USC Rossier Magazine, Fall/Winter 2017
Centering Equity
Leading the Way in Higher Education
Equity is not the same as equality, diversity or inclusiveness. It is not about espousing policies intended to benefit all students. Practices that work well for white students may be harmful to students of color and perpetuate inequality.
Rossier Professor Estela Mara Bensimon, director of the Center for Urban Education, coined the term “equity-minded” to describe what it is to be “critically race-conscious as opposed to colorblind.” Being equityminded, she says, “means being cognizant of how racism is produced
through everyday practices and having the courage to make racism visible and discussable.”
Dean’s Note
Read more
Dear friends of Rossier
The seven faculty members who grace our cover together direct five research centers that are pursuing more equitable outcomes for college students.
Features
Why equity work is easier said than done
Faculty are a necessary component of creating equity on campus but are often hindered by structure and culture.
Professional organizations need more than an annual conference
Leaders of a higher education research association look to how to reject a status quo.
Gateway to equity
CERPP director’s research bolsters U.S. Supreme Court case on affirmative action.
“Who We Say We Are”
A new research center emerges at the intersection of identity and social justice.
Doing racial equity
The USC Race and Equity Center envisions colleges that are proactive about racial climate, rather than reactive.
Beyond the test
Assistant Professor Julie Posselt researches equity and well-being in graduate school programs.
Improving math placement in community colleges
Tatiana Melguizo fosters a new partnership between LAUSD and the Los Angeles Community College District
Hire education
Center for Urban Education helps California Lutheran University overcome barriers to racial equity in its faculty hiring practices.
Expanding the equity universe
CUE Associate Director Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux is changing the world she left behind.
Equity runs through it
A new report from the Pullias Center explores the keys for success for retaining STEM majors at Cal State campuses.
Understanding persistence
A six-year study showing what it takes for first-generation, low-income students to succeed in college.
Departments
Q+A: Cheryl Ching
Cheryl Ching PhD ’17, who completed her dissertation on constructing and enacting equity at a community college, is recipient of the 2017 Bobby Wright Dissertation of the Year Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (CUE).
Paying it forward
Dean Karen Symms Gallagher and Professor Pat Gallagher invest in USC Rossier students.
