Announcing USC’s Vice President for Student Life

Dear USC Community,

It is our great pleasure to announce the appointment of Monique S. Allard, Ed.D. as vice president for student life, effective April 1, 2023.

Dr. Allard steps into her permanent role with more than 25 years of experience in student affairs, social work, counseling, and advising. Her background extends across all aspects of student life administration.

She is a longtime Trojan, having earned her master’s degree and Ed.D. at the USC Rossier School of Education, and has served in several student life leadership roles both here and at other Southern California universities. Dr. Allard has also served as an adjunct assistant professor at Rossier.

On our campuses, Dr. Allard is well-respected by both university and student leaders. She is known for always putting students first and bringing their voices into the conversation. In each role of increasing responsibility, she has consistently demonstrated deep commitment to enhancing our students’ well-being and personal development, ensuring they have every opportunity for academic and professional success.

Since 2021, Dr. Allard has served as interim vice president and has already accomplished so much:

  • She championed a broad revision of student accountability, sunsetting the SJACs process and helping to create the new Office of Community Expectations and Office of Academic Integrity, as well as re-imagining our Student Handbook with the new Student Commitment statement.
  • She invested in our Student Affairs teams by developing strong partnerships with Student Affairs staff and offices across the university.
  • She continued our expansion of Student Equity and Inclusion Programs and spaces, including eight student lounges and the new First Generation Plus Success Center in Tutor Campus Center.

Perhaps most importantly, she is known as an advocate whose door is always open for our students, who call her “Dr. A!”

As our new vice president for student life, Dr. Allard and her superhuman team will continue to work collaboratively with leaders across our 22 diverse schools. Together, they will continue to define and execute a bold vision for student success at USC, ensuring our 20,000 undergraduate and 28,000 graduate and professional students continue to thrive.

We’ve been working closely with Dr. Allard for several years, and she is an amazing leader who approaches every day with care, compassion, and joy. Along with her Student Affairs team, she will continue ensuring USC remains a national trailblazer in student support. You can learn more about Dr. Allard and her plans in this USC News story. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Allard to this permanent senior leadership role at USC and look forward to her many accomplishments to come.

Sincerely,

Carol L. Folt
President

Elizabeth Graddy
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs