Dear Faculty Colleagues,
I am thrilled to welcome you back to the start of another academic year at USC. The first few weeks of classes are arguably the most exciting time as everyone is getting back into the swing of things and our community welcomes so many new members. It is such a joy to see our campuses abuzz with activity, and I hope the thought of another great year leaves you as energized as I am.
Last week, we celebrated the arrival of more than 12,000 new undergraduate, graduate, professional students, and their guests at New Student Convocation and welcomed over 175 new faculty.
Amid the many new faces on campus, we also have had new additions to leadership at a handful of USC schools, and I want to take a moment to highlight those individuals:
- Our new Dean of the Iovine-Young Academy, Dr. Anijo Mathew, has joined us from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design. In just a few short weeks, he has eagerly rolled up his sleeves and begun collaborating closely with his faculty and staff at the Academy as they start a new chapter.
- We are pleased to have welcomed a new Dean of the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Dr. Laura Abrams, to campus this summer. She joins us from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and is the newest member of the Health Sciences deans who report to Senior Vice President Steve Shapiro.
- Two schools will be led this year by interim deans, and I am grateful to both these individuals for their leadership and service to their schools.
- At the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Dr. Gaurav Sukhatme will serve as interim dean while also continuing his role as the inaugural director of the USC Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
- At the USC Marshall School of Business, Dr. Andy Call will serve both as interim dean of the business school while maintaining his role as dean of the USC Leventhal School of Accounting.
In the spirit of innovation and the continual advancement of what it means to receive a USC education, I want to share that the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has created a new credential opportunity called Intensives. Open to all undergraduates regardless of major or school, these three-course Intensives offer a new way for students to build practical knowledge and skills while earning a credential that appears on their diploma and transcript.
The first Intensives offered focus on Writing and Responsible AI; AI for Molecular Biology; and Survey Design and Data Analysis, with more to come in the future.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude for your dedication to the students you teach, the research you conduct, and the patients you see. You represent the heart of our mission of academic and research excellence. I wish you a happy, productive, and fulfilling year.
Fight On!
Andrew T. Guzman
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs