A trio of senior living executives with ties to the USC Leonard Davis School recently made gifts to support students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Senior Living Hospitality program. Donations from Board of Councilors members Rick Matros MSG ’77 and Andy Lebowitz MBA ’03 and former Board of Councilors member Steve Lebowitz ’62, MBA ’65 helped to provide scholarship support for students pursuing this first-of-its-kind educational offering designed to prepare senior living professionals to address a growing population and changing consumer demands.
Launched in the spring of 2020, the program incorporates hospitality instruction and addresses topics that include managerial functions, nutrition, health and social engagement within a gerontological framework. Students have the option of attending the 46-unit program on campus or online. In a unique cross-university collaboration, the program includes several courses from eCornell’s hospitality certificate programs authored by leading faculty from Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration.
Senior living industry researchers estimate that the industry needs to attract 1.2 million employees over the next 10 years in order to help care for the country’s aging population.
“Providing student support for specialized training programs offers a way to ensure that future senior living industry leaders have the training and expertise to meet the challenges and opportunities of this changing industry,” said Matros, who is chair, president and chief executive officer of Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. “As an alum of the USC Leonard Davis School, I have every confidence that the school’s current students will become the future innovators we need.”
Steve Lebowitz
Andy Leibowitz
Rick Matros
