Vice President for Student Affairs Michael L. Jackson to resign in June
Vice President for Student Affairs Michael L. Jackson will resign June 30, President C. L. Max Nikias announced in a letter addressed to the USC community.
The provost’s office will conduct a national search to fill the position of vice president for student affairs soon, according to the letter. Jackson will take a one-year sabbatical from USC and return as emeritus vice president and executive director of International Advancement. He will also continue to teach in the Rossier School of Education.
Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan
“For 18 years, Dr. Jackson has served in this key leadership role with tremendous distinction, assisting the university in its efforts to become a top destination for students around the world, as well as a fully residential university,” Nikias said in the letter. “Dr. Jackson has touched countless students with his vision and compassion, and I know the entire USC community joins me in commending his outstanding service.”
Jackson oversaw key changes to the university including the expansion of several programs in Student Affairs, such as the Career Center and orientation programs, as well as the construction of the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, Residential College at Parkside and the Arts and Humanities Residential College. His department also added the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center, the Office of Veterans and Transfer and the Office of Parent Programs. As vice president for student affairs, Jackson’s department oversees the Office of Student Publications, which includes the Daily Trojan.
At a What Matters to Me and Why event last year, Jackson said he believes part of God’s plan is that love gets actualized when communities care for one another.
“How I go about spreading this love is the work I do in this role as a Vice President for Student Affairs at USC,” Jackson said. “I work with the goal of providing environments that allow others to thrive and fulfill their dreams and their hopes so they can go out and spread peace and love.”
Nikias said Jackson’s contributions have shaped the direction of the university for years to come.
“As we acknowledge Dr. Jackson’s stellar service to USC, we wish him continued sucess in the next phase of his career,” Nikias said. “His contributions to this university are both extensive and exceptional, and for this, we are all truly grateful.”
I still think “Thriller” is your best album
This is certainly a step in the right direction inasmuch as Jackson approved and is responsible for the Halloween event that resulted in shootings on our beloved campus. The next logical step is to remove the newly erected fence around USC to remind the community that USC does not fear or distrust its neighbors. USC has survived for 133 years without a perimeter barrier. A lack of judgment is what caused the security breach on Halloween, not the lack of a fence, Jersey barriers or other such gauntlets.