Dear members of the USC community, Like so many around the world, I was heartbroken by the tragic events in Atlanta that took eight innocent lives, six of them Asian women. It’s saddening and deeply upsetting that these attacks – which appear to be rooted in a mix of racial, gender, and sexual bias –…
Category: Faculty
Dear Trojan students and families, Commencement is one of the most cherished ceremonies in a student’s academic life. It’s the single time when we come together as a community to celebrate years of hard work by our graduates. Unfortunately, COVID-19 kept USC and most other universities from offering in-person ceremonies last year. Today, I am…
March 18, 2021 To USC Students, Faculty and Staff: The current COVID-19 case rate continues to trend downward, and with Los Angeles County now in the less restrictive red tier, additional opportunities for in-person activities are now possible, in accordance with local guidelines. There are some areas of activity that continue to pose higher risk…
March 11, 2021 Dear Trojan Community, It’s my pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Steven Shapiro to the newly created position of Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, effective May 15. In this new role, he will directly oversee Keck Medicine of USC and Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) with oversight of associated biomedical research programs.…
March 9, 2021 TO: USC Faculty and University Staff CC: USC Students FR: Sarah Van Orman, Chief Health Officer, USC Student Health, Division Chief for College Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC Felicia A. Washington, Senior Vice President for Human Resources Charles F. Zukoski, USC Provost RE: COVID-19 Update Current COVID-19 metrics…
March 5, 2021 Dear Trojan Community, We are pleased to share that, as expected, Los Angeles County this week released new guidelines that allow us to increase campus activity. Beginning immediately, we are pivoting to offer a number of recreational and academic opportunities for students living near our campuses. We have been diligently preparing for…
Greetings Trojans. It has been almost a year since the coronavirus was designated a global pandemic. The losses have been staggering, the hardships severe, and the virus showed us how fragile life can be. Last March when we had to close campus, we hoped it would be temporary. After an extended spring break, we thought…
March 1, 2021 To: USC Faculty and University Staff As of March 1, LA County has opened eligibility for all employment-based categories in Phase 1B, including education, childcare, emergency services, or food and agriculture sector employees, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Most USC employees meet the criteria for vaccination at public vaccination centers. Due to current vaccine…
The university is increasing its safety and security measures off-campus in the university park area. Please remain alert and vigilant when out in areas adjacent to campus – walk in pairs or groups and utilize the ‘Safe Ride’ program or the ‘Safe Walk’ feature on the LiveSafe mobile app. These additional measures include: Expanding the…
February 22, 2021 TO: University Employees (Non-Keck Medicine) FR: Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM, FACHA, Chief Health Officer, USC Student Health Division Chief for College Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC RE: Campus Vaccine Distribution Update As you may know, LA County has announced that on March 1, the Group 1B Tier 1…