Featured Politics / Society News

Tang Elected Fellow of Leading Academy

USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Shui Yan Tang was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Blazing a Trail to Education Innovation

David Dwyer is serious about change. It’s a focus that has grown out of a distinguished, decades-long career as an entrepreneur, educator, researcher and technologist, and one he brings with him to his new position as the USC Rossier School...

Society Must Address Recidivism, Officials Say

Nearly 650,000 people are released from the nation’s prisons every year, and about nine million more are released from jails. Two-thirds of those who come out of prison are rearrested within three years of release.

Students Draft Homeless Children Bill

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation that USC School of Social Work students developed that mandates federal agencies reprioritize their funding to help keep homeless children housed with their parents whenever possible.

USC College, L.A. Times Team on State Poll

USC College and the Los Angeles Times today announced a jointly sponsored series of six statewide public opinion polls beginning Nov. 8.

Center for Economic Development Gets Grant

The USC Center for Economic Development was awarded a two-year $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to broaden the scope of the center’s applied research and outreach initiatives.

Roski Discusses NFL Stadium Plans

The NFL will return to Los Angeles to play in a new stadium for the 2013 season, USC alum Edward Roski Jr. proclaimed Sept. 22 as part of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development Dean’s Speaker Series.

The Worth of Water

In the United States, despite droughts, water is accessible and relatively clean. You can find it in water fountains, sink faucets and store shelves. But what if you had to walk miles for a sip of clean water?

USC Adds Zip to University Park Neighborhood

In its continuing effort to be green, USC has partnered with the city of Los Angeles and Zipcar to expand car sharing in the University Park neighborhood.

SPPD Hosts San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development hosted members of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce this summer in the first stop of the Texas delegation’s three-day Los Angeles tour.

Callahan Named to EPA Advisory Panel

Richard Callahan has been appointed to a newly formed advisory board for the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control.

Garrett Named to Fair Practices Post

Elizabeth Garrett, USC vice president for academic planning and budget, has been appointed as a commissioner to the Fair Political Practices Commission, California’s independent political watchdog.

In Memoriam: Henry B. Clark II, 78

Henry B. Clark II, professor emeritus of religion at USC College and champion of social justice, has died. He was 78.

For Sale: Toxic Assets

From economists and politicians to next-door neighbors, everyone seems to have a theory about what has driven the nation’s economy into the ground.

Video Game Minority Report

If the future of entertainment is interactive media, some minorities are still headed back to the past.

Hot Topic: Climate Change Policies

A new book by USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Adam Rose provides valuable lessons and reference points in evaluating the economic impacts of climate change policy.

The Road to the White House

Gary Lee remembered vying for student body president during his senior year in USC College and losing.

Dowell Myers Tapped for Census Committee

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzennegger appointed Dowell Myers of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development to be part of a newly created census panel that will oversee the upcoming federal census in California. The California Complete Count Committee is...

New Director of Center on Public Diplomacy

USC Annenberg School for Communication journalism professor Philip Seib has been appointed the new director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, effective July 1.

USC Gave Him Words to Live By

Born in Romania, Alexandru “Alex” Iftimie was a child during the Romanian Revolution of 1989 when citizens overthrew the country’s communist regime.

New Shoah Foundation Institute Team

Howard Gillman, dean of USC College, has appointed a new leadership team for the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education.

Trojans Assess Obama Administration

A group of 150 USC alumni and prominent Trojans gathered at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., to hear a panel of experts assess the early accomplishments of the Obama administration and offer their prognosis for its future.

May You Stay Forever Young

Before plastic surgery and Botox, an ancient culture had a different way of dealing with the quest for eternal youth.

Mutiny and Murder in the Arctic

Was English explorer Henry Hudson, the man credited by Europeans with the discovery of New York, murdered in cold blood by his own crew?

Are Socialists Happier Than Capitalists?

Driven by a decline in satisfaction with work life and family life, overall well-being initially plummeted in countries directly affected by the fall of the Iron Curtain, according to a new study.

Class Helps City’s Gang Prevention Efforts

Students enrolled in “Adolescent Gang Intervention,” one of the USC School of Social Work’s undergraduate courses, have been instrumental to Los Angeles city officials working on gang prevention and intervention strategies.

California Has a Hold on Its Own

The image of California as a land of migrants is being shattered by demographic data indicating the emergence of a newer generation of Californians that is homegrown and willing to stay in the state, according to a new study by USC researchers.

SPPD Student Tapped for White House Internship

If anyone needs to get in touch with USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development graduate student Laura Peralta this summer, they can reach her at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.

Geography Charts What’s Hot and What’s Not

Elizabeth Currid, assistant professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, presented her paper, “The Geography of Buzz: Art, Culture and the Social Milieu in Los Angeles and New York,” during a research seminar at Lewis Hall on April 15.

Brown, Cowan Named Academy Fellows

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences announced on April 20 that University Professor Geoffrey Cowan and John Seely Brown, formerly of the USC Annenberg Center, are its newest fellows.

Little Speaks at Asia Infrastructure Summit

Appearing on a panel at the Asia Infrastructure Summit, Richard Little addressed the question of whether private investment in infrastructure could be Asia’s highway to economic growth.

Local Experts Take on Transportation Issues

Measure R is among the issues discussed by panelists offering insights on the future of transportation in Los Angeles.

Two Professors Tapped for D.C. Posts

USC Law’s Elizabeth Garrett and SPPD’s Raphael Bostic are asked to join the Obama administration.

New Book Examines Foundations, Public Policy

James Ferris and Jack Knott contribute to a book that is central to SPPD’s goal of finding solutions to social woes.

From Good Intentions to Common Corruption

New book by a USC researcher reveals the influence of ‘shadow government’ agencies on the nation’s infrastructure.

The Benefits of Constructive Criticism

With a growing number of minority students bound for college, USC Rossier professor Darnell Cole cites the reasons for faculty members to practice this rewarding technique.

Can Optimism Lead to Action?

Hundreds of high school students attend the Young Scholars Forum at USC, an event that asks teenagers to examine their role in society.

Students Learn Leadership From Marines

USC Marshall MBA candidates grasp business skills and strategy from military experts at the annual Leadership Challenge.

Shedding Light on History’s Darkest Hours

Spell Your Name, a Holocaust documentary filmed in Ukraine, was created using the USC Shoah Foundation Institute archive.

USC Launches Public Diplomacy Magazine

PD unites scholarship and practice in the first publication dedicated to the emerging field.

SPPD Signs Pact With World Bank

The memorandum of understanding is signed during a conference focusing on challenges facing megacities in the developing world.

Robert Abeles Named a Senior VP

Margo Steurbaut and Courtney Surls are appointed vice presidents of finance and development, respectively.

Debate Squad to Compete at Smithsonian

Topical issues to be tackled at the first Inauguration Debate Series in Washington, D.C.

Leaders Fight for Immigrant Rights

New book by a USC College sociologist chronicles faith-based efforts to counter xenophobia.

Wilson Joins Obama’s Transition Team

USC Annenberg dean will lead a group covering the country’s international broadcasting services.

State’s Role in Climate Policy Studied

Daniel Mazmanian leads a team researching the factors that define California’s leading status in shaping climate change legislation.

New Dimension Added to Meetings

USC researchers unveil 3-D videoconferencing in Florida. Inventors see potential applications in entertainment and communications.