phd educational leadership usc

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

2018 Graduation!

View photos ».

Featured Story

Looking for forms?

Latest posts, library spotlight march 2022, deadline to apply for cbo’s 2022 summer internship program is february 28, 2022, new grad school series for students, graduate interdisciplinary symposium.

• Why Choose USC Rossier online programs?
• Scholarships
• Accreditation
• Career Outcomes
• California Teaching Credential
• How To Become a School Counselor in California
• Master of Education in Learning Design and Technology online
• Master of Education in Enrollment Management and Policy online
• On-Campus and Hybrid Programs
• What is an EdD?
• Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership online
• USC Rossier Blog
• The Guide to Pinterest for Educators
• Toolkit for Digitally Literate Teachers
• Students and Gender Identity Guide for Schools

USC Rossier / Doctorate Programs / EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership online / Courses

OCL online Course Descriptions

The Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership online (OCL online) is designed to equip professionals with the skills to lead effective organizational change across a number of sectors.

Students enrolled in the 60-unit program of study have the option to be awarded a Learning Design and Technology graduate certificate for coursework completed in LDT program.  Learn more about the LDT Graduate Certificate.

43-Unit Curriculum

60-unit curriculum, dissertation in practice.

3 – 4 years

Depending on the track you choose, you can earn your OCL online in as few as three years.

Students who hold a master’s degree or terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D. or professional doctorate) may be admitted with advanced standing and required to take only 43 units.

Students without master’s degrees who have substantial work and leadership experience will be required to complete 60 units.

Advanced Standing Track

43-Unit Year 1

43-Unit Year 2

43-Unit Year 3

Immersion 1

EDUC 603: Framing Organizational Change and Leadership (4 units)

This course will help students develop the critical analysis and academic literacy skills to identify, research and present issues in various organizational contexts.

EDUC 620: Fundamentals of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (2 units)

Students will learn practical strategies and creative thinking methods to produce innovative results through hands-on experiments, practice and review.

EDUC 523: Challenges in Urban Education: Diversity (3 units)

Students will tackle issues of diversity, including access and equity, as it relates to culture, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and ability. Students will also learn how to identify and utilize diversity as an asset in the professional setting.

EDUC 524: Challenges in Urban Education: Leadership (3 units)

Students will examine leadership principles, concepts and theories that will allow them to reflect on their own leadership styles and apply what they learn to real-life situations and organizational challenges.

EDUC 627: Education Performance Problems: The Role of Learning (3 units)

Students will learn to analyze organizational learning and motivation, and make evidence-based recommendations for interventions to promote positive development in organizational contexts.

EDUC 725: Analyzing Organizational Change and its Effectiveness (3 units)

This course examines how organizational change and reform take place. Students will learn about different organizational systems and structures.

EDUC 532: Inquiry Methods I (3 units)

This course focuses on providing students with foundational knowledge about the nature of research and preparing students to conduct “inquiry,” which is the systematic collection and analysis of data for answering research questions and solving identified problems of practice.

EDUC 522: Challenges in Urban Education: Accountability (3 units)

This course will help leaders understand, analyze and cope with the challenges and demands of accountability.

Immersion 2

EDUC 536: Inquiry Methods II (3 units)

As the second in a series of three research methods courses, this course’s main objective is to help students build skills they will need to conduct research for their dissertations. This course will prepare students to develop data collection protocols and instruments as well as to learn how to gather data for their dissertations.

EDUC 730: Using Communication to Facilitate Change (2 units)

Students will apply their written and verbal skills to real-life leadership situations.

EDUC 790: Research (1 unit)

This course is designed for you to practice research and academic writing skills.

EDUC 764A: Dissertation in Practice (1 unit)

Research course that focuses on the development of your dissertation in practice.

EDUC 764B: Dissertation in Practice (1 unit)

EDUC 731: Economics of Organizational Change and Learning Environments (3 units)

This course focuses on budget planning, research and assessing fiscal viability of a project.

EDUC 652: Inquiry Methods III (3 units)

EDUC 764C: Dissertation in Practice (1 unit)

EDUC 732: Building Capacity for Organizational Change (3 units)

Students will learn how to build organizational capacity by fostering personnel growth, and promoting transparency, learning and inclusion in the workplace.

EDUC 764D: Dissertation in Practice (1 unit)

Traditional Track

60-Unit Year 1

60-Unit Year 2

60-Unit Year 3

60-Unit Year 4

EDUC 508: Creating Communities of Interest (2 units)

Students will establish a professional foundation as well as their philosophy and approach as educators.

EDUC 503: Learning and Motivation (3 units)

This course focuses on design and advancement of learning and motivation outcomes through the examination and application of current research.

Students can choose either 591 or 570

EDUC 589: Human Lifespan Development (3 units)

Students will learn the fundamentals of physical, motor, mental, social and emotional development, spanning the prenatal period through late adulthood.

EDUC 591: Diversity: Power, Equity and Inclusion (3 units)

Students will learn and develop strategies to empower individuals and marginalized groups by intervening to achieve equitable outcomes in education and communities.

EDUC 570: Research Design and Data Analysis (3 units)

This course covers various research designs and basic statistical methods for professionals, addressing questions and challenges in research.

Students can choose any of the following combinations: 582+579, 582+790 or 579+790. The LDT Graduate Certificate is awarded at the end of term 3, upon completion of the 17 units required to advance into doctoral degree courses.

EDUC 595: Instructional Design (3 units)

Students will learn how to design and develop effective instruction for a variety of content areas and audiences.

EDUC 582: Assessment and Evaluation (2 units)

Students will learn the different ways in which learning, motivation and performance can be assessed, including formative and summative, qualitative and quantitative methods.

EDUC 579: Media Selection and Evaluation (2 units) 1

Students will study current research and practical methods for selecting and evaluating media and their role in modern learning environments.

Students complete directed research and produce a literature review that presents solutions to a professionally relevant problem of practice.

EDUC 627: Educational Performance Problems: The Role of Learning (3 units)

The dissertation consists of a highly structured demonstration of a student’s problem-solving skills. In collaboration with an organization of their choosing, each student will:

• Assess the status of an organization against a specific goal in keeping with the organization’s mission and vision
• Investigate the causes that appear to be preventing the organization from reaching this specific goal
• Create a strategic plan for achieving that goal, in consultation with other members of the organization and the relevant research literature on that topic
• Propose an integrated action plan to address these causes and an evaluation plan to assess the effectiveness of the action plan

Get More Information

The purpose of the Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership program is to build critically conscious leaders who can take actions to eliminate inequities that affect educational and learning opportunities and outcomes for children and adults in urban contexts. This three-year degree program is geared toward working professionals who aspire to advance and extend their reach as leaders in urban education. Admission requires an earned master’s degree and a minimum of three years of work experience in a related field; other earned terminal degrees may be considered in lieu of a master’s degree if they are eligible for advanced standing within the University.

Areas of Concentration

Students are admitted to the program under one of four areas of concentration: K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings, Educational Psychology, Higher Education Administration, or Leading Instructional Change. Concentrations are not indicated on the diploma, which will read “Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership” for all concentrations.

Preliminary Review

The EdD in Educational Leadership preliminary review must be completed before the student has earned 21 units. Passing the preliminary review is a prerequisite to continuing in the program. The faculty governance committee will determine the preliminary review requirements and the process will be administered by the program office.

Dissertation in Practice Advisement Committee

Each student works with a three-member advisement committee, led by their committeee chair.

The committee chair must have a full-time faculty appointment in the Rossier School of Education. A second member of the committee must also have a full-time faculty appointment in the Rossier School of Education. One member of the committee may be external to the Rossier School of Education, such as a faculty member elsewhere or a full-time professional educator who holds a doctorate and brings strength to the committee in the area of the dissertation topic or methodology. If an external member is to be on the committee, this person must be nominated by the committee chair and approved by the director of the EdD program.

Admission to Candidacy

Admission to candidacy is a formal action taken by the faculty of the Rossier School of Education. This action is based on passing the qualifying examination as part of the dissertation in practice.

Unit Requirement

The EdD requires completion of 60 units of course work. Students admitted with Advanced Standing complete a minimum of 43 units.

Core Program

EdD in Educational Leadership students are required to complete 18 units of core course work.

• EDUE 700 Foundations in Urban Education Units: 3
• EDUE 701 Foundations in Leadership in Education Units: 3
• EDUE 702 Foundations in Learning Units: 3
• EDUE 703 Power, Diversity and Equity Units: 3
• EDUE 704 Leadership Enactment Units: 3
• EDUE 710 Designing Educational Organizations for Equity Units: 3

Research Methods

• EDUE 726 Research Methods 1 Units: 3
• EDUE 727 Research Methods 2 Units: 3

In consultation with advisers, students must complete 12 units of elective course work aligned with their areas of concentration.

Dissertation in Practice

The dissertation in practice is a doctoral capstone designed for practitioner-scholars to identify and address a problem of practice in the candidate’s domain of focus. A dissertation in practice shows technical mastery of a special field and skills of a practitioner-scholar. The student must be enrolled in EDUE 784a    (or EDUE 784b   , EDUE 784c   , EDUE 784d   , EDUE 784z   ) each fall and spring semester after admission to candidacy until the dissertation in practice has been approved. Seven units of dissertation in practice course work, including 1 unit of EDUE 784a and 1 unit of EDUE 784b, is required.

• EDUE 780a Dissertation in Practice Units: 3
• EDUE 780b Dissertation in Practice Units: 2
• EDUE 784a Dissertation in Practice, Data Analysis Units: 1, 2
• EDUE 784b Dissertation in Practice, Data Analysis Units: 1, 2
• EDUE 784c Dissertation in Practice, Data Analysis Units: 2
• EDUE 784d Dissertation in Practice, Data Analysis Units: 2
• EDUE 784z Dissertation in Practice, Data Analysis Units: 0

• Dean of the Graduate School

PhD Program Characteristics

Graduate events.

• Graduate Degrees awarded at USC
• Fellowships
• Guidelines and Forms
• Student Resources
• Required Documents
• Submission Deadlines
• Guidelines to Submission
• Manuscript Formatting Guidelines
• Fellowships for PhD Students
• Scholarships for Masters Students
• Academic Support, Professional Development and Diversity Inclusion Programs

About Graduate Education @ USC

Graduate school , office of academic programs office of the provost, about the usc graduate school.

The Graduate School supports students regardless of program, from application to degree conferral. Our mission is to promote an outstanding educational experience, celebrate student achievements, & provide leadership for graduate education. We are situated in the Office of the Provost and Academic Programs.

The USC Graduate School is committed to providing detailed information on the inputs, outcomes, and overall characteristics of all its PhD programs, for the purposes of full transparency and to support informed decision-making.

The Graduate School sponsors and promotes a variety of events during the semester that are intended for a graduate student audience. Visit this page frequently to view the latest special events.

Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School Phone : 213 740-9033 Email : [email protected]

Associate Dean Associate Professor of Higher Education Email: [email protected]

Associate Dean Phone: (213) 740-9059 Email: [email protected]

Assistant Director Phone: (213) 740-9037 Email: [email protected]

Associate Dean Phone: (213) 740-9037 Email: [email protected]

Administrative Manager Phone: (213) 821-5795 Email: [email protected]

Associate Director Phone: (213) 740-8078 Email: [email protected]

Academic Program Specialist (213) 740-9033 Email: [email protected]

What are you looking for?

Suggested searches.

• Majors & Minors

Related Articles

Direct-to-patient educational material helps older adults reduce use of drugs like valium, xanax, no. 1 usc captures fifth pac-12 beach volleyball championship, laws requiring doctors to report a dementia diagnosis to the dmv may backfire.

Best in Class

USC Marshall’s Vice Dean for Undergraduate Programs Introduces new emphases to deepen student experience.

Marshall Develops DEI Leadership Training

Strategic DEI content, built around faculty expertise, now informs all graduate students at orientation.

Rankings Rise

Two USC Marshall online graduate programs recognized in national rankings.

• UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

USC Marshall School of Business is one of the world’s leading global undergraduate business programs. Our courses of study in Business Administration or Accounting allow students to combine in-depth knowledge of the theory and practice of business with a solid foundation in the liberal arts.

BS Artificial Intelligence for Business (BUAI)

In partnership with the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the AI for Business joint-degree program brings together the expertise of two of the top business and engineering schools in the country to create a new generation of technically-savvy business leaders.

BS Business of Cinematic Arts (BCA)

Students in the John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program (BCA) earn a joint degree recognized by the Marshall School of Business and the School of Cinematic Arts. Program-specific courses, internships, and networking give BCA students the competitive edge as business leaders in the entertainment industry.

World Bachelor in Business (WBB)

Three world-class universities. Three continents. Three degrees. One unparalleled experience.

BS Business Administration (BUAD)

USC Marshall leads the way in business educations as a top-ranked four-year business school housed at a leading private research institution. Undergraduate students are immersed in the University's foundation of "breadth with depth,” with a core curriculum that encompasses all of the major cornerstones of business.

BS Accounting (ACCT)

USC Leventhal provides undergraduate students with the tools and resources they need to succeed. Our program is recognized for the immersive experience it offers accounting students. Graduates leave the program not only as qualified accountants, but as well-rounded professionals. Our students enter careers in accounting, finance, data analytics and more. Leventhal resides within the Marshall School of Business, which provides our students opportunities to interact with the top-notch faculty at Marshall.

Progressive Degrees (PDP)

Undergraduate students can utilize the PDP pathway to add a Masters of Science degree to deepen their education starting junior year. This pathway reduces the number of units needed to complete an MS degree, in some cases by as much as 1/3rd, allowing completion within one additional year depending on the program and individual student course plans.

Global Fluency + Leadership

LINC and GLP are first - of - their - kind international experiences available to first-year USC  Marshall students.  USC Marshall’s unique  WORLD BACHELOR IN BUSINESS (WBB)   program  focuses on developing global leaders and  is the only 4 - year, 3 - continent, 3 - degree program in  the world.

Leaders in Entrepreneurship

USC Marshall is home to the nation’s first integrated entrepreneurship program. Our students learn a mindset that sets them apart and better positions them to make a positive difference in the world. Read more about the LLOYD GREIF CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES and BRITTINGHAM SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LAB .

Hands-On Experience

The USC Marshall EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CENTER (ELC) is the nation's first applied learning program to employ professional trainers to design and conduct simulations and workshops for undergraduates.

Elite Entertainment Opportunity

USC Marshall is the only school offering a Business and Cinematic Arts program in conjunction with the No. 1 film school in the world.

MBA PROGRAMS

USC Marshall's top-ranked MBA programs attract students from across the globe for a hands-on graduate business education that translates to professional success.

Full-Time MBA (FTMBA)

Our Full-Time MBA is a two-year on-campus program. Ranked as a Top MBA program and STEM Certified. Learn More!

Executive MBA (EMBA)

Our Executive MBA is intended for senior business leaders in Southern California looking for an elite hybrid program. Learn More!

Part-Time MBA (MBA.PM)

Our Part-Time MBA is made to fit your schedule. Ranked as a Top 8 MBA program and STEM Certified. Learn More!

One-Year MBA (IBEAR)

Our One-Year MBA is an accelerated MBA program. The program incorporates real-world consulting projects. Learn More!

Online MBA (OMBA)

Our Online MBA is a Top 3 MBA program and there is no GMAT required to apply. Learn more!

SPECIALIZED MASTERS

Focused, flexible, and foundational.

Our specialized masters programs give you critical skills and experience to put you on the fast track to career advancement.

MS Business Administration (MSBUSAD)

The Master of Science in Business Administration (MSBUSAD) is designed to provide those who have completed a traditional MBA with an opportunity to pursue further study in an area of specialization subsequent to successfully completing the Master of Business Administration (MBA). The degree is only available to those holding an MBA degree.

MS Business Analytics (MSBA)

Our MS in Business Analytics is a Top 5 program and is STEM certified. The program incorporates project-based learning that is career focused. Learn More!

MS Entrepreneurship + Innovation (MSEI)

Our MS in Entrepreneurship and Innovation can be completed in 12 months. The program provides opportunities with venture competitions. Learn More!

ACCOUNTING MASTERS

The Leventhal School of Accounting is consistently ranked among the top accounting schools in the nation. Spanning more than two decades, the school's outstanding reputation for excellence is a tribute to its faculty, staff, students, and alumni

Master of Accounting (MAcc)

The MAcc program provides students opportunities to apply accounting and business knowledge to cases and situations that develop technical knowledge plus skills in research, analysis, and communication. This graduate degree helps ensure success in public accounting, private industry, auditing, assurance services, advisory services, consulting and strategic finance.

Master of Business Taxation (MBT)

The Jennifer and James R. Parks Master of Business Taxation (MBT) program provides an in-depth specialization in taxation and analytical skills designed to prepare students for a successful career in the tax field. Intended for today’s professionals using technology and data tools in applying the breadth of tax law and regulations, the program provides students with the technical, analytical, and communication skills necessary to assist clients large and small.

Master of Business Taxation for Working Professionals (MBT.WP)

For fully employed tax professionals who are ready to deepen and broaden their knowledge of taxation and learn research techniques critical to success as a professional. Minimum one-year tax-related experience required for MBT.WP program.

We train highly motivated and intellectually curious students to become research scholars and experts in a variety of business disciplines. Our flexible program, rigorous courses of study, and mentorship experiences with top-rated faculty prepare our students to become professors at some of the top business schools in the world.

Accounting PhD Program

The Accounting PhD program includes research focused on several accounting disciplines, including Financial, Managerial, and Auditing and Corporate Governance Accounting.

Data Sciences + Operations PhD Program

Operations Management studies how firms organize their resources and recurring activities in order to be competitive in cost, price, responsiveness and quality. The field stresses quantitative techniques ranging from applied probability to optimization and game theory.

Finance PhD Program

The finance Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for academic careers in financial economics. Financial economics is the study of how individuals and firms raise and invest resources, and how financial assets are priced. Specific topics in asset pricing include the determinants of asset returns, pricing of risk, behavior of investors, and trading mechanisms. Specific topics in corporate finance include capital structure, payout policy, financial intermediation, internal capital markets, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

Management + Organization PhD Program

MOR research includes the study of human behavior in organizational settings, the design of organizational structures and the relationship of organizations to their environments. MOR research draws on the basic disciplines of psychology, sociology and economics to investigate research questions in three general areas: organizational behavior, organizational theory and strategic management.

Marketing PhD Program

Marketing is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interactions of consumers and businesses in the marketplace. Academic research in marketing draws upon theories and methodology from a wide variety of fields, including psychology, sociology, mathematics, statistics, and economics. Faculty members in Marshall’s marketing department represent numerous theoretical backgrounds and substantive interests. As mentors, they encourage students to identify their own interests and develop the analytic and methodological skills to pursue their own research questions.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATES

With cutting-edge certificate programs across a broad range of business disciplines. USC Marshall offers a unique perspective on how to thrive in a dynamic economy.

Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics

Students gain the skills to analyze large and unstructured data sets to make business decisions based on data.

Graduate Certificate in Financial Analysis and Valuation

The theories and practice of financial accounting, financial analysis, valuation, credit analysis, and financial instruments to better understand and develop strategic financial decisions.

Graduate Certificate in Management Studies

An opportunity to pursue further studies at the USC Marshall after completing one year at an accredited MBA program.

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Executive education.

Career-changing experiences start here. Explore opportunities to develop the skills that can take you and your company to the next level.

Marshall Executive Education delivers open-enrollment short courses and custom programs in humanistic leadership, strategy, communication, finance, innovation and more for a diverse group of business professionals and companies in a variety of industries.

• VISIT THE EXECUTIVE EDUCATION SITE

Stay Informed + Stay Connected

The Power of Giving Back

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

MODERATOR Sona Shah CEO & Founder My Private Professor, LLC

Sona Shah is the CEO and founder of My Private Professor, an impact-driven, educational services company that partners with individual and institutional clients to provide a critical academic resource to students across the country and gives back with every hour to support youth in underserved communities.

Shah graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law and practiced business litigation for many years before shifting gears to create a sustainable business model that leverages innovation and social responsibility to increase access to educational support for all.

Shah has served as a board leader in the nonprofit space in Southern California for over a decade, including with the Orange County Community Foundation, Orangewood Foundation and President of the Tustin Public Schools Foundation.

Sue Grant Founder & Volunteer CEO The Literary Project

Sue Grant has cultivated an impactful career within the nonprofit industry that has spanned more than two decades. A proud Latina, she is passionate about closing the gap of inequity culturally, which begins with providing youth with the foundational tools they need, such as reading and writing, so that they can build successful lives. Prior to launching The Literacy Project, Grant founded OC Public Relations, which represented dozens of nonprofits in Orange County with PR, cause marketing and special event planning. Her foresight and execution helped raise collectively over $10.6 million for causes.

Grant has earned recognition in the “20 Most Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs 2022” from Women Leaders Magazine, an “Impact in Community Award” from Internet Marketing Association (IMA), “125 Most Influential People” Honoree from the Orange County Register and “Women in Business” Honoree from the Orange County Business Journal.

Susan B. Parks President & CEO Orange County United Way

As president and CEO of Orange County United Way, Susan B. Parks leads the nonprofit organization’s mission to improve lives and strengthen the Orange County community. Under her leadership, the organization launched three key initiatives (United to End HomelessnessSM, United for Financial SecuritySM and United for Student SuccessSM), which tackled the Orange County community’s most critical issues and sought to provide longterm solutions that break the cycle.

Prior to joining United Way, Parks held executive roles in several Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, in addition to being an entrepreneur. She also currently serves on the Commission to End Homelessness and is a member of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Chief Executive Roundtable.

Parks has received numerous accolades including a 2023 L.A. Times B2B Publishing Inspirational Women Leadership Award, the 2021 Excellence in Executive Leadership Honoree Award by the CSU Fullerton’s Center for Leadership, 2020 Woman of the Year Award from Congressman Lou Correa, the Impact 2020 CEO of the Year Award and many others.

Shared Insights from the Event

On identifying charitable needs within an organization and within a community:

Susan B. Parks: Orange County United Way, many of you have probably heard of us, but we are focused totally on improving lives in Orange County. And many of you might not know that one-third of the people in Orange County - that means a million people - are struggling every day to get by. Those are the folks that we serve and that we help. In 2012 and 2013, we really took a step back and said, “What is really needed in Orange County?” That was developed with business leaders, academic leaders, nonprofit leaders, philanthropy leaders - we wanted to all come together and hear what were the biggest gaps and what we could.

Sue Grant: The Literacy Project was really the idea that came out of the California governor’s office when they recognized a growing illiteracy rate in California. The UC Regents of California brought in the brightest minds and reading specialists and said, “Let’s make a product where we could actually parallel what happens in the classroom and give it to the students that just don’t quite grasp instruction in the classroom.” There’s always about 5% of students that perform below proficiency, because their style of learning is not perfectly aligned in the classroom - that’s our kid.

On the pivotal moments of success within a nonprofit: What contributes to success when giving back to the community?

Grant: We started in after-school programs and we were able to reach kids. We did so well after our first five years that we went back to the Orange County Department of Education and we said, “Take us into the classroom.” We had variables that affected our performance. Kids after school are angry and they’re tired and it’s not a set educational environment. And so they did a pilot program in one school district, and we improved their statistics by 25%. That was when everything opened up.

Parks: I’m thinking about the pandemic. On that Thursday evening we all learned that everything was going to close down, we realized that for the folks that we serve and that our mission is to support, they were going to need more than anyone because they were going to be able to go to the service jobs to put food on the table. In a very short period of time we said we need to do something, and we can move more nimbly - and probably faster - than the government can.

On data-driven metrics for success in the nonprofit sector:

Grant: We are data- and evidence-based, and we started our organization by having to prove the data on the kids that are performing below 25%. Everything that we do is aligned with the U.S. Department of Education and California Department of Education. We made a sampler pre- and post-testing based on how all of our children do in school. We were very fortunate to collaborate with PIMCO. Chapman University, UCI and Concordia - they came in and structured our data and our input. It was a blessing for us to have these institutions come on board and work with our raw data. That’s our backbone, because at the end of the day, we can 100% prove what we’re doing.

On finding a call to serve in the world of nonprofits:

Parks : I was in corporate America, and I was there for a long time. We were starting a women’s giving circle at OC United Way and they asked if I would help get it started. I thought, I don’t know: I travel all the time for work. I don’t know people. I don’t know if I can help. But then I thought, “You know what? What a wonderful way to say ‘yes’ and get involved in the community.” I’ve never looked back. The people I’ve met through volunteering in that particular time are still some of my closest friends. You meet the most amazing people that have hearts that care. And if you’ve lived and worked and been successful in Orange County, get involved in the nonprofit community. It will make your heart filled with joy.

Please visit our commencement page for all information regarding the  ceremony for Class of 2024 PhD, DSW, MSW and MSN graduates. 

Fall 2024 On-Campus MSW Application FINAL Deadline: July 16, 2024

Social work doctoral graduates awarded prestigious postdoc fellowships for novel research approaches

Academia can be a competitive landscape, but for two doctoral candidates completing their PhD studies in May 2024 at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work , it has been an opportunity to lift each other up. The educational journeys of Adriane Clomax (she/her) and Rory O’Brien (they/them) mirrored each other as recipients of the Oakley Fellowship endowed by the USC Provost. Only eight such fellowships are awarded to PhD candidates university-wide each year. As they now embark on the next phase of their social work careers, both have secured presidential postdoctoral fellowships from two of the leading universities in the country to further the exemplary work they began at USC. 

“I always tell Rory they are my good luck charm,” said Clomax. “We need to keep applying to things together.” 

Clomax and O’Brien are breaking ground in their respective research that supports underserved populations. Clomax is focused on the impact of employee-owned business in reducing the Black wealth gap, and O’Brien on changing policy and facilities for LGBTQ+ youth in educational settings. Both feel they received tremendous institutional support and mentorship during their studies that validated their unique voices and perspectives. 

Creating new paths to prosperity for Black communities

As the eldest sibling, and eldest grandchild, in her family, Clomax began her academic journey carrying the dreams of her parents and grandparents with her — to become a doctor or receive a master’s degree in business. Now, receiving her doctoral degree in social work, with an integrated business focus, she has certainly lived up to her family’s expectations. Her dissertation entitled “Searching for the Good in Capitalism: An Investigation of Employee Ownership,” creates a nontraditional, but highly effective, structure for business ownership that offers new pathways to prosperity for Black communities.

Her research finds its roots in a job she held with the Department of Parks and Recreation in her hometown of Chicago, following the completion of her Master of Social Work (MSW). The position allowed her to assist with a summer employment program to combat youth-involved violence. Clomax witnessed firsthand how supporting themselves through steady employment could be the difference between good and bad outcomes in a young person’s life.

“Using employment as an anti-violence strategy was effective,” Clomax said. “Giving young people well-paying jobs, particularly young people from lower-income communities, can have ripple effects through communities and build them up.” 

On the other hand, she also became acutely aware of how few and far between those good jobs were, and the difficulties in securing one without social, educational or economic advantages. Clomax became frustrated by the unequal distribution of resources and personal politics within the government system in Chicago. 

Unsure what her next step would be, Clomax knew she wanted to keep exploring ways to improve prosperity for underserved Black communities. A former mentor and alumna of the social work PhD program at USC, Dnika Travis, eventually encouraged Clomax to apply for the doctoral program, and to seek out Professor Michàlle Mor Barak .  

“Michàlle is amazing,” Clomax said. “She is a rock star in the field, but she will take her spotlight and shine it on you, whether you think you’re ready or not. She would create instances for me to stand up and represent her because she felt I had amazing things to say and put out in the world.” 

Clomax credits Mor Barak with much of what she has been able to achieve, for building up belief in herself and her ideas, and the career trajectory she is on now. 

“Adriane’s work is innovative and interdisciplinary,” Mor Barak said. “She has skillfully created national and international collaborations to foster research on understanding broad-based employee ownership. Her work is highly relevant for understanding and promoting social justice. It has been a pleasure working with her and I am confident that she has a brilliant career ahead.”

During her PhD studies, Clomax attended a meeting of the Institute of Employee Ownership at Rutgers University, where research findings were presented that suggested employee ownership had the potential to close the wealth gap. 

“One of the biggest drivers of the wealth gap is capital gains through the stock market, and building wealth by selling stocks,” Clomax said. “When you work for an employee-owned business, you are gifted stock from your company rather than paying for it yourself. The longer you are with the company, the more stock you receive, and the more that stock increases in value. As a result, people can retire with huge capital gains. And Black and Latinx families are not really doing that.”

The concept of how employee ownership could potentially move a person with little educational or socioeconomic advantage into financial stability through long-term, generational wealth-building became the foundation for her dissertation. It is the work Clomax will continue in the fall as a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. Her next step is to create a program and system of information dissemination to educate Black business owners on how they can increase the standard of living and retirement options for their workers. 

“Maybe we’re not closing the income gap yet, but what this can do is provide a really nice living for folks who otherwise would not have this outcome option,” Clomax said. 

Connecting policy and personal impact for trans youth

Growing up in a suburb of Sacramento, O’Brien cannot remember a time when advocacy was not a part of their life — as a child with their parents, in high school and as an undergraduate in college — on issues ranging from anti-war to sexual, reproductive, racial and economic justice. Their interest in policy was a natural extension of those experiences. 

While working in Sacramento on a statewide project for LGBTQ+ mental health advocacy, O’Brien was introduced to the faculty leaders and work of the Center for LGBTQ+ Health Equity (CLHE) at USC Social Work. They felt the Center was the place to take the next step in their evolution as an academic, researcher and scientist influencing policy that made a meaningful difference in people’s lives. 

“It's been a joy to see Rory develop as a scholar,” said John Blosnich , director of CLHE and O’Brien’s dissertation mentor. “They have a depth of practical experience and compassion about their work that has really shone in this PhD program. Their ambition is also remarkable, always seizing opportunities and striving for the highest caliber venues to share their work on LGBTQ+ health equity. I can't wait to see what comes next for Rory.”

With a dissertation entitled, “A Multiple Comparison Case Study of Los Angeles Area Public High Schools: LGBTQ+ Policies and Facilities, Student Advocacy, and Change in Policies and Facilities Over Time,” O’Brien’s research focuses on understanding the adoption and implementation of California educational policies intended to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ high-school students. They conducted an intensive study in ten high schools across five school districts in the Los Angeles area, including document collection, focus groups and campus observations through on-site visits. What O’Brien uncovered was a complicated system, varying from district to district and school to school. But there were some gems that stood out, with policy models that all schools should follow. 

In many ways O’Brien feels that their work has come full circle, from micro to macro policy and then back to how the policies impact individual lives. Their aptitude for the technical aspects of policy implementation have been particularly important in studying the ways in which these policies are implemented on the ground, and the barriers that are sometimes more technological than human. One example is how challenging it is to change the name of a transgender youth within school systems because the system was not originally built to accommodate it. And the inability to provide a name change within the system can have a profound impact on the youth’s educational experience. 

“There’s so many different ways to implement name change policies and so many pitfalls, some of which are very technical,” O’Brien said. “The goal of my research is always geared toward how to best inform the efforts of policymakers to adopt well-structured policy that is going to be implementable on the ground. Then to put evidence in the hands of social justice advocates who can push for that well-structured policy.” 

O’Brien points to the PhD faculty, dissertation committee and cohort of fellow candidates working across social work topics that supported them through a long and complex dissertation project. 

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do this work, especially considering that my work is illegal today in so many states,” O’Brien said. 

O’Brien will continue their work in the LGBTQ+ space in their President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, providing important data to guide policy decisions.

To reference the work of our faculty online, we ask that you directly quote their work where possible and attribute it to "FACULTY NAME, a professor in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work” (LINK: https://dworakpeck.usc.edu)

• International

April 26, 2024 - Protests at Columbia and other schools escalate

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Dalia Faheid, Aya Elamroussi, Nouran Salahieh, Samantha Delouya, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Our live coverage of the protests has moved here .

NYPD says "outside agitators" at Columbia are "trying to hijack a peaceful protest"

From CNN’s Josh Campbell

"Outside agitators" at Columbia are "trying to hijack a peaceful protest," New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said Friday night.

“What may have started as a group of Columbia students wanting to express their constitutional right to protest has drawn crowds of outside agitators who are trying to hijack a peaceful protest and turn it something far more sinister,” Daughtry  posted on X.

The commissioner added the NYPD has seen the same groups of “professional protestors” demonstrating nightly “at various demonstrations regardless of the message.”

Daughtry reiterated the NYPD is ready to intervene and address issues on Columbia’s campus as soon as the university’s president gives them the go-ahead.

Pro-Palestinian protests continue at campuses across the US. Here’s the latest

Pro-Palestinian protests continued at major US universities through Friday evening decrying Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

Throughout the week, several schools called police on protesters, leading to the arrests of hundreds across the country. Protesters have demanded schools divest campus funds from entities connected to Israel.

Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people.

College administrators are facing increasing pressure from lawmakers to rein in protests. At Columbia - the epicenter of the demonstrations - the school's senate passed a resolution late Friday to investigate the university leadership’s handling of the protests. 

Here are the latest developments:

Arizona State University: Police at Arizona State University arrested three people Friday on suspicion of trespassing "in connection with setting up an unauthorized encampment," a university spokesperson said.

Barnard College: The school said it reached resolutions with “nearly all students who were previously placed on interim suspension” for participating in the protest encampment on Columbia’s campus.

Columbia University: The university banned a student spokesperson for the Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition who said in January “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” He subsequently apologized.

Denver campuses: At a joint campus for the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver and Metropolitan State University of Denver, around 40 of the approximately 100 people who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment were arrested Friday, the campus said in a statement.

Emory University: Faculty gathered on campus to express concerns about the violent arrests that took place on campus on Thursday, with tenured professors calling for the university's president, Gregory Fenves, to step down over the decision to call in state and local police to clear out the protesters. 

George Washington University: The university said Friday that any student who remains in University Yard may be placed on temporary suspension and administratively barred from campus.

Ohio State University: A total of 36 demonstrators were arrested Thursday night after refusing dispersal orders, according to a preliminary report from the university.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: More than 75 students gathered Friday to set up an encampment at the school, demanding the university divest from corporations that invest in Israel and its military operations.

University of Southern California: School president Carol L. Folt said  in a statement the campus has become unsafe and the university will launch an inquiry and take action to protect all USC students, faculty and staff.

University of Texas at Austin: The school has placed the Palestine Solidarity Committee on "interim suspension." The group organized Wednesday's event, where over 50 arrests ensued.

Virginia Tech: School officials on Friday issued a statement about an encampment on campus, saying they told protesters the event does not comply with university policy.

Yale University: One letter from the  Faculty for Justice in Palestine  organization criticized student arrests this week and said faculty are prepared to stage walkouts and boycott Yale’s graduation ceremonies. Another letter  denounced Yale's administration  for failing "in your responsibility to protect the Jewish students, staff and faculty at Yale." 

Around 40 people were arrested for establishing encampment at joint campus of 3 universities in Denver

From CNN's Sarah Dewberry, Lucy Kafanov and Taylor Romine

Around 40 of the approximately 100 people who set up a pro-Palestinian encampment at the Auraria Campus in Denver were arrested Friday, the campus said in a statement. 

The campus  is home to  the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver as well as the Metropolitan State University of Denver. The arrests were made by Auraria Higher Education Center Police and the Denver Police Department.

"While those who gathered at the onset of Thursday’s protest did so peacefully, some participants established an encampment as the demonstration progressed, which violates those policies," a the campus said.

Campus and education department officials directed students to dismantle and leave the encampment, and after "protestors did not comply after numerous written and verbal requests, law enforcement stepped in at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday to remove the encampments," the campus statement continued.

Barnard College reaches "resolution" with students placed on interim suspension

From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian

Barnard College said it reached resolutions with “nearly all students who were previously placed on interim suspension” for participating in the protest encampment on Columbia’s campus.

The college “immediately restored full access for these students to residence halls, dining facilities, classrooms, and other parts of campus,” according to a statement from the school released Friday.

At least 55 Barnard students were placed on interim suspension for participating in Columbia’s protest encampment, according to a  statement  from Barnard’s Student Government Association. 

Barnard College declined to comment on the number of students suspended.

Columbia's senate passes resolution to investigate administration’s handling of Pro-Palestinian protests

From CNN’s Maria Sole Campinoti

Columbia University's senate voted in favor of a resolution to create a task force to investigate the university leadership's handling of Pro-Palestinian protests on campus, according to documents obtained by CNN.

The resolution passed Friday alleges, among other things, that the administration jeopardized academic freedom, breached privacy and due process of students and faculty members and violated shared governance principles by calling for police intervention on campus, according to documents on the meeting. 

After the investigation, the task force will present its findings and recommendations to the university's senate to determine further actions and take the necessary steps to address the alleged misconduct of the administration, according to the documents. 

Some context: The decision comes after the school and university president Minouche Shafik faced criticism from students, faculty and left-leaning lawmakers after Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to shut down student protests on campus, which have urged school leaders to cut off economic and academic ties to Israel. At the same time, students, religious groups and right-leaning lawmakers have said the administration has failed to stop antisemitism inside Columbia’s campus and at protests outside its gates, CNN  previously reported .

Columbia's senate represents people on campus, including faculty, researchers, students, administration and more, according to the school's website . The body has the authority to make policies on a variety of issues that affect the school.

3 people arrested in connection with setting up an encampment at Arizona State University

From CNN’s Taylor Romine

Police at Arizona State University arrested three people Friday “for trespassing in connection with setting up an unauthorized encampment, in violation of university policy,” a university spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

“Demonstrations, protests and expressions of free speech are protected at Arizona State University, consistent with the First Amendment. Peaceful expression of views is always acceptable – but demonstrations cannot disrupt university operations,” the statement says.

Encampments, unless they are part of an approved event, are prohibited by the university, the spokesperson said in an earlier statement.

USC president says school became unsafe and that she took steps to protect the community amid protests

From CNN's Stephanie Becker and Nick Watt 

The University of Southern California needed to "act immediately to protect our community" when it came to protests on campus this week, school president Carol L. Folt said  in a statement .

 "This week, Alumni Park became unsafe. No one wants to have people arrested on their campus. Ever," she said. "But, when long-standing safety policies are flagrantly violated, buildings vandalized, DPS directives repeatedly ignored, threatening language shouted, people assaulted, and access to critical academic buildings blocked, we must act immediately to protect our community."

The university has "long-standing protocols that allow for peaceful protesting" and has been working with the school community to ensure they are followed during the school year, Folt said.

"The current pressures and polarization have taken a toll in ways that break my heart," she said. "I know Trojans will do what they have always done: share points of view, listen, search for common ground – and find ways to support each other."

She encouraged anyone in the campus community experiencing harassment or bullying to report it to the school, saying it would launch an inquiry and take action to protect students, faculty and staff "no matter their views."

Columbia student protest leader banned from campus after saying "Zionists don’t deserve to live"

From CNN’s John Towfighi

Columbia University has banned one of the students leading the university’s pro-Palestinian protests, a university spokesperson told CNN on Friday.  

Khymani James, a student spokesperson for Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition, acknowledged in a post on X that he said, “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” saying it was from an Instagram Live video taken in January.

“I misspoke in the heat of the moment, for which I apologize," James wrote.

“I want to make clear that calls of violence and statements targeted at individuals based on their religious, ethnic or national identity are unacceptable and violate university policy,” the university spokesperson said.

Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Key searches, participating in usc brain development study as a child leads to a future in neuroscience for usc senior.

Neuroscience major who joined the USC BrainChild Study at the age of 8 will attend the Keck School of Medicine of USC this fall with the hopes of becoming a physician-scientist.

Photo/La Ti Da Studios

When Charis Alexander was eight years old, her parents received a phone call asking if they would participate in a research study conducted at the Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Charis and her parents discussed it and decided to sign on, even though it required making several visits for tests at USC’s two campuses, a long drive from their home in Beaumont, to go through lengthy physical exams and long periods of answering questions about Charis’s lifestyle and health. 

They weren’t aware of it at the time, but the decision to participate in the study, which focused on the brain development of children born to mothers with gestational diabetes, seems to have set Charis on a path to research the brain herself. Now 18, Charis is graduating from USC with a degree in neuroscience and will attend the Keck School of Medicine of USC in the fall in the school’s MD-PhD program, where she hopes to become a physician-scientist specializing in neuroscience. 

“I think studying neuroscience has been bouncing around in my head ever since my involvement with Dr. Page’s study,” said Charis. “I remember coming to the USC campus when I was little and now, I have been taking many of my classes in the same building where they were doing the research I was involved in.” 

Meeting researchers lit a spark

The study that Charis was involved with is called the BrainChild study and is led by Kathleen Page, MD, associate professor of medicine, co-chief of the division of Endocrinology & Diabetes, and director of the USC Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute . Page, who is also co-director of the research development core at the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, said the study was created to explore why babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing obesity and diabetes later in life. Page designed a research project, which is still ongoing, that collects data, blood samples, and sophisticated brain imaging over time to determine how the development of children born to mothers with gestational diabetes differs from children born to mothers who don’t develop diabetes during pregnancy. The mothers of the children who participated in the study gave birth at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), which recruited subjects for the research project through an ongoing collaboration between Anny Xiang, PhD, and her team from KPSC, and Page and her team at USC. 

The BrainChild studies provide a deeper understanding of how diabetes and obesity can pass from generation to generation. So far, the study has shown that early brain changes may signal a risk for future development of obesity and type 2 diabetes in children exposed to diabetes while still in the womb. The child’s lifestyle–such as diet and physical activity–may either strengthen or weaken these prenatal influences. The ongoing longitudinal study will determine the lasting effects of these early changes and identify targeted interventions to break the cycle of diabetes across generations.

The annual visits that Charis and her family made to USC’s Health Sciences and University Park campuses typically took place over two days. One day was spent with the research team at the Health Sciences Campus where they conducted a metabolic study and asked questions about Charis’s lifestyle. On a separate day, the family went to UPC for Charis’s brain imaging studies. 

I remember coming to the USC campus when I was little,” said Charis. “And now, I have been taking many of my classes in the same building where they were doing the research I was involved in.

Looking back on some of her earliest visits, Charis remembers the research team members explaining to her and her parents the technology they were using to image her brain and how those images were being used in the research. They talked the family through how they planned to use the blood samples they took, what that would tell them and why it was important for them to understand things like Charis’s diet and sleep patterns. 

Over time, they also talked to Charis and her family about the key findings in their research, what they published and where they were taking their research in the future. The researchers may not have realized it, but these discussions made a very strong impression on young Charis. Not only did she learn that being a researcher was a job, but she found the idea of trying to study something using various research techniques to improve health outcomes fascinating. 

“I did not know what neuroscience was and I didn’t know people could do research as a career and I thought all of it was amazing,” she recalled, noting that even as a child she thought being a doctor might interest her, but she had no idea doctors could also be researchers. “I didn’t understand all of the technology they were talking about, but I understood what I was part of and I thought it was incredible.”

Early exposure to science

Charis said those hours spent in the laboratory with Page and her research team sparked an interest in science in general and in pursuing neuroscience as a researcher, a career she might not have been exposed to otherwise. 

While her parents always impressed on their children the importance of caring about other people and the community at large, they did not push her toward a particular occupation. And while she had science courses in elementary school, she had no exposure to neuroscience and did not know that scientific research could be an occupation.

Now her parents see that the decision to get involved in Page’s research was a pivotal one for their daughter. 

“We have had so many conversations about this,” said Charis. “The experience was just so positive, but we never could have guessed that this would turn out to be such a great thing for me.”

As a USC neuroscience major, Charis has spent countless hours in the same buildings on the University Park Campus where she had her imaging tests done for the Brainchild Study. This fall, she will move to the Health Sciences Campus, another place where she’ll feel right at home, to pursue her joint MD-PhD degree. 

At the Keck School of Medicine, Charis plans to pursue neuroscience research into how people make decisions and how those decisions are tied to their health. She noted that she was inspired by the vaccination resistance expressed by many people of color at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a choice with the potential to significantly impact health.

“I really don’t know that any of this would have happened if we hadn’t had that opportunity when I was little,” said Charis. “They say that early exposure to science can influence kids and I definitely think that is what happened with me.”

To learn more about the Keck School of Medicine Neuroscience programs, click here .

• Campus News
• Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute
• neuroscience