A Message to USC Viterbi School of Engineering Faculty and Staff
September 22, 2015
I am pleased to inform you that President Nikias has offered Dean Yannis Yortsos another five-year term as dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering, and that Dean Yortsos has accepted this offer. This decision followed a comprehensive review of Dean Yortsos’ leadership of the school.
In the review process, Dean Yortsos was commended for setting high standards of scholarly excellence and academic rigor, for national leadership on a number of initiatives, from the Grand Challenges for Engineering to increasing the diversity of engineering schools, and for spearheading the school’s increase in funded research. He was praised for his ability to successfully recruit, mentor and retain stellar faculty, including the renewal of the leadership of academic departments and centers, with a particular focus on hiring and promoting women in engineering. He was lauded for helping promote the national recognition of junior and senior faculty alike. And he was cited for seeing that the Viterbi School remained among the very best in facilitating multidisciplinary collaborations, enjoying prominent international visibility, and advancing new educational programs, including nationally-recognized online degree programs. In addition, Dean Yortsos was praised for encouraging new initiatives in innovation and entrepreneurship, including the establishment of USC as a national NSF I-Corps Innovation Node.
I want to thank the many faculty and staff who took the time to fill out surveys, and especially those who sent detailed letters providing thoughtful input on Dean Yortsos’ performance. I have summarized your comments and communicated them to him, including areas for improvement. Dean Yortsos looks forward to discussing all comments with you in various faculty meetings.
Please join President Nikias and me in extending congratulations to Dean Yortsos as he continues in this important leadership position. I look forward to working with him, and with you, as we become the great global private research university of the 21st century that serves the public good.
cc: C. L. Max Nikias
President’s Cabinet
Provost’s Cabinet
Academic Senate
Academic Deans