(Daily Trojan) Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences administrators emphasized Thursday the importance of the sessions the will hold to discuss needed changes to USC culture at the third of eight town hall. Findings of personal values, current culture values and desired culture values by faculty, staff and students were discussed following the release of results from the USC Values Poll administered last Fall. …
Category: News
JaBari Brown brings his dedication to service to a new role as culture facilitator
“We are taking this cultural journey very seriously,” Brown said. “The individuals who were involved in these scandals represent less than .001 percent of everybody who works for the university. I take pride in the fact that the majority of us are following the rules and being good stewards of students’ academic journeys.”…
Message to the community from the USC Board of Trustees Chair
“We are pleased to announce that today the USC Board of Trustees passed a series of significant and historic changes to its governance structure.
As you know well, USC has grown dramatically over the past few decades. That growth includes a larger student body, more faculty, a fast-growing staff, and operating one of the region’s largest medical enterprises in Keck Medicine of USC. However, the Board of Trustees recognized that it has been organized in much the same way as it was thirty years ago. Just as USC has changed, so too must our Board. And, that is what we have done.”…
Results and Town Hall: 2019 AAU Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct
“Last spring, the Association of American Universities (AAU) led this survey of 33 member universities as a follow up to a similar study in 2015. We participated both years because we believe this information will help us identify the work we need to do to provide safe campuses so all members of the USC community can thrive.
A total of nearly 200,000 students from the participating schools filled out the survey this year, providing invaluable data points to help us – and peer universities across the country – benchmark where we are and highlight how much work we have yet to do.
The survey results clearly show the need for ongoing work to strengthen the prevention and intervention efforts already underway, and to provide additional support for those impacted. Over the past years, the university has increased efforts in these areas. We value your input and will continue to work vigilantly to improve the climate on our campuses.”…
Your Voices, Our Future: Take the Survey
Beginning October 14, 2019, all students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take a 15-minute poll on cultural values (coming via email from “uscvaluespoll@em.valuescentre.com”) about University of Southern California’s current culture, your values, and what we should strive for in the future.
This is how change begins.
The Culture Journey is USC’s university-wide initiative to co-create USC’s values, align the supportive behaviors that bring those values to life, and create opportunities to improve our systems, processes, and culture. The journey involves expressing ideas from all groups throughout the entire USC community through our “conversations around culture.” It is an important step in moving toward a culture based on shared values, and to rebuild trust across our institution….
Charles Zukoski begins appointment as University Provost
Charles Zukoski begins his term as University Provost. As the second-ranking administrator at USC, the provost oversees all academic programs at the university, the 23 professional schools and units and educational policies. He will manage the divisions dedicated to academic and faculty affairs, student affairs, admission and enrollment research, campus well-being, global initiatives, libraries and museums, among others. Zukoski said he is enthusiastic about collaborating with faculty members, school leaders and students to advance the university’s educational, research and community engagement goals….
Renee Almassizadeh: “We have the opportunity to determine what we want the values of this university to be in the 21st century”
If the past two years have convinced Renee Almassizadeh of anything, it is that there is a need for a shift in USC’s culture. She hears often from staff members that they feel under-appreciated by the university. Their reasons vary, she acknowledged, but it’s also a perception that she hopes is starting to shift, thanks to university-wide efforts to spark culture change efforts….
Felipe Osorno: “Communication is key” to culture change
Felipe Osorno knows that culture change initiatives can work. “When we communicate often about the things that matter, people pay attention. But when there are gaps in information, people fill in those gaps and make assumptions about what matters and what doesn’t,” Osorno said. He encourages staff who haven’t gotten involved in the university’s culture change efforts to speak up, to volunteer to help, and more importantly, to live their personal values….
Undergraduate student leader Debbie Lee reflects on change progress at USC
USG president Debbie Lee, a member of the President’s Culture Commission, hopes that the work being done will reap real change and bring healing to campus, even if it comes after she’s graduated and moved on. “I think society tells us that we need instant results and instant impact. And there should be a sense of urgency around fixing things and doing the right things. But long-term healing [and changing culture] takes patience and continuous work,” says Lee. “It doesn’t get fixed by one certain action or one certain statement or one action plan. It’s a series of things, building upon days and days of work.”…
Provost and Legal Affairs leadership retire
Michael Quick, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Carol Mauch Amir, senior vice president for legal affairs and professionalism, have formally signaled their intent to retire from their positions, effective June 30, 2019….