Steven Sample

Sample was born on November 29, 1940 and grew up in the Belden Hill neighborhood of Wilton, Connecticut, and received a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois to study engineering. Sample held B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was initiated as a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. ==Career==

University at Buffalo presidency Sample was president of the University at Buffalo from 1982 to 1991, Also in 2004, a scholarship fund was established in Sample's honor to go toward funding four years for an undergraduate who is a student in the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department, as well as being in the University Honors Program. In 2010, the final year of Sample's term, USC was ranked #26 in the same listing (USC is now ranked #23). In 2008, his own salary was $1.9 million. USC announced on November 1, 2009, that Sample would step down as its president in August 2010. He explained that he wanted to see "fresh leadership" take charge. These donations included major contributions of $112.5 million from Alfred Mann to establish the Mann Institute of Biomedical Engineering, $120 million from Ambassador Walter Annenberg to create the Annenberg Center for Communication, $100 million from the Annenberg Foundation, and a $110 million from the W. M. Keck Foundation for the Keck School of Medicine. More recently, Sample has overseen the $175 million gift from George Lucas to the School of Cinematic Arts. Construction projects He oversaw the construction of a number of important structures at USC. These included the Leavey Library, Popovich Hall, the International Residential College at Parkside, the Arts and Humanities Residential College at Parkside, and Ronald Tutor Hall. Additional construction projects included the Galen Center, the George Lucas Building at the University Park Campus, the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, and the University Hospital at the Health Sciences Campus. Research Sample is the author of numerous journal articles and published papers in science and engineering and in higher education. His patents for digital appliance controls, particularly touch pads on microwave ovens, have been licensed to practically every major manufacturer of appliances in the world. Over 300 million home appliances have been built using his inventions. Teaching Sample had a passion for teaching and education at USC. He taught several classes to students in different fields and different class levels. Most recently, he taught "The Art and Adventure of Leadership" with Warren Bennis. ==Books==

In 2002, Sample published a book titled ''The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership''. It explains his personal leadership philosophy and provides advice to readers. More specifically, it details his style of leadership in the context of USC's rise as an institution in his decade as president. ==Personal life==

In 2001, Sample was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Sample was a resident of San Marino, California. On March 29, 2016, Sample died at the age of 75. ==References==