John R. Hubbard

Who was John R. Hubbard?

John Randolph "Jack" Hubbard was the eighth president of the University of Southern California between 1970 and 1980. He succeeded Norman Topping and was succeeded by James Zumberge. He had served as USC vice president and provost in 1969 after spending four years in India as chief education adviser to the U.S. Agency for International Development. After USC, he served as the United States Ambassador to India from 1988 to 1989.

In 1970, USC became a member of the Association of American Universities. Between 1970 and 1980, USC rose from 33 to 19 in National Science Foundation federal research rankings and applications rose from 4,100 to more than 11,000. Hubbard's Toward Century II campaign, started in 1976, raised more than $306 million. Hubbard continued to teach history during his term as president and afterward, until shortly before his death. Hubbard served on the USC Board of Trustees. USC's Student Services building was renamed John Hubbard Hall in September 2003. Late in life, he taught two undergraduate seminars at USC, entitled "British Empire From the Mid-19th Century" and "The Era of the First World War".