A Message from President Folt

I want to welcome our students back from fall break. Even a couple of days off can be restorative. These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for many members of our community. I hope you found time for yourselves and were able to get some much-needed rest.

A Message from Provost Guzman

Like many of you, university leadership has been following events in the U.S. Congress, as we approach the deadline for a government shutdown, set to begin on Sunday, October 1. At this time, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not provided final guidance to federal agencies about what actions they may or may not take during a shutdown.

Announcing USC’s Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

It is my pleasure to announce Erik Brink as our new senior vice president, finance and chief financial officer. A highly skilled strategist and leader with a passion for the Trojan Family, Erik has nearly two decades of experience in senior finance roles at USC. Erik graciously agreed to serve in this role in an interim capacity earlier this year.

USC Student Handbook and University Policies

Our student conduct processes focus on education and supporting your next steps to be successful in your personal, academic, and professional lives at USC. Each year offices and academic departments across the entire university review and assess the policies in the handbook. After careful review, the university makes changes to improve efficiency and transparency. 

Update about Tropical Storm Hilary

We have been monitoring the impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary very closely, and fortunately, have had only isolated flooding at our campuses that won’t impact classes. As a result, we will continue to operate normally, and classes for the fall semester will begin on Monday, August 21 as planned.

Office of the Vice President for Student Life

Today, USC Student Affairs becomes USC Student Life. In line with the Unifying Values, the renaming reflects our community’s dedication to students.

Announcing USC’s new Provost

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Andrew Guzman as USC’s next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, starting July 1, 2023. Dr. Guzman is a renowned legal scholar and economist, and an innovative academic leader with decades of experience building programs across multiple disciplines. In his new role, he will also hold the Shelly and Ofer Nemirovsky Provost’s Chair.

Announcing USC’s first Vice Provost for the Arts

Professor Josh Kun, Chair in Cross-Cultural Communication at USC Annenberg, has agreed to assume this role [Vice Provost of the Arts] on September 1, 2023.

Appointment of University and Distinguished Professors

It is my pleasure to announce that this year we have appointed Thomas Buchanan, Akira Mizuta Lippit, and Mark E. Thompson as University Professors, and Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Pinchas Cohen, Genevieve Giuliano, Peter C. Mancall, and Jong-Shi Pang as Distinguished Professors.

Announcing Jason King as Dean of USC Thornton

On behalf of President Folt, I am pleased to announce that we will welcome Dr. Jason King as Dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, effective July 1, 2023.

Dr. King will join us from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he is Chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and a James Weldon Johnson Associate Professor.