USC Media and Public Relations

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved USC Village, a 35-acre project that will bring new retail, student housing and amenities to the community. “It’s a good day for all concerned,” said Thomas Sayles, USC senior vice president for university relations. Los Angeles Times stated that the project could bring $5 billion in direct and indirect benefits to the local community over the 20-year life of the development agreement. New student beds will result in more housing stock for locals, said Councilmember Jan Perry. “This will result in more housing that is accessible for area residents, and brings quality retail options to an area that still lacks movie theaters and sit-down restaurants,” she added. Los Angeles Wave noted that the project will bring 12,000 new jobs to the area, 8,000 of which will be permanent. USC Village was also covered by two Associated Press stories (second link here), two KPCC-FM stories (second link here), NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV, ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV, CW News Los Angeles affiliate KTLA-TV, CBS News Los Angeles affiliate KCBS-TV, CBS News Los Angeles affiliate KCAL-TV, LAist and another Los Angeles Wave story.

U.S. News & World Report ran an op-ed by USC Rossier School Dean Karen Symms Gallagher about the value of online learning in higher education. Gallagher wrote that the USC Rossier School’s online master’s in teaching is unique in that it allows students to collaborate. “Online education is delivered live in real-time with students and the instructor appearing on screen simultaneously (think ‘The Brady Bunch’), connected, conversing, and learning,” she wrote. “And, most critical, it is combined with in-real-classrooms fieldwork for each student from the beginning of the program.”

The New York Times ran an op-ed by David Agus of the Keck School of USC about the benefits of consuming aspirin — and how it might make sense to encourage adults to take it. Used since historic times for help with aches and pains, aspirin has also been found to have strong benefits in cancer prevention. “If we’re going to address the country’s sky-high medical bill, we’re going to have to address the need for Americans to be active in protecting their own health,” Agus wrote.

Los Angeles Times reported that Keck Hospital of USC faculty will perform free hip and knee surgeries on several low-income patients as part of the outreach effort Operation Walk USA. ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV also featured the surgeries, interviewing Lawrence Dorr and Daniel Oakes of the Keck School of USC. “To be able to get people their life back in their daily activities, getting out of bed, putting on their shoes and socks without pain, it’s really rewarding,” Oakes said.

The Scientist featured research by Brandi Reese of the USC Dornsife College and a colleague on fungi found living in deep-sea mud. The discovery of these fungi, some of which belong to the genus Penicillium, could lead to the creation of new antibiotics. “This is adding a new family of potential drugs,” Reese said.

The Orange County Register ran an op-ed by Joel Hay of the USC School of Pharmacy about reining in health care costs. He wrote that eliminating tax deductions for employer health care could help. “If Americans are forced to buy health insurance with take-home dollars rather than with pre-tax dollars, they will be much more interested in spending those dollars wisely,” Hay wrote. “They will be more open to managed-care options or high-deductible insurance plans with health savings account options that genuinely reduce health care costs.”

MIT Technology Review quoted Leslie Saxon of the Keck School of USC about a product that tracks a user’s vital signs, including blood pressure and temperature.

Bloomberg News quoted David Carter of the USC Marshall School about a TV deal involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.

NPR News interviewed Edward Kleinbard of the USC Gould School about the fiscal cliff. The Huffington Post also quoted Kleinbard.

KPCC-FM’s “OnCentral” interviewed Sean Nordt of the Keck School of USC about the health risks of “spice,” a synthetic version of marijuana.

KCRW-FM’s “Which Way, L.A.?” interviewed Genevieve Giuliano of the USC Price School about the Exposition Line light-rail. Al Jazeera also interviewed Giuliano.

CBS News Los Angeles affiliate KCBS-TV interviewed Stephen Sener of the Keck School of USC about performing mastectomies and the impact the surgeries have on his patients’ lives.

The Daily Beast quoted David Carter of the USC Marshall School about the National Hockey League.

The Wall Street Journal highlighted research by Leslie Saxon of the Keck School of USC on the use of biometric monitors in cars, and quoted Saxon.

Los Angeles Times mentioned that late ear specialist William F. House, a champion of the cochlear implant, was a USC alumnus.

Business Insider ran a column by Ira Kalb of the USC Marshall School about the University of California’s new logo.

O.C. Weekly mentioned that Jody Agius Vallejo of the USC Dornsife College was on the cover of OC Metro this past spring.

LAist mentioned the arrest of a gang of criminals operating near USC. The story was also covered by L.A. Weekly.

Los Angeles ran a USC Libraries photo of the original Ralphs supermarket in 1876.