September 20, 2018
Dear USC community,
Over the past few weeks, I have been heartened by the depth of our community’s commitment to this university. As I continue to gather feedback from so many of you, I see a strong dedication to improving our campus culture, and a deep desire for meaningful changes in how we engage with one another on our campuses. These are key to our community’s healing process, and this commitment is shared among me and the entire senior leadership team.
We will continue to work closely with you. The Task Force on Workplace Standards and Employee Wellness has solicited a number of outstanding suggestions from faculty and staff, and these suggestions have translated into changes that ensure greater accountability and increased communication among the units and teams that receive and handle complaints. Some of the specific details surrounding these changes still need to be worked out, and we will continue to seek input from faculty, staff, and students. As we move forward, we will adjust our changes in response to feedback, and provide you with periodic updates. This progress and related announcements are being posted at change.usc.edu.
Currently, our anticipated changes encompass the broad areas of ethics and core values; culture change; reporting and investigations; and human resources. As part of these changes, we will introduce needed infrastructure and technologies, recruit new leadership in critical areas, and revisit important policies and procedures with far-reaching input.
Among our most pressing priorities, there was a clear and immediate need to improve in the area of complaint reporting, so we have already established the Office of Professionalism and Ethics (OPE). This new unit is transforming USC’s system for complaint monitoring and investigation, creating a centralized flow of information that improves our ability to address sensitive matters swiftly and systematically. OPE directs and monitors any allegations that may require review or investigation at all levels and across both campuses.
Supporting this change, a number of leadership roles across USC’s legal and compliance departments have been redefined. Specifically, to centralize investigative, compliance, and audit functions under one division, the Office of Professionalism and Ethics, the Office of Compliance, and the Office of Audit Services have been moved under the direct oversight of our senior vice president for legal affairs and professionalism, Carol Mauch Amir. In her expanded role, Ms. Amir oversees two distinct operations at the university: the three offices mentioned above are under her purview, while she continues to oversee the Office of the General Counsel.
The Office of Professionalism and Ethics is led by Michael Blanton, the university’s first vice president for professionalism and ethics. Mr. Blanton provides regular updates to the chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee of the USC Board of Trustees, as well as the president of the university. This ensures that serious complaints reach the trustees and the university’s senior leadership in a timely manner.
In the Office of Compliance, Laura LaCorte has been named vice president of ethics and compliance and chief compliance officer. She is working closely with all members of our community to help define and instill a culture of ethics throughout the university. Ms. LaCorte will also provide regular updates to the Audit and Compliance Committee of the USC Board of Trustees and the president.
In the Office of the General Counsel, Stacy Bratcher has been appointed vice president and managing general counsel. In this capacity, she manages the office’s day to day functions, while continuing to work closely with Tom Jackiewicz, senior vice president and CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, on matters related to our medical enterprise.
Finally, the Office of Audit Services is led by Andrew Tinseth, our associate senior vice president for audit service. He, too, provides regular updates to the Audit and Compliance Committee of the USC Board of Trustees and the president.
These changes complement the ongoing work of our entire USC community as we move forward with increased transparency and accountability. They also represent a major part of the cultural change that USC is striving to achieve. We have set our expectations high, as all of us remain committed to advancing a campus culture that reflects our core values.
Sincerely,
Wanda M. Austin
Interim President