Dean Search for the Keck School of Medicine of USC – Next Steps

We are pleased to share with you that the search for the next dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC is now entering its final stages. Over the last several months, the Search Advisory Committee has conducted an exhaustive and thorough search.

Our consultants at executive search firm Isaacson, Miller reached out to over 130 prospective candidates and sources across top academic medical centers nationwide. Advertisements for the position were placed in a variety of online job boards and journals. The search committee reviewed a rich and diverse pool of candidates that included faculty, administrators, and practitioners with extensive education, research, and clinical experience across academic and medical fields and specialties. I am grateful to the members of the Search Advisory Committee for their engagement, energy, and guidance through this process.

The committee has identified four finalists who will virtually visit USC in the coming weeks. During these visits, faculty, staff, and students will have an opportunity to meet the candidates in open forums. The candidates will also meet with the Search Advisory Committee, Keck’s faculty council, Keck administrative leadership, chairs and institute directors, USC senior administrators, deans of other schools, and ourselves.

Please hold the following dates and times on your calendar; all times are Pacific Daylight Time:

Candidate #1
Faculty/Staff Forum      Thursday, August 26, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
https://uscadm.zoom.us/j/94024271939?pwd=QnByell2dm92SkNsQUg5Qk9tbTFvZz09
Student Forum             Friday, August 27, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
https://uscadm.zoom.us/j/93105432832?pwd=b0M0UW9oUnBHek9SRHZpVVdGVG11Zz09

Candidate #2
Faculty/Staff Forum      Monday, August 30, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
https://uscadm.zoom.us/j/96552480603?pwd=YjFWUmNSbGkrNEJETmRjb2VkOWVIdz09
Student Forum             Wednesday, September 1, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
https://uscadm.zoom.us/j/95795576522?pwd=M3plUXlFRnVNM0d0US85UFBSRXFyQT09

Candidate #3
Faculty/Staff Forum      Thursday, September 9, 9:00am – 10:00am
https://uscadm.zoom.us/j/92256777168?pwd=a25kQ2NQUWhQUHNwSTJWUEdmdkZrQT09

Student Forum             Thursday, September 9, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
https://uscadm.zoom.us/j/95572358455?pwd=V3YzY0ZPajVBNlpvdWxFL2FjcEpjUT09  

Candidate #4
Faculty/Staff Forum      TBD
Student Forum             TBD

These visits are important both to us, as a university, and to the individual candidates. We learn about and appraise each of them while they also evaluate and learn more about us. This is an opportunity to fully present to the candidates the strengths and opportunities of our university and to being a dean here.

All who meet the candidates are encouraged to submit comments in confidence directly to us regarding the strengths and potential challenges of each candidate; your individual evaluations are very important to President Folt and to us. We would like to remind you that our process prohibits any group or constituency from taking any vote or lobbying in any organized manner for any candidate during this process. You may email your comments to us at uscprovost@usc.edu . We assure you all information will be kept completely confidential. We will ultimately share the feedback we receive with President Folt, who will make the final selection of the dean.

The dean of the Keck School of Medicine plays a vital role in the life of the entire university. Recruiting and hiring an outstanding dean is one of the university’s highest priorities. Therefore, we urge each of you to participate in the forums for these candidates and to share your comments with us.