$110-Million Gift Will Provide Scholarship Aid at Calif. University

The University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, has received a $110-million gift for scholarship aid from the chief executive of an energy company and his wife, its second donation of more than $100-million this year.

John Mork and his wife, Julie, designated their donation to create the Mork Family Scholars Program, to provide merit scholarships that would allow students who do well in high school to attend the institution, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

Mr. Mork leads the Energy Corporation of America, a natural gas and oil exploration and development company, in Denver.

The Morks have long ties to USC. Mr. Mork graduated from the university in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering and has been a trustee since 2006. The couple’s daughter, Alison, earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in teaching, both from USC, and their son Kyle received a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the university.

In 2006 the family gave $15-million to USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering.

Mr. Mork says he hopes the gift will open doors for needy and capable students and bolster the university’s reputation.

The donation announced today is the second big gift the institution has announced in the past two months. In March it announced a pledge of $200-million from David Dornsife, a businessman, and his wife, Dana, to its College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.