Alumnus Leaps to His Death at USC Campus

A graduate of the College jumped to his death Feb. 12 from a tower at the University of Southern California (USC).

Dimiter V. Georgiev '94-'95 graduated from Harvard cum laude in economics and was in the first year of a doctoral program in economics at USC.

Borislav B. Arabadjiev, a doctoral student at USC who had known Georgiev since they went to elementary school together in Varna, a small town in their native Bulgaria, characterized Georgiev as a bright individual.

Arabadjiev said his friend's greatest achievement was his academic progress.

"He started at a small school in Varna, moved on to the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, completed his undergraduate education at Harvard and went on to Ph.D. work at USC," said Arabadjiev. "This [was] a testament of his abilities and achievement."

While Georgiev had achieved academic success, several of his colleagues said that he had trouble adjusting to academic life--both at Harvard and USC.

"He had a complicated background," said Professor of Business Administration Kenneth A. Froot, who advised Georgiev on his senior thesis in economics. "I think that made it hard on him."

However, Arabadjiev said that although Georgiev's academic workload was draining, constant school-work actually seemed to keep Georgiev's mind off his personal problems.

Georgiev's suicide has lead many students and faculty at the economics department at USC to reconsider the pressures of the doctoral program.

"The pressure that economic graduate students have to deal with [at USC] will have outside effects," said Arabadjiev, citing depression and loss of personal time as two results of concentrated academic work in the department.

"[Georgiev's suicide] has given us an opportunity to voice our concern and disapproval as to how business is conducted in our department," he added.

Professor Richard Day in the USC Department of Economics--for whom Georgiev worked as a teaching assistant in Day's "Principles of Macroeconomics" course--said the suicide led many students to raise objections to the doctoral program.

"[After Georgiev's suicide], many graduate students raised problems with the graduate program," he said.

Day, who taught Georgiev in an economic theory class last semester, said Georgiev's death should pave the path for improving the graduate program.

"The feeling is to use this tragedy as a motivation to improve things for graduate students," he said. "It is a very tough and high-pressure situation [at USC] in the first year."

However, Day said he felt Georgiev's problems were linked to personal issues and did not result entirely from the pressure of the doctoral program.

Despite his problems, Froot and Day both said that Georgiev was very interested in his studies of economics.

"We were very pleased to have him," said Day. "And [we] had high hopes for him."

But even after exhibiting renewed optimism at the start of the new semester, Day said, Georgiev soon lost focus again and appeared "extremely troubled by something."

Students and colleagues held a memorial ceremony at USC on Tuesday in Georgiev's honor. Day said the ceremony was a well-attended, moving tribute.

"He was quite popular with some of the students," Day said. "A number of students from his micro[economics] section in the fall signed up with him for macro [economics] in the spring.

"[Georgiev's suicide] has given us an opportunity to voice our concern and disapproval as to how business is conducted in our department," he added.

Professor Richard Day in the USC Department of Economics--for whom Georgiev worked as a teaching assistant in Day's "Principles of Macroeconomics" course--said the suicide led many students to raise objections to the doctoral program.

"[After Georgiev's suicide], many graduate students raised problems with the graduate program," he said.

Day, who taught Georgiev in an economic theory class last semester, said Georgiev's death should pave the path for improving the graduate program.

"The feeling is to use this tragedy as a motivation to improve things for graduate students," he said. "It is a very tough and high-pressure situation [at USC] in the first year."

However, Day said he felt Georgiev's problems were linked to personal issues and did not result entirely from the pressure of the doctoral program.

Despite his problems, Froot and Day both said that Georgiev was very interested in his studies of economics.

"We were very pleased to have him," said Day. "And [we] had high hopes for him."

But even after exhibiting renewed optimism at the start of the new semester, Day said, Georgiev soon lost focus again and appeared "extremely troubled by something."

Students and colleagues held a memorial ceremony at USC on Tuesday in Georgiev's honor. Day said the ceremony was a well-attended, moving tribute.

"He was quite popular with some of the students," Day said. "A number of students from his micro[economics] section in the fall signed up with him for macro [economics] in the spring.