2022 - 2023: A Banner Year for Pullias Center and Our Faculty and Students

Happy end of the academic year to all our colleagues!

Join us as we celebrate the milestones of this past year — notable achievements and awards by Pullias Center faculty — with some just beginning their academic careers, and some wrapping up their own remarkable careers in higher education. Our celebration also includes acknowledging our diploma- and fellowship-receiving students, and the addition and promotions of faculty members.

In addition, we are honored that this year, our esteemed researchers and faculty received more than $2.2 Million in grants, contracts and sub-awards from a variety of funders, including the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the TIAA Institute, to name just a few.

The Pullias Center will continue to look forward with our work that enables impactful, meaningful change, and to continue and expand upon the Center's equity-focused work in higher education.
Dr. John Brooks Slaughter Receives USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. John Brooks Slaughter, University Professor Emeritus of Education and Computer Engineering, was recently presented with the prestigious USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award by USC President Carol L. Folt.

Dr. Slaughter has had a remarkably distinguished and inspiring career, which began as an electrical engineer and includes leading two universities — University of Maryland as Chancellor and Occidental College as President — and heading the National Science Foundation (NSF) as its first African American director, among many other accomplishments.
Zoë Corwin Honored With USC Joint Educational Project (JEP) Award

Congratulations to Pullias Center’s Dr. Zoë B. Corwin upon receiving the USC Joint Educational Project Award for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research. This award was established in 2019 to recognize USC faculty who meaningfully integrate community engagement into their teaching and/or research.

Dr. Corwin, a Research Professor, serves as the Principal Investigator for the Promoting At-promise Student Success (PASS) Project and the USC Skate Studies project.
Congratulations to the 2023 Pullias Ph.D. Graduates!

This May, two Pullias Center doctoral candidates will graduate from the USC Rossier School of Education. We would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to both Jordan Harper and Kaylan Baxter as they continue their professional careers. Now, with doctoral degrees in hand, these new grads reflect on their time at the Center and share their future plans to enact positive change.
Joseph Kitchen Promoted to Associate Research Professor; Steve Desir Joins Pullias as Assistant Research Professor

Congratulations to Joseph (Joey) Kitchen, recently promoted to Associate Research Professor, and a hearty welcome to Steve Desir, who recently joined our faculty as Assistant Research Professor.
Pullias Postdoc Ángel González Joins Fresno State as Assistant Professor

This fall, Ángel González will be joining Fresno State University in the Higher Education Administration and Leadership (HEAL) Program as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.

Dr. Gonzalez joined the Pullias Center in 2022 as part of the research team on the Change Leadership Toolkit project. He received his Ed.D. in Community College Leadership and Masters of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Student Affairs from San Diego State University. He has a B.A. in Environmental Science and Spanish from Whittier College. Prior to his research work, he worked as a student affairs practitioner across institutional types. Congratulations Dr. González!
PhD Candidate Maritza Salazar Receives Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship

Please join us in congratulating Maritza E. Salazar, USC Rossier PhD candidate, for receiving the 2023-2024 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, awarded by the National Academies (NASEM).
USC Pullias Center the Editorial Home of Change Magazine

Did you know that the USC Pullias Center and the Rossier School of Education are the new editorial home for Change magazine? Pullias Center director Adrianna Kezar serves as the publication's Executive Editor.

Change, which is published six times a year, is a magazine dealing with contemporary issues in higher education. Using a magazine format rather than that of an academic journal, Change covers anything related to higher education, "all things higher education.