Abstract Steven B. Sample was the 10th President of the University of Southern California, 1991-2010. Under his leadership, USC became world-renowned in the fields of communications and multimedia technologies, developed innovative community partnerships, and improved its status as one of the country's leading research universities--going from #44 in 1999 to #26 in 2010. As a scholar and researcher, Sample received patents for digital appliance controls, particularly those found in microwave ovens. ...