Category: Updates

(USC Annenberg Media) The Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism administration is taking steps to shift the culture and values within USC. One of the first steps is the Annenberg Culture Journey Town Hall which explored the results of the Values Poll and the next steps.

“This is not going to be a one-year or two-year engagement. It’s a multiple-year engagement that’s really important because this is the start of conversation for us to figure out as a community, where do we want to go,” James Vasquez, Associate Dean of Operations, said during the town hall….

(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. …

“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.”…

“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.”…

“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.”…

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….