Dr. Pedro Noguera, Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California
“At this moment, we need faculty of color who are speaking about the ways in which race and diversity are shaping our society,” said Dr. Pedro Noguera, the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of Rossier, who is one of the nation’s most influential education scholars. “Other universities cannot take the position that there are not enough people of color out there to hire. What are they doing to build the pipeline? We’re showing that with a concerted effort and institutional support, it can be done."
Like many selective and wealthy peers, USC’s faculty numbers reveal stark racial, ethnic, and gender disparities. According to USC’s 2020 data, most full-time faculty, including tenure and non-tenure positions, are white and male. Of tenured faculty, just 33% are women—and only 3% identify as “Black or African” while 5% are “Hispanic or Latino.”
Since becoming Rossier’s dean in July 2020, Noguera and his team, especially Dr. Larry Picus, vice dean for faculty affairs and professor of education finance and policy, have sought to shake up those numbers.
“A lot of it was about just being assertive in our recruitment efforts and letting candidates know that we wanted them, that we really value what they bring with respect to the kind of scholarship they do that we need,” said Noguera. “And making sure that we’re creating a school that is responsive to the needs of our time, especially to faculty of color.”
The school recently hired 14 full-time faculty, 12 of whom are people of color. Of that total 14, six are women while eight are men. Not all names have been announced yet. Four of the new hires, all of whom are Black scholars, are for tenure or tenure-track positions. Most of the positions are non-tenure-track, multi-year contract faculty roles in teaching and/or research. USC calls these RTPC positions, which stands for research, teaching, professional, and clinical roles.
“If you cast a wide net, it’s not hard to find faculty of color,” said Picus, who led Rossier's recruitment efforts with Noguera. “They are there, doing great work. I also have to say that Pedro made a big difference this year in hiring. Everyone in our world knows who Pedro is. And I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t want to work with him at Rossier. Let me just say: he comes better than advertised. If I didn’t work here already, I can see why I’d come here.”
