‘Viewpoint’ gives voice to USC Dornsife faculty thought leaders

We’re living in a world with a 24-hour news cycle, and USC Dornsife faculty members have much to contribute to the conversation.

With that in mind, the USC Dornsife Office of the Dean and Office of Communication have launched “Viewpoint,” a new faculty op-ed series. “Viewpoint” provides USC Dornsife’s faculty thought-leaders with a venue for taking on some of society’s most pressing and difficult issues — the “wicked problems” facing our communities, nation and world.

For the series, USC Dornsife faculty are invited to author opinion pieces in their areas of expertise. Members of USC Dornsife’s communication team provide editorial guidance on these pieces and facilitate placing the op-eds for publication in significant external news outlets.

“Our faculty members are leading thinkers with a broad range of knowledge,” said Dani Byrd, USC Dornsife interim dean. “While so many of our professors are already interviewed by a local, national and international news publications, this new USC Dornsife initiative is a way to support them as they engage in public discourse on current events, issues of the day, and public policy.”

To date, “Viewpoint” op-eds have been published in The New York Times, Next Avenue (PBS), Forbes and the San Francisco Chronicle:

• “Philosophy’s True Home,” by Scott Soames, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and director of the USC Dornsife School of Philosophy, published in The New York Times.
• “It’s Time to Invent Rituals for Retirement,” by Donald Miller, Leonard K. Firestone Professor of Religion, published in Next Avenue and Forbes.
• “Lessons from the Big Data Revolution for California,” by Matthew Kahn, professor of economics and spatial sciences, published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Additional faculty members whose op-eds are slated to be published in upcoming months include David Kang, professor of international relations, business, and East Asian languages and cultures; Anna Krylov, professor of chemistry; Jacob Soll, professor of history and accounting; and Jody Agius Vallejo, associate professor of sociology.

“Viewpoint” benefits from the expertise of an advisory board that bring years of experience as commentators in their respective fields. Advisers include Manuel Pastor, Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change and professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity; Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and assistant professor of the practice of political science; and Robert Shrum, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and professor of the practice of political science.

We invite you to explore the opinions and thought-provoking views of these and future frontline scholars at dornsife.usc.edu/viewpoint. For more information, contact viewpoint@dornsife.usc.edu.