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The health, safety, and well-being of our community is the highest priority of the University of Southern California. Visit coronavirus.usc.edu for current information; send questions to covid19@usc.edu.
To notify the University about a positive case of COVID-19 or exposure to a positive case, call 213-740-6291. To arrange for testing due to exposure or symptoms, call USC Student Health at 213-740-9355 (WELL). |
Dear USC Rossier Faculty, Staff, and Students,
All of humankind currently lives each day with a global pandemic. We assume it will end at some point, and that we all will return to some semblance of our pre-COVID-19 existence.
All of Black America lives each day with an unending plague of racism and police brutality. This scourge continues on, generation after generation. And it’s on top of the social, educational, economic, geographic, healthcare, and criminal justice inequities that people of color experience in this country.
President Folt said Friday: …As Trojans, we must redouble our efforts to build a truly just and welcoming community. And our hearts and voices must fight racism and injustice now and always. I want to join her and others at USC who are decrying the police action that took George Floyd’s life last week and the systems that enable and perpetuate such acts. It’s hard to find the words to match the outrage we feel in seeing these repeated, senseless killings of Black men and women – of Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade and Ahmaud Arbery and so many others.
USC Rossier’s mission is to identify, interrogate, and prepare leaders to counter the negative effects of these systems on the education of individuals and communities. And our school, with its focus on urban education, is especially attuned to the pain and frustration of the Black community.
So much of the work of USC Rossier’s faculty and research centers is focused on identifying racism and providing solutions for educators, schools, and organizations. We are so weary of the setbacks and new barriers we see occurring around our mission of social equity. But at this difficult, disappointing, and maddening time, I hope we can take heart in doing work that addresses the very issues that are again playing out in our nation – work that can and does improve equity across our country.
To repeat the words of James Baldwin I included in my first Rossier@Home faculty-staff letter: The paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated. We have to address the ever-growing issues around hatred, bigotry, and violence as we prepare and train the next generation of researchers, practitioners, and teachers.
I am proud that you, our faculty, staff, and students, are committed to this education, whether through research or the preparation of new leaders. And I know also that many may feel anger, confusion, and defensiveness at the suggestion of being anything less than equity-minded. It is on us to learn how inequities grow in the systems we support. Some suggestions on where to start:
May you and your families stay safe and remain hopeful this week.
Fight On.
Sincerely,
Karen Symms Gallagher, Ph.D.
Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean
MEMORANDUM
On behalf of President Folt, I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Pedro Noguera will be joining our community as dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, effective July 1, 2020. Dr. Noguera comes to us from UCLA where he is Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He also directs the Center for the Transformation of Schools. Dr. Noguera’s research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional, and global contexts. He is the author, co-author, or editor of 13 books, and he has published over 250 research articles, book chapters, research reports, and editorials. In service to his field, he sits on the boards of many national and local organizations, including the Economic Policy Institute, the National Equity Institute, The Nation Magazine, and City Year Los Angeles. He is a frequently called upon commentator on education. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, Dr. Noguera served as a tenured professor and holder of endowed chairs at New York University, Harvard University, and UC Berkeley. He was recently appointed to serve as a special advisor to the Governor of New Mexico on education policy, and he also advises the state departments of education in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. From 2009-2012, he served as a governor-appointed Trustee for the State University of New York. In 2014, he was elected to the National Academy of Education and the Phi Delta Kappa honor society, and just last week, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Noguera has received seven honorary doctorates, and he recently received awards from the Center for the Advanced Study of the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, from the National Association of Secondary Principals, and from the McSilver Institute at NYU for his research and advocacy efforts aimed at fighting poverty. Dr. Noguera, who will be the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of Rossier, joins USC as the school and university community together chart a safe path toward a post-COVID recovery. He will draw on his deep experience to hold the school’s mission paramount – to prepare leaders to achieve educational equity through practice, research, and policy. We are eager to support Dr. Noguera as he hits the ground running. Dr. Noguera will lead an exceptional school of education. Over the past 20 years, under Dr. Karen Symms Gallagher’s strong leadership, USC Rossier has stepped onto the national and international stage to be recognized as developing the nation’s finest education leaders. Dr. Noguera will build on this foundation to chart new paths as we take on the challenges of education that must be resolved to advance our society. We are delighted that, after a sabbatical, Dr. Gallagher will return to Rossier as a member of our senior research faculty and holder of the Veronica and David Hagen Endowed Chair in Women’s Leadership. We would like to thank the Dean Search Committee, co-chaired by Willow Bay, Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and John Matsusaka, Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, for their service and dedication to the Rossier community. We were additionally privileged to have the advice of a Special Advisory Board comprised of leaders from across the field of education. President Folt and I very much look forward to Dr. Noguera’s partnership with our senior leadership team. We know he will bring intellect, enthusiasm, and creative ideas to our team. Please help us welcome Pedro, and his spouse Allyson Pimentel, to the Trojan Family.
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For those of you planning to schedule a qualifying exam (proposal defense) or final dissertation defense, please work with your dissertation chair to do so. You may find that some committees opt for virtual sessions rather than in-person sessions as accommodations during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Students who started the EdD program in 2017 or later will receive information about the new uploading platform once it’s available later in March.
Students who started the EdD program in 2016 or earlier will upload to the Graduate School’s Thesis Center. They provided the information below.
How can I defend my dissertation if COVID-19 affects my ability to meet with my dissertation committee in person?
Remote participation in a dissertation or thesis defense is always an option for a limited number of committee members. With the approval of the student, committee chair, and the dean of the school, the defense can be conducted entirely through Zoom or other videoconferencing tool. The standard rules apply to the defense. This means that all committee members must be part of the same defense “meeting,” whether they are on campus or remote.
How can I submit my dissertation if COVID-19 affects my ability to function on campus?
Dissertation checklists and manuscripts are submitted electronically via Thesis Center (http://graduateschool.usc.edu/current-students/thesis-dissertation-submission/) and are not affected by the location of the student.
How can I take the oral portion of my qualifying exam if COVID-19 affects my ability to meet with my exam committee?
Remote participation in the oral portion of a qualifying exam is always an option for a limited number of committee members. With the approval of the student, committee chair, and the dean of the school, the defense can be conducted entirely through Zoom or other videoconferencing tool. The standard rules apply to the exam. This means that all committee members must be part of the same exam “meeting,” whether they are on campus or remote.
How can my advisor submit an academic petition on my behalf to the Graduate School if COVID-19 affects the university’s functions on campus?
Petitions are submitted by advisors online and are not affected by the location of the student or the advisor.
Please review both documents regarding research during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Office of Research COVID-19 information regarding research_ (003)Human Subjects Research COVID-19
MEMORANDUM
| To: | Principal Investigators and Study Coordinators |
| From: | Julie Slayton |
| Director, Office for the Protection of Research Subjects | |
| Date: | March 09, 2020 |
| Subject: | Human Subjects Research at USC and the Evolving COVID-19 Outbreak |
As we continue to grapple with the consequences associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, the risk/benefit ratio for biomedical and social behavioral research participation must be carefully assessed. Both the ethical principles of research delineated in the Belmont Report and federal regulations for the protection of research participants dictate that we ensure the risk/benefit ratio be acceptable at all times. Universities such as Columbia have already paused certain types of human subjects research activities underway at their institutions and others such as the University of California system are considering their next steps. While we do not believe that such research at USC should be brought to a halt at this time, we do strongly recommend that investigators take steps to decrease the likelihood that they will put themselves, members of their study teams, or their study participants at risk of becoming infected with or spreading the disease. Below are guidelines to follow with respect to overall planning and data collection activities
Establish Formal Plans
All investigators engaging in human subjects research should develop concrete and actionable plans for:
Investigators and study teams conducting research activities that involve medications and/or devices should create plans for patients who have had new devices or recent procedures and/or who require close monitoring because of the nature of the medications. These plans should include contingency plans for providing medications, cross training of staff, and ensuring access to required care.
Review Data Collection Procedures
As part of planning, investigators and study teams should revisit data collection procedures as well as the extent to which or circumstances under which data collection should be brought to a halt, either temporarily or permanently. Suggestions for biomedical and social behavioral research are provided here:
Specifically for biomedical studies, consider:
Specifically for social behavioral studies, consider:
Both biomedical and social behavioral studies:
For full board and expedited studies, if an investigator or study team needs to alter data collection activities by shifting to phone or online, or another change needs to be made to a study protocol in order to protect participants or study personnel, an amendment should be submitted with the language “COVID” in the title. This will allow the IRB to flag the amendment and review and approve it quickly. If a sponsor or investigator needs to make a change to research plans and is unable to submit an amendment (e.g., immediate hazard or risk to research participants exists), these changes can be made and then reported to the IRB within 5 days, as a reportable event. Eliminating immediate hazards may include actions that reduce potential exposure to COVID-19, or to continue to provide medically necessary care (including study drug) to participants who have been placed in isolation or quarantine because of suspected or known exposure. The USC IRB encourages sponsors and investigators to take such steps as necessary to eliminate apparent additional risks to participants.
At the current time, the USC IRBs will continue to review and approve research protocols that have been or will be submitted, including those submissions that require full board review. However, any research team that has not yet begun research activities should ensure that doing so will not jeopardize members of the research team or participants. In addition, should the COVID-19 landscape change significantly, there may come a point when research activities including human research subjects will be restricted and application reviews might be paused in the interest of individual and public health.
Cc:
Maja Matarić, Interim Vice President of Research
RoseAnn Fleming, Interim Director, USC IRBs
Michael Bowdish, Chair, Biomedical IRB
Jeremy Goldbach, Chair, Social Behavioral IRB
Message from current Ed.D. (OCL) student:
For information on renting or purchasing your regalia please access the USC Bookstore website. You may also want to attend Grad Fest, which will be held February 12th and 13th from 10am to 6pm at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center.
The Rossier School of Education Doctoral Commencement Ceremony will take place Wednesday, May 13th at 3:00 p.m. in McCarthy Quad.
All information regarding the Rossier Commencement Ceremonies will be on the school’s webpage:
https://students.rossier.usc.edu/commencement/about/.
Please note that some of the pages do not have any information as more details will be provided mid-February 2020.
A helpful FAQ webpage is located here:
https://students.rossier.usc.edu/commencement/faq/.
Lastly, please disregard this email if you are not planning to complete your EdD degree by Summer 2020.
There will be a representative from the USC Student Health Center conducting a workshop on Academic Stress on 12/11/19.
Event details:
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
USC Student Health Center
Academic Stress Workshop
12- 1pm PST
THH 205