University of Southern California's role in positioning Los Angeles as the de facto capital of the Pacific Rim; he also launched the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, asking University of Southern California faculty and staff to contribute funds to transformative programs such as the USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative, which prepares low-income students from the surrounding areas for admission to University of Southern California and other universities; and

WHEREAS, During Steven Sample's tenure, the University of Southern California rose dramatically in the college rankings, the number of freshman applicants more than tripled, and the student body grew increasingly diverse; Time Magazine/Princeton Review also named the University of Southern California "College of the Year" in 2000; and

WHEREAS, After retiring as president in 2010, Steven Sample remained active at the university; he served on the USC Board of Trustees as a Life Trustee and continued to co-teach the popular undergraduate course "The Art and Adventure of Leadership" with the late management expert Warren Bennis; and

WHEREAS, Steven Sample was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; he invented and patented several devices, including digital appliance controls and touch pads, which are used in more than 300 million microwave ovens and other home appliances worldwide; and

WHEREAS, Steven Sample was the author of "The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership", a Los Angeles Times bestseller that was translated into five languages; and

WHEREAS, In recognition of his civic achievements, Steven Sample received the Distinguished Business Leader Award from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of the City Award from the Central City Association of Los Angeles; he also received honorary doctorates from Canisius College, Buffalo, D'Youville College, Hebrew Union College, Northeastern University, Purdue University, SUNY Buffalo, the University of Nebraska, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Sheffield, England; and

WHEREAS, Steven Sample is survived by his wife, Kathryn Brunkow Sample; his daughters, Michelle Sample Smith and Elizabeth Sample, his son-in-law, Kirk Smith; and his grandchildren, Kathryn and Andrew Smith; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Steven Browning Sample; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Steven Sample as an expression of our sympathy.