A Message to Academic Deans, All Faculty
November 6, 2015
In order to enhance the university’s ability to recruit and retain outstanding faculty and academic personnel, it is essential that we create a framework for exploring employment opportunities for the spouses and partners of faculty candidates across departments, divisions, and schools. To this end, we are pleased to announce the creation of a Task Force on Spousal Hiring, which will seek to generate ideas and recommendations on the spousal component of hiring and retaining faculty. Given the strategic importance of spousal hiring to USC’s success, Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs Elizabeth Graddy will chair the task force. The group will collect and analyze best practices from other urban R1 institutions and consider the challenges and opportunities related to dual-career appointments.
To support this important initiative, Debbie Jones in the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs will serve as the designated liaison in the Office of the Provost. She will work closely with the schools to facilitate spousal hiring efforts by forging necessary relationships within the region and coordinating communication between the schools throughout the hiring process.
We thank the members of the task force named on the attached list for offering their service and the perspective and expertise they provide. The ability to help dual-career couples meet their professional objectives equips the university with a significant advantage in hiring the most exceptional faculty, while also fostering a more diverse and engaged academic community. Our unique assets and stellar interdisciplinary collaborations make us well suited to become a leader in this regard, and by taking the initiative to recruit and retain faculty of the highest distinction, we can indeed fulfill the responsibilities of the leading private research university serving the public good.
cc: Deans of Faculty
Task Force Members
Task Force on Spousal Hiring
Elizabeth Graddy, Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs,
Jeffrey J. Miller Chair in Government, Business, and the Economy (chair)
Sarah Banet-Weiser, Professor of Communication, Director of the School of Communication,
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Judy Garner, Associate Professor of Cell and Neurobiology,
Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Leana Golubchik, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering,
Director of the Women in Science and Engineering Program (WiSE), USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Gareth James, E. Morgan Stanley Chair in Business Administration and Professor of Data Sciences and Operations,
Vice Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, USC Marshall School of Business
Debbie Jones, Office of the Provost, Academic and Faculty Affairs
Akira Lippit, Professor of Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures and Cinematic Arts,
Chair of the Critical Studies Division, USC School of Cinematic Arts
Charles McKenna, Professor of Chemistry, Vice Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics,
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Timothy Pinkston, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Larissa Rodriguez, Associate Provost for Faculty and Student Initiatives in Health and STEM,
Professor of Urology, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Ruth Wood, Professor of Cell and Neurobiology, Associate Dean for Appointments and Promotions,
Keck School of Medicine of USC