Attendees express concern at third Presidential Search Advisory Committee ‘listening session’


Board of Trustees Chairman Rick Caruso said the committee hopes to find the next president in four to six months, but that they will take the amount of time they need. (Emily Smith | Daily Trojan)

During a night filled with emotion and frustration, the Presidential Search Advisory Committee hosted its third listening session at Town & Gown on Tuesday evening. The event featured a platform for faculty, staff, students and alumni to speak on issues and concerns regarding USC’s search for the next president.

“I just want to remind everybody, just because I find it fascinating, factually, that this is only the 12th time since 1880 that we’ve had the opportunity to conduct a presidential search,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Rick Caruso. “This is a historic moment … it’s monumental and it’s obviously consequential … We are here to listen.”

Caruso said the committee hopes to find the next president within four to six months, but that the committee will take as much time as they need.
Jeremy Kagan, a professor at the School of Cinematic Arts, was the first to speak. He called the University’s efforts for sustainability embarrassing.

“I’m hoping that when you interview the various people who are candidates for president, you will make sure the issue of sustainability is primary in their lives,” Kagan said.

Olivia Pearson, a co-director of the Environmental Student Assembly, added that sustainability efforts have only been student- and faculty-driven.

“The University should provide resources that foster sustainability as a value in its students … instead of growing attitudes of indifference toward sustainability, that are currently being developed at this affluent University,” Pearson said. “We show little regard for how we treat our resources.”

In addition to speakers discussing what on- and off-campus issues that they hope the next administration will address, many shared their visions for what kind of leader the next president should be.

Dana Coyle, an alumna and staff member, whose three children also attended USC, said that the new president should be “authentic, compassionate and candid with all stakeholders.”

“I encourage the new president to be visible and accessible to the students,” she said.

During the session, the most reiterated topic was the lack of student representation on the search committee.

Michael Nguyen, a graduate student at the Price School of Public Policy, questioned USC’s commitment to power sharing and asked why there is no student representation on the committee.

“If we assume that the purpose of events like this, and other outreach events, [are] to gather data and to inform decision making to create better outcomes, then perhaps a mechanism to do that is to institutionalize more roles for students within governance,” he said.Undergraduate Student Government Sen. Michaela Murphy expressed her frustration with the Board of Trustees and the lack of student representation and transparency during the search process.

“To be perfectly candid, these listening sessions have done less than scrape the bottom of the barrel,” Murphy said. “When students are asked to take a leap of faith and trust the judgment of this administration, I’d like you all to meet me halfway … Stop wasting this opportunity to collaborate so positively and so beneficially with the students.”

Former USG official Mai Mizuno echoed that statement.

“It’s becoming harder and harder to say ‘fight on’ when I see students being told to give up our fight,” Mizuno said.