September 29, 2025
Dear Bovard College community,
I am writing to announce the review of Dean Anthony Bailey, and I seek your participation in the process.
Deans are crucial to the academic excellence of our university. They are typically hired for five-year terms and are reviewed at the beginning of their fifth year. Reviews focus on the dean’s handling of the following areas: academic excellence; hiring; adherence to USC’s unifying values; fundraising and school budget; and leadership/school culture.
Dean Bailey has indicated a desire to be considered for another term and therefore will participate in the review process. I will appoint a review committee charged with soliciting feedback from faculty, staff, students, the school’s Board of Councilors, and other community members. The purpose of the committee is to help me understand the general sentiment about the dean’s performance within Bovard. This includes whether the school is moving in the right direction and whether the dean is building a culture that helps the school meet and exceed its aspirations, as well as the aspirations of the overall university.
I ask for nominations of individuals from your school to serve on this review committee. Please send them to me at deanreview@provost.usc.edu by the end of day Friday, October 10, 2025. Both faculty and staff are eligible to serve.
We are very pleased that Artineh Samkian, Professor of Clinical Education, has agreed to chair this group and will be reaching out to the committee once it is formed.
Confidentiality is an essential element of an effective process. As such, each review committee member will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement as a condition of service. The committee is expected to work independently from the Office of the Provost and use a survey as one measure to gather confidential feedback. Once the review committee has been established, the committee chair will notify you of the roster and the processes by which you can provide your thoughts.
The review committee will prepare and submit to me a confidential and anonymized report assessing the dean’s performance in building and maintaining positive momentum for the school. Once I have received the report and discussed it with the review committee, I will consider other information as necessary and seek further guidance from two senior faculty members whom I will select. Interim President Kim and I will then make the final decision on whether to grant Dean Bailey an additional five-year term.
I thank you for your assistance in helping us establish a fair and thorough review of Dean Bailey and for your work on behalf of the university and Bovard College.
Sincerely,
Andrew T. Guzman
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs