will.i.am, musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, is the keynote speaker for the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy’s first-ever commencement ceremony on May 11. 

“will.i.am personifies the spirit of cross-disciplinary innovation and creativity, which is the essence of the Academy,” said Erica Muhl, dean and founding executive director of the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation. “His drive to transform our world through his art, his support of groundbreaking technologies, and his philanthropic pursuits make him qualified to guide our first graduating class as they begin their own, individual, creative journeys.” 

will.i.am first emerged into prominence as the frontman of Black-Eyed Peas. He is also an entrepreneur who has founded and operates several companies across technology, consumer electronics and fashion accessories sectors.  His technology company, I.AM+ is focused on Artificial Intelligence for enterprise, as well as smarter consumer products.  He is also co-founder and partner in ill.i Optics, an eyewear company.  As a creative innovation advisor, will.i.am works with technology and consumer products companies around the world, among them Amuse, the world’s first mobile record company, Atom Bank, the UK’s first mobile-based bank, The Coca-Cola Company, Intel, and BEATS Electronics where he was a founding equity shareholder.  As a philanthropist, will.i.am started the i.am angel Foundation in 2009, to TRANS4M lives through education, inspiration and opportunity. The private foundation provides assistance to needy college-bound students, and now supports programs that provide college scholarships (i.am scholarship), college preparation (i.am College Track, and the Boyle Heights STEM Academy), and educational enrichment opportunities in STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). The i.am angel Foundation funds STEM education programs in under-served communities of Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles, Watts/South Central Los Angeles, and Ferguson, Missouri. 

This commencement celebrates many firsts for the graduating students and the Academy. It is the culmination of a remarkable four-year journey that began with the bold vision to disrupt education.  The Academy is the first to offer an integrated Bachelor of Science in Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation.  

“Our inaugural graduates are trailblazers who, through courage and audacity, breathed life into this revolutionary new program,” said Dean Muhl. “It took a special type of entrepreneur to step into an unknown, even one that was backed by the intellectual and disciplinary strength of four schools at USC.  It is with this same entrepreneurial spirit that these graduates will challenge traditional thinking wherever they go, and inspire change and transformation toward a better future for us all.” 

The much-heralded academy was founded in 2013 with a $70 million visionary gift from entrepreneurs Jimmy Iovine and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young to teach critical thinking and nurture unbridled creativity at the intersection of three essential areas: art and design; engineering and computer science; and business and venture management. The USC Iovine and Young Academy offers a disruptive, multidisciplinary education where students straddle technology, business, and the arts to form a new generation of creative leaders and executives. 

This will be the Academy’s first commencement ceremony. The event will take place on Friday, May 11th at Bovard Auditorium.

will.i.am Named Commencement Speaker