The academic world will not forget about Dre.
Music industry icons Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre are giving $70 million to create an undergraduate academy at USC, announced the university.
The USC Jimmy Iovine and Andrew Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation will focus on four core curriculum areas: Arts and Entrepreneurship; Technology, Design and Marketability; Concept and Business Platforms; and Creating a Prototype.
"The vision and generosity of Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young will profoundly influence the way all of us perceive and experience artistic media," said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. "USC provides an extraordinarily rich academic, research and artistic environment. We are committed to encouraging our students to use their intellectual and creative resources to effect change in all segments of society. Our goal is to ensure that the academy is the most collaborative educational program in the world."
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The four-year academic program, which will enroll its first class of 25 students in fall 2014, will include one-on-one faculty mentoring, opportunities to interact with luminaries from the arts and entertainment industry serving as guest speakers and lecturers, and a broad array of internship opportunities for students.
During their fourth and final year, students will take up residence in a uniquely designed experiential setting, the “Garage.” Grouped into self-directed teams, which may include non-academy students from across the university, these students will determine a project that can be developed into a prototype over the course of the year.
"Flexibility is a hallmark of USC, and the academy’s curriculum is incredibly adaptive," said Erica Muhl, dean of the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, who will serve as inaugural director of the USC Iovine & Young Academy. "The curriculum was created to take full advantage of a newly designed, revolutionary educational space that will offer students very powerful tools. Academy students will have the freedom to move easily from classroom to lab, from studio to workshop individually or in groups, and blow past any academic or structural barriers to spontaneous creativity.
No word yet if the tuition includes free Beats by Dre headphones.