Associate Professor of Clinical Education
Ed.D., USC Rossier School of Education
E-Mail: tpoon@usc.edu
Phone: (213) 740-9747
Office: WPH 602B
Dr. Tracy Poon Tambascia is Associate Professor of Clinical Education and the Faculty Lead for the Post-secondary Administration and Student Affairs (PASA) program. As the Faculty Lead, Dr. Tambascia advises students in the PASA program, works with higher education faculty in the school in reviewing and updating the course curriculum, schedules faculty and courses, and reviews applicant files for those interested in enrolling in the PASA program. Dr. Tambascia also teaches the Student Affairs in College course in the fall (EDHP 563), the seminar course in fall and spring for second year students (EDHP 593 A & B) and also the Student Affairs in China (EDUC 610) course in the summer.
Prior to this faculty role, Dr. Tambascia worked for over 15 years in student affairs administration. Most recently, she was Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Student at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Dr. Tambascia also worked in student affairs at Whittier College for ten years, and served as Dean of Students from 2003 to 2005. She has also worked at Mount St. Mary's College (Chalon campus) and Occidental College. As dean of students, Dr. Tambascia supervised offices such as residential life, counseling services, student life, disability services, financial aid, career development, registrar and financial aid. While in student affairs, Dr. Tambascia worked in student activities, cultural affairs, orientation, and also wrote and managed grants, including several from the James Irvine Foundation and also Title V.
Dr. Tambascia's research interests include international student affairs, higher education policy, issues that affect practice in student affairs, and minority student success in higher education.
She is the author of "Negotiating Racial Conflict: The leadership role of the dean of students" in the USC Rossier School of Education magazine, UrbanEd, as well as a chapter titled "Engaging Racial/Ethnic Minority Students in Predominantly White Classroom Environments" with Stephen John Quaye and Rameen Ahmadi Talesh, in Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Diverse Populations by Shaun R. Harper and Stephen John Quaye (2008).
Dr. Tambascia earned her Ed.D. in higher education administration from the University of Southern California in 2007, an M.A. in psychology from the California State University, Los Angeles in 1999, and a B.A. in psychology from Occidental College in 1992.