Andrew Guzman appointed USC’s next provost

Legal scholar and economist Andrew Guzman will serve as USC’s next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, President Carol Folt announced in a Universitywide email Tuesday morning.

Guzman, who has served as dean of the Gould School of Law for eight years and who currently serves as interim dean of USC Libraries, will start in his new position July 1. 

His appointment follows former provost Charles Zukoski’s resignation effective Jan. 1. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously in 2018 to appoint Zukoski to the role, and Folt did not provide a reason for his sudden step down after she announced it in November. 

Interim Provost Elizabeth Graddy filled in the post while the Provost Search Committee, composed of faculty, staff, students and USC stakeholders, sought a permanent replacement.

Gaurav Sukhatme, a professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering, chaired the committee, which was tasked — alongside executive search firm Isaacson, Miller — with advising Folt on the appointment of the next provost. 

Sukhatme said the University put forth a “very comprehensive” description of the position and its required qualifications.

“Somebody who could raise the academic profile of the University is very important, and somebody who could promote a diverse and equitable and inclusive environment that celebrated all of USC’s strengths for students’ success,” Sukhatme said in an interview with the Daily Trojan Tuesday. 

The committee sought a senior leader who could contribute to a responsive campus climate, prioritize the hiring of top faculty with attention to diversity, and bolster the student experience and academic core of the University, Sukhatme said.

In her email Tuesday, Folt lauded Guzman’s achievements during his tenure as Gould dean, including the expansion of clinical learning, the advancement of diversity in legal education and practice, and the strengthening of Gould’s financial position. Under his leadership, the school introduced multidisciplinary master’s and certificate programs, and launched one of the first bachelor’s degrees in legal studies in the country. Guzman became the first Latino to hold that deanship.

“His leadership of the Gould School of Law has been fantastic,” Sukhatme said. “Student achievement and student success in the Gould School of Law has been just really remarkable: just the kind of the entering J.D. classes, the kind of faculty he’s been able to recruit.”

The positions Guzman’s promotion leaves vacant will be filled by Franita Tolson, a professor of law who will step into the role of interim Gould dean, and Marje Schuetze-Coburn, associate dean of faculty affairs and librarian who will serve as the USC Libraries’ interim dean.

Guzman holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. He previously served as a professor of law and associate dean for international and advanced programs at the UC Berkeley Law School. Guzman has written two books about international law and has edited several collected works. 

Graddy, Guzman and Folt did not respond to the Daily Trojan’s request for comment in time for publication.