Message to USC NGP Faculty, Staff, and Students
From: Michael W. Quick, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; Elizabeth A. Graddy, Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs
May 31, 2018
Dr. Pat Levitt has shared with us his decision to step down as director of the USC Neuroscience Graduate Program in order to accept a position with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as inaugural Chief Scientific Officer, Vice President, and Director of the Saban Research Institute.
Under Dr. Levitt’s leadership, the Neuroscience Graduate Program has strengthened its national reputation, continually recruiting and developing exceptional students. In his eight years as director, he has guided the program to notable successes, including securing an NIH Neuroscience T32 training grant. Throughout his tenure as director, Dr. Levitt has been commended by faculty, staff, and students for fostering an environment of mentoring and collaboration. He has been praised for his personal dedication to the program and his accessibility, in particular devoting his time to actively engaging NGP students.
Dr. Levitt will continue to hold the W.M. Keck Provost Professorship in Neurogenetics. A valued member of our faculty, Dr. Levitt is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. His research and teaching have garnered him numerous recognitions, including his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a USC Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Mentoring Award. Please join me in extending congratulations to Dr. Levitt as he assumes this new leadership role at CHLA and thanking him for his numerous accomplishments in leading our Neuroscience Graduate Program.
We will soon announce a nominating committee comprised of NGP training faculty who will be tasked with identifying and assessing candidates as we search for the next director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program. NGP training faculty who would like to be considered for the position may self-nominate by submitting a current CV and a statement that expresses their rationale for wishing to serve as director and lists initiatives and other activities that the candidate would lead if appointed. Throughout this process we will depend on input from NGP students, staff, and faculty, which will be critical to our selecting a director best equipped to lead the program at this important point in its history.
Cc: Academic Deans
Provost’s Cabinet
Academic Senate President
Vice Provost for Graduate Programs