The past year has been one of the most significant in the long history of USC. We opened a new chapter with the arrival of Carol Folt, the university’s 12th president. And we celebrated 100 years of USC Rossier.
To these momentous events I have added one more. This year marks my 20th and last year as dean. I gave considerable thought to pursuing a fifth term but ultimately decided the time was right —for me and the school I love—to lay the groundwork for a new phase.
In June 2020 I will join Rossier’s senior research faculty, where I will pursue studies close to my heart. You have my promise that as the faculty search committee looks for my successor, I will work as hard as ever to maintain Rossier’s place in the vanguard of U.S. graduate schools of education.
As you’ll see in this issue, exciting advances are coming from researchers like Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, who is studying the brain dynamics of great teachers, and Zoë Blumberg Corwin, who is aiming to increase college success through video gaming.
Another notable project is EdVentures, an ed-tech incubator based at Rossier’s Center for Engineering in Education.
Judging from these efforts, I’m confident that innovation, entrepreneurialism and a commitment to advancing educational equity will remain hallmarks of Rossier well into the next 100 years.
Fight On!
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
- Fahmy and Donna Attallah Chair in Humanistic Psychology
- Director, USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (candle.usc.edu)
- Professor of Education, Psychology & Neuroscience
- Brain & Creativity Institute; Rossier School of Education University of Southern California Member, U.S. National Academy of Education
Zoë Corwin
- Research Professor
