Dr. Theophilus “Theo” Fowles utilizes his love of technology to get people to engage with one another.
“I’m always looking at how organizations and communities grow in online spaces and how the impact is received in real life,” says Fowles, a first-generation college graduate who has experience working with nonprofits and in K-12 and higher education environments.
Fowles, who is currently the center supervisor at the University of Southern California (USC) Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA), didn’t always intend to work in academia. As an undergraduate at USC, he majored in critical studies of film and later taught high school English and film studies in New York City. It was as a school teacher that his passion for instruction grew.
A large part of what he now does at USC focuses on building and launching cultural program initiatives. In the process, he manages most of CBCSA’s digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram and focuses on “making sure that prospective students as well as current students are aware of what’s going on in our spaces.”
“If we can really engage people and students where they are, which is online, we can make their in-person experiences on campus better,” says Fowles, who focused his dissertation on how former foster youth now understand higher education institutions using social media outlets. “I think it takes a lot of scholarship to really engage with the communities and be reactive and supportive and sometimes proactive to what you see online as well, which I think is important given our climate.”
Launched in 1977, the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs at USC serves as a student support system and safe space for students of all backgrounds, says Fowles.
Being able to share student success stories, to encourage students and show them their individual progress from the beginning of the semester to the end and from the start of their freshman year to graduation, gives Fowles “warm, fuzzy feelings” in his ongoing effort to bring the college community together.
