Today I encourage you to take a look at our new strategic plan, which was adopted by the Board of Trustees this month.
In it, you can hear the voices of all our academic units, guided by our goal to be nothing less than the great research university of the 21st century. I hope you’ll see it as I do: A vision for this university in which we are encouraged and supported to work, teach, and study to the very best of our ability.
We structured the plan along four pillars – values, people, impact, and transformation – and we will pursue local partnership and global leadership in line with those key elements. USC is ethical and bold, diverse and united, with a rich history and a bright future, and our strategic plan presents practical principles to guide our ambition and push for progress. Here’s a brief preview of the four pillars:
Leading Through Values
Whatever challenges we face, our actions must be in harmony, always, with our values. In order for USC to lead in the 21st century and to serve the public good, we must be known not just for what we do but how we do it.
Leading Through People
In order to lead, we must continue to invest heavily in intellectual capital – to recruit and retain it, to build and diversify it, and to nurture and empower it.
Leading Through Impact
Many of the challenges confronting the world in the 21st century are the challenges facing Los Angeles, and they are the challenges USC must commit itself to overcoming. We can only be the most impactful 21st century university by being both a great global institution and a great local friend and neighbor.
Leading Through Transformation
Audacity has been a defining characteristic of USC. Equally important has been daring to transform our university – to honor, embrace, and learn from our past, but not let the past constrain or restrain us. As we invent the future, we must simultaneously reinvent ourselves.
Please do take the time to read the full plan.
As always, I welcome your comments at uscprovost@usc.edu.
– Michael W. Quick, February 26, 2018