October 4, 2024
I am pleased to announce that we have appointed a search advisory committee to identify and recruit the next dean to lead the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The search advisory committee will be co-chaired by Pinchas Cohen, Dean of USC Davis School of Gerontology, and Paula Cannon, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Engineering; Associate Director of Cross School Programs for the MESH Academy; and Special Advisor to the Provost. The complete committee roster follows this memo.
This committee is assembled to help us select the best candidate for Dornsife. The Dornsife College is the academic core of the University of Southern California, and the Dornsife community works across disparate fields of study to explore fundamental questions about who we are, how the world works, and what we can do on the ground to improve and enrich society. The appointment of our next dean, especially in these momentous times, is a priority. We plan to move quickly to find the skilled, visionary, experienced, and nimble leader that is right for the college.
We will follow the same procedures observed in other dean searches as the search progresses. The committee will review nominations, conduct interviews, and advise me on finalists. Finalists invited to visit campus will meet with multiple constituencies. Members of the Dornsife College and wider USC community asked to interview final candidates will be invited to send their comments regarding the strengths and weaknesses of these candidates to me directly and confidentially.
We have engaged the search firm Isaacson Miller to assist us in this important search. You will be invited to nominate possible candidates for the deanship, attend open forums with finalists, and share your thoughts, which you can submit confidentially. We will keep you informed of the search advisory committee’s progress. You can also follow updates at our dean search website.
Thank you for your participation and support as we work together to seek our next leader to advance Dornsife’s academic excellence and global leadership.
USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Dean Search Advisory Committee
Chairs:
Co-chair: Pinchas Cohen, William and Sylvia Kugel Dean’s Chair in Gerontology; Distinguished Professor of Gerontology, Medicine and Biological Sciences
Co-chair: Paula Cannon, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Engineering; Associate Director of Cross School Programs for the MESH Academy; Special Advisor to the Provost
Committee:
Kayla de la Haye, Associate Professor (Research) of Psychology and Spatial Sciences
Miya Desjardins, Associate Professor (Teaching) of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Art History
Richard Edinger, Executive Director, Thematic Option Program
Stacey Finley, Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professor and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and Quantitative and Computational Biology; Director of the Center of Computational Modeling of Cancer
Dana Johnson, Florence R. Scott Professor of English; Chair of the Department of English
Arie Kapteyn, Professor (Research) of Economics; Director of the USC Center for Economic and Social Research
Derrick Morton, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and Gerontology
Paulina Oliva, Professor of Economics
Surya Prakash, Distinguished Professor, George A. and Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute
Robin Romans, Associate Vice Provost
Emily Smith-Greenaway, Dean’s Professor of Sociology and Professor of Sociology and Spatial Sciences
Jacob Soll, University Professor and Professor of Philosophy, History and Accounting