Villaraigosa will teach policy at USC
Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been appointed a professor of practice at the USC Price School of Public Policy.
The university announced Villaraigosa’s appointment in a press release on Friday. The title of “professor of practice” is reserved for individuals who have made “significant contributions in the public practice of their field of expertise,” according to the press release.
Villaraigosa will teach both graduate and undergraduate level courses in topics such as city planning and public sector executive management. He will also spearhead the USC Villaraigosa Initiative for Restoring the California Dream, which will focus on finding solutions for major policy issues and increasing the efficiency of state government.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragosa has been appointed a a professor of practice at the USC Price School of Public Policy Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan
During his tenure as mayor, Villaraigosa advocated for increasing funding for public transportation through Measure R, pushed for the instatement of 1.000 new police officers in Los Angeles, and worked to improve public education in some of the city’s lowest performing schools. Villaraigosa also served in the state Assembly for six years, two of which as the Speaker of the Assembly.
Dean Jack H. Knott of the USC Price School of Public Policy said Villaraigosa’s experience as the 41st mayor of Los Angeles will allow him to give valuable instruction to students.
“Throughout his tenure as mayor of the city of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa made significant progress in policy areas that are critically important to the USC Price School, including transportation and infrastructure development, public safety, port security and the environment,” Knott said in a press release. “His wide range of knowledge and hands-on experience in these areas and others, including education and governance, will serve as a great asset to the USC Price School’s ongoing work and research.”
The former mayor and state Assemblyman said he looks forward to delving into some of California’s most pressing policy problems at USC.
“The Price School is one of the nation’s leading policy schools, with particular strengths in my own policy interests, such as transportation and infrastructure development,” Villaraigosa said in a press release. “I am excited about working with the school to propose solutions to some of the state’s and nation’s critical policy challenges.”
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Why USC is so insistent on having empty-headed “think tanks” full of city and state governmental failures is beyond comprehension. It is so disappointing to see these politically motivated decisions with the former governor and now, Villaraigosa – arguably one of the worst mayors to run a major city. His time was spent bankrupting the city and promoting himself with more days out of the state than in during the worst economic crisis in recent history.
This citizens of this state are incapable of voting good choices and USC just sweeps up the rubble and sticks them in classes. Northwestern gets Oprah, we get Villa-remorsa.
To declare Antonio Villaraigosa as an asset to USC, is to say that USC has zero real world view of the damage to the working men and women of the city of Los Angeles while he was mayor. Villaraigosa was as poor a mayor as a city could have, and an embarrassment to the citizens of Los Angeles. Have you driven the roads outside of where you live? Have you watched how the decay of this once great city has sunk in? Have you driven up and down endless streets flooded in blight and dis-repair right next to BRAND NEW unnecessary city government buildings?
Your puff piece stands in awe of this idiot as if he is a leader in public education. But did you know that only HALF- YES ONLY 50% of LAUSD students graduate high school?? Yet you laud him as great. How? And why?
I used to think of USC as a university of advanced knowledge and thought. But now I see USC as a college that likes hob-nobbing with the famous simply because the are famous.
You’ve dropped a few notches in my book. And believe me when I tell you, for every one of me who takes the time to actually write an opinion like this, there are an easy 50,000 more people who feel the same way.
USC will revert to its 90s era of subpar academics, a Republican haven, and its stigmatic reputation as the U.niversity of S.econd C.hoice. I mean, look at how “USC student” writes. This person has the worst punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc. Ditto with “Former USC student.” Did USC not teach WRIT 140 & 340 when these two supposedly went here?
Thank you for your comment on my grammar and punctuation. First, I transferred from Santa Monica College and was able to skip writing 140 due to already taking its equivalent. Second, I have not taken writing 340 as of yet. Finally, I was just waking up when I wrote the comment and also, if you are commenting on my use of capitals for the Expo Line project…that is how the City of Los Angeles has billed it on all its official documents. Also, the apostrophe misplacement in “I’m” was a mistake that I noticed after I already posted and there is no way to edit what has already been posted to the comments section. Now if you are willing to comment on the article at hand…please do so, but this is not a place to criticize USC students…the university and its policies (as well as faculty choices)…yes…but not its students…to do such a thing is an act of cowardice…hopefully this comment shows off my writing abilities in a new light
How about addressing the real issue and subject of the article? Instead you chose to attack and criticize present and former students who “went” there. Side note, before you criticize someone’s grammar and choice of words, you might want to proofread your own. Believe a better word choice would have been “attended” not “went”. Obviously, you didn’t “go” there.
As during his tenure as Mayor for the City of Los Angeles, Villariagosa takes advantage of another photo opportunity, and pay check. The City of Los Angeles is worse off now as a result of his leadership than it was before he took reign. Why USC chose Villaraigosa to mentor and teach future leaders, is a mystery and horrible mistake.
I agree. Villaraigosa was anything but a good mayor for Los Angeles. It will likely be a similar case for USC.
I;m sorry, but this was a bad choice by USC. All Villaraigosa did was squander his money and made no real improvements to Los Angeles. If people are thinking, “no he started the EXPO line and the 405 widening project”…your wrong,,,Councilman Bill Rosenthal (Los Angeles 11th district) started it. Also, since these construction projects have started, these has been so much red tape under Villaraigosa watch, that each one is now a year and half behind schedule. What a joke. Horrible mayor = bad professor. That simple…take a hint USC…your students deserve better