NORTH CAROLINA -- Former UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt is now the new president of the University of Southern California.

  • Folt becomes the first female president in USC's 139-year history and takes charge as the school deals with the unfolding college admissions scandal.
  • Folt has experience dealing with high-profile campus controversies, arriving at UNC in 2013 just after an academic fraud scandal involving athletes and "no show" classes.
  • USC is a return trip to California for Folt.

Folt becomes the first female president in USC's 139-year history and takes charge as the school deals with the unfolding college admissions scandal.

Folt has experience dealing with high-profile campus controversies, arriving at UNC in 2013 just after an academic fraud scandal involving athletes and "no show" classes.

She dealt with the controversy over Silent Sam, resigned, and was later forced from her post after having the Confederate monument moved to storage.

RELATED: UNC Chancellor's Resignation Moved Up After Silent Sam Base Removed Overnight

The USC job is a return trip to California, as she attended the University of California Santa Barbara after transferring from Santa Barbara City College. She also got her doctorate in ecology at the University of California Davis.