Message from the Dean

It's been nearly two years since I took the helm of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and each day, when I arrive at work, I'm reminded again of what a privilege it is to serve as its dean. A sense of excitement is palpable in our halls and classrooms. Every fall, new students imbue the school with their own intellectual curiosity and far-reaching ambition. Our faculty members are engaged in rigorous scholarly endeavors, and policy makers and practitioners routinely travel to campus to teach and interact with our students. Nowhere else have I found such a dynamic combination of intellectual pursuit and real-world problem solving.

The most exciting part about serving as SPPD's dean is that, although the school is home to top-ranked teaching and research programs, its potential for further growth and achievement is virtually unlimited.

Students
Last fall, SPPD welcomed 345 new students - 310 graduate students and 35 undergraduates. Students entering the school's core master's degree programs have an average GRE score of 1200, while new Ph.D. students boast an average score of 1450, the highest GRE scores of any Ph.D. program at USC. Last summer, SPPD students won the American Planning Association of California best project award for their study of community and renewal in New Orleans. The have also been invited to compete for the national APA award and to participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale.

Research
Academic research underpins SPPD's commitment to creating knowledge and educating leaders for the betterment of communities worldwide. SPPD fosters a climate of scholarly inquiry and is home to internationally renowned research centers. Collectively, the SPPD faculty rank third at USC in terms of per capita research grants—a reflection of both their productivity and the quality of their research. For 2005-06, more than two dozen faculty members had some 90 grants or contracts with a total value of nearly $20 million. Topics of recent SPPD research include hospitals and community development, how anti-discrimination laws affect minority homeownership, citizen involvement in the policy process, the economic impact of terrorist events, and many other topics on the central themes of the school: governance, place, and community.

Faculty
The SPPD faculty has welcomed three new members in the past 18 months, bringing the total number of tenure-track faculty members to 38. They are routinely sought by journalists for their expertise. SPPD faculty were interviewed as experts for more than 240 media articles in the past year, appearing in such publications as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and such broadcast networks as NPR and NBC. Four of the faculty have been recognized for their mentoring by USC's Center for Excellence in Teaching. Three of the faculty won prestigious national scholarly awards, and two of the faculty serve as presidents of major professional associations. Their work is complemented by that of the dozens of professional practitioners who constitute the school's adjunct faculty. Learn more about the SPPD faculty at www.usc.edu/sppd/faculty.

Alumni Relations
Our alumni are among the school's greatest assets. They represent the culmination of an SPPD education and serve as the foundation of the school's aspirations. Building a strong and cohesive alumni community is of primary importance to the school and to me personally. I invite you to participate in the SPPD Alumni Association, which hosted the Inaugural SPPD Alumni Guardian Awards on October 24, 2006. The gala celebration honored two SPPD alumni: Los Angeles Sheriff Leroy D. Baca and California Supreme Court Justice Joyce Kennard, as well as longtime friend and supporter John Bedrosian.

Last year, the school launched a new alumni website. Please visit www.usc.edu/sppd/alumni to learn about upcoming events and involvement opportunities, peruse employment opportunities, update your contact information, post a class note, or reconnect with former classmates!

Annual Fund
We have launched a new SPPD Annual Fund program. Currently, an unrestricted gift is the most important contribution you can make to SPPD. Unrestricted gifts help maintain the extraordinary depth and breadth of our intellectual endeavors, and they give us the ability to respond quickly to emerging opportunities. Gifts of any size provide resources where they are needed most, including student scholarships, classroom technology, travel and conference stipends for faculty and students, and other learning and research opportunities. I hope that you will consider supporting the fund.

It is not possible in a brief introduction to even scratch the surface of the many exciting developments at SPPD. To stay abreast of the latest news, events, announcements, and involvement opportunities, I suggest that you regularly visit the school's website. And if it's been a while since you've been on the campus, I hope you will consider visiting SPPD in our home in the beautiful Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall. Please call (213) 740-0550 and let us know when you'll be coming by!

Sincerely,
Jack H. Knott
C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Dean and Professor