What to expect from USC’s new leadership


Carol Folt will be inaugurated as the University’s 12th president on Friday at Alumni Park. (Daily Trojan file photo)

Scandals and corruption have become all too common at USC in the past few years. Sparing statements on the obvious and already known, it could not be said any louder or more clearly that new leadership at USC ought to be a force in enacting drastic change. 

Issues concerning accountability, transparency and prioritization of the health and wellness of the student body should be at the forefront of concerns for President Carol Folt and her slew of new hires to work to address.

President Folt’s previous experiences as chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seem to underscore USC’s hope to disassociate the school’s reputation rife with constantly occurring scandals. During her time at UNC, Folt was responsible for overseeing numerous campus controversies: academic fraud concerns with student athletes and no-show classes, which resulted in an NCAA probe, and the removal of a historical Confederate landmark, Silent Sam. Her arrival to USC was met with open arms, but the community is anxiously awaiting her implementation of institutional changes, which some students hope to be addressed during her inauguration speech. 

Through President Folt’s leadership thus far, USC has also found two new additions to the administration with the appointments of Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Zukoski and Vice President of Student Affairs Winston Crisp. Both positions, similar to that of President Folt, are filled by figures of senior experience in their respective administrative fields. 

Under Zukoski’s leadership, the University at Buffalo’s former Provost witnessed the diversification of its student body, increased its graduation rates and improved the general education requirements, with emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches and created new global learning programs. Diversity among the student body has been a constant and continual hope within admissions at USC. As a university that is also known for its broad range of programs and fields, USC will hopefully benefit from his past work on strengthening our general education requirements, as well. 

Like President Folt, Winston Crisp comes to USC from UNC as the former vice chancellor of student affairs. He has largely credited his approaches to student engagement and support to being a first-generation college student, having stated before that he owes his career and everything else he has accomplished to his access to higher education, an opportunity that no one else in his family before him had. While at UNC, Crisp was responsible for the creation of the institution’s Mental Health Task Force, which sought to assess the mental health needs of students and make recommendations and changes in policies for better mental health care. 

There is plenty of space for Crisp’s work to take shape here; one in every six students at USC is a first generation college student, and a mental health task force should be implemented as well. 

The credibility of our new leaders is confirmed by past experiences and knowledge in administrative roles. However, it is important that, in addition to their perceived efficiency in running institutions of higher education, they govern with accountability, transparency, concern and regard for the students, which the previous USC administration lacked. Among all the scandals and corruption the USC community has witnessed, the University has grown in popularity and reputation, while it has fallen in dignity and public confidence. 

While Folt’s background shows evidence of being able to overcome controversy and scandal, it is also hopeful that her time will be ethically and morally driven. As for the other new members of administration, their time in office should be spent tackling issues head-on rather than campaigning for something else. The USC community is looking forward to the construction of new institutions and policies within the school, commitments to decision-making that best reflect the values of USC and opportunities for positive transformation and growth under President Folt’s leadership.