December 1, 2015
As many of you have heard me discuss often over the past six months, expanding student access and opportunity is a top priority for the University and a responsibility I believe we should embrace. USC’s commitment runs deep with our leadership in enrolling first-generation, Pell eligible and community college transfer students, providing substantial financial aid awards to need-eligible families, and supporting students in our local communities through programs such as the Neighborhood Academic Initiative, USC Hybrid High, USC TRiO, and the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund, among others. More recently, the launch of the USC International Academy and the establishment of full scholarships for military high school students to attend USC Summer Programs have expanded academic opportunities for international and military students to gain access to a degree at USC and other top universities.
President Nikias has asked me to build on the success of these programs, which are the result of close partnerships between the Office of the Provost and many of our schools, to further expand opportunities for high-achieving students from a broad array of backgrounds: military students, international students, economically disadvantaged students, and non-traditional students focused on continuing their education.
To that end, I am pleased to announce the creation of a new college that will support these students in reaching their educational and professional goals. The USC Bovard College, named for Emma Josephine Bradley Bovard, will house the USC International Academy and USC Summer Programs, which together served over two thousand students this past academic year. Emma Bradley was one of the very first students to enroll at USC in 1880 and years later returned as the first lady of the University when George Bovard became President. As an early example of USC’s commitment to access and opportunity, she was an advocate for women on campus through her support of various student and faculty organizations as well as fundraising for scholarships, a residence for women, and in helping form the Women’s Club of USC which became Town and Gown of USC. She was also a vocal supporter of Southern California’s growing international population as a positive force for future economic prosperity in the region.
A top priority for Bovard College will be to support motivated, economically disadvantaged high school students with a rigorous college preparation program in their efforts to gain admission to USC and other top universities. In just a few years, we expect to host hundreds of these students in-residency on our University Park Campus during summers and provide online instruction during the school year.
Bovard College will also offer professional graduate programs in areas of high employment demand that lie outside the focus of our existing schools. These new programs will provide professionally-oriented students pathways to careers while also serving as a testing ground for innovation in the delivery of online programs.
Anthony Bailey, Vice President for Strategic and Global Initiatives, will lead the USC Bovard College with the full support of the Office of the Provost. I look forward to seeing these programs expand access and opportunity in the years ahead.
Cc:
C. L. Max Nikias
President’s Cabinet
Provost’s Cabinet
Academic Deans