The USC Emeriti Center

Announces the

2007 Faculty Leibovitz Award Recipient

Robert A. Stallings

Robert A. Stallings is an active member of both the Emeriti Center and the Retired Faculty Association making significant contributions to the retiree community through his self-taught expertise with personal computers (PCs).  While Bob has spent a significant amount of time keeping up with the latest in computer technology and web design for personal fulfillment, he has also dedicated many hours to helping fellow members of the USC retiree community learn how to use this technology as well. In the spring of 2007, Bob organized the USC Retiree Computer Help Squad, a group of computer-savvy retired faculty and staff, which allows USC retirees to receive free help with computing needs.  Additionally, Bob is volunteering his time this fall to co-teach a series of computer literacy workshops available free of charge to USC retirees through the Emeriti College.

The expertise that Bob provides is not only direct but indirect through his services to the Emeriti Center, Emeriti College, Retired Faculty Association, Staff Retirement Association, and Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE).  His dedication to these organizations has helped make their websites more user friendly and information more accessible to not only the USC community but the community at large.

Outside of his computing projects, Bob has made significant contributions to seniors around the world through his research on the social dynamics of disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, fires, etc.) which disproportionately affect the very young and very old.  His expertise in this area has highlighted the ways in which disasters and their consequences affect society as a whole and thereby taught others how our societies can better deal with the consequences of these catastrophes and their inequitable effects.

Bob has been honored with the title of Professor Emeritus of USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development where he joined the faculty in 1975 as a member of what was then the School of Public Administration.  Holder of a Ph.D. in sociology, Bob enjoyed the courtesy of a joint appointment with the USC Department of Sociology.  He served as president of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Disasters from 2002 to 2006 and was editor of the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters from 1997 to 2002.  He is the author of Promoting Risk: Constructing the Earthquake Threat (1995) and editor of Methods of Disaster Research (2002).