| To: | USC Iovine and Young Academy Faculty, Staff, and Students |
| From: | Charles F. Zukoski |
| Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs | |
| Date: | January 6, 2021 |
| Subject: | Search for the New Dean of the USC Iovine and Young Academy |
I am pleased to announce that we have appointed a search committee to identify and recruit the next dean to lead the USC Iovine and Young Academy. The search committee will be co-chaired by Willow Bay, Dean, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and Elizabeth Graddy, Executive Vice Provost. The committee roster follows this memo.
This committee is assembled to help us select the best candidate for the exceptional Iovine and Young Academy. The Academy is unique among higher education institutions with its bold and future-facing combination of art, business and technology through an unprecedented education forged at the intersection of four essential areas: the arts and design, technology, entrepreneurship, and communication. This cross-functional and expansive expertise prepares graduates of the Academy to adapt quickly to rapidly changing work landscapes and develop high-level problem-solving abilities and skills that can be applied across a broad spectrum of industries and fields for the 21st century. Our students dream big and push boundaries for positive societal change in such areas as information systems, product development, human-centered design, e-commerce, health innovation, social change, and the future of the arts, media and entertainment ecosystems. Fueled by diversity and inclusion, technology, agency, and unbridled creativity, the Academy’s alumni develop novel ways of working, learning, collaborating, and engaging with our communities.
As the dean search moves forward, we will follow the same procedures that have been observed in other dean searches. The committee will review nominations, conduct interviews, and advise me on finalists. Those who are asked to interview the final candidates will be invited to send their comments regarding the strengths and possible weaknesses of these candidates to me directly and confidentially.
Selection of candidates and narrowing of the pool will be done by the search committee. I will also seek advice of an advisory group composed of non-faculty I&Y stakeholders. Members of this group will be announced soon.
To assist us in this important search, we have engaged the executive search firm Spencer Stuart and their consultants Diane Carlyle, Mary Gorman and Chuck Jordan. We will follow up with additional information about how you can provide your nominations and input, and we will keep you informed of progress. You can also follow updates at our dean search website available at the following link: https://deansearch.usc.edu. Thank you for your enthusiastic engagement and valued collaboration in support of the USC Iovine and Young Academy as we work together to find our next stellar leader who will advance academic excellence for an ever-changing global landscape.
| cc: | Willow Bay, Dean, Annenberg, School for Communication and Journalism |
| Elizabeth Graddy, Executive Vice Provost |