ClickCease
Aerial shot of the RGL building

About the Price School

The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy improves the quality of life for people and communities, here and abroad. Our education and research promote innovative solutions to the most critical issues facing society.

For more than 90 years, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy has sought to improve the quality of life for people and communities through path-breaking research and scholarship. We believe it is our mission to continue serving our global community at the highest level of excellence.

Modern challenges require leaders who look beyond their area of expertise to find the most effective solutions. Today’s challenges call on a new generation of creative thinkers to explore beyond the status quo.

Solving societal issues of such complexity requires not only great minds but also great action. USC Price fosters collaboration and partnerships to better understand problems through varied perspectives. We use the vast influence of California and greater Los Angeles as a resource for setting new paradigms; and we translate research into communities by working directly with the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

USC Price faculty and students are bold. They ask difficult questions and question longstanding answers. They are leaders in their fields and deeply engaged citizens. But most of all, they are inspired by the fact that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity.

If you’re ready to join in conversations that advance knowledge and civic action serving the global public good, look no further than USC Price.

Dana Goldman

History of the Price School

  • 1927

    Local public officials ask USC President Rufus von KleinSmid to provide education for public servants
  • 1928

    Emery Olson named Dean of proposed School of Citizenship and Public Administration

  • 1929

    School of Citizenship and Public Administration opens. Fifteen courses were taught in City Hall and two in the City Library. The original name is used until 1933, when it is called the School of Government. By 1940 it has become the School of Public Administration.

  • 1929

    The school’s first faculty:
    John M. Pfiffner was hired as the first full-time faculty member and spent the remaining 39 years of his career in association with the school.
    Gordon Whitnall (pictured) was the first part-time faculty and he taught the school’s first Planning course.

  • 1932

    First three graduates of the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration

  • 1933

    First five Master of Science in Public Administration degrees are awarded

  • 1946

    Delinquency Control Institute is established and is still in operation as the Safe Communities Institute

  • 1951

    Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) degree is approved

  • 1951

    Technical Assistance Program begins. The first program involved sending professors from the University of Ankara, Turkey to USC. Three more development programs were established between 1954 and 1961: Iran (1954), Pakistan (1960) and Brazil (1961). Smaller programs in Bahrain were also undertaken (1962 and 1983) and Venezuela (1966).

  • 1953

    Henry Reining, Jr. becomes the School’s second dean after Emery Olson retires

  • 1954

    International Public Administration Center starts. The first participants included representatives from Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Finland, Greece, Turkey, Iraq, Brazil, India, Nigeria, and Germany.

  • 1955

    Master of Science degree in City and Regional Planning is approved and considered USC’s first truly interdisciplinary degree — joining economics, sociology, social work and engineering, and just the second interdisciplinary degree in the state

  • 1964

    Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning begins

  • 1965

    PhD in Public Administration degree is approved and the first degree is awarded retroactively

  • 1966

    The von KleinSmid Center for International and Public Affairs is established comprising: Public Administration, Planning, International Relations, and Political Science

  • 1971

    Kim Nelson is Dean of the School of Public Administration

  • 1972

    Sacramento Public Affairs Center is established

  • 1973

    Washington Public Affairs Center is established

  • 1974

    The Planning program is granted school status

  • 1976

    Bob Biller becomes Dean of the School of Public Administration

  • 1978

    William Baer (pictured center) becomes Dean of the School of Urban and Regional Planning

  • 1982

    Ross Clayton becomes Dean of the School of Public Administration; Alan Kreditor becomes Dean of the School of Urban and Regional Planning

  • 1984

    University ROTC programs become a part of the School of Public Administration

  • 1986

    Master of Real Estate Development degree (MRED) is approved. David Dollinger endowed the degree in 2012 when it was renamed Dollinger Master of Real Estate Development Program.

  • 1988

    Master of Health Administration and Master of Public Policy degrees are established

  • 1989

    Lusk Center for Real Estate Development is founded

  • 1991

    Jane Pisano becomes Dean of the School of Public Administration

  • 1992

    Peter Gordon becomes Dean of the School of Urban and Regional Planning following Alan Kreditor’s appointment as Senior Vice President for University Advancement

  • 1994

    Edward Blakely appointed Dean of the School of Urban and Regional Planning

  • 1996

    Center for Health Financing, Policy and Management is established

  • 1996

    Center for Economic Development is launched

  • 1998

    METRANS University Transportation Center is established

  • 1999

    Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall opens

  • 1999

    International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM) starts

  • 2001

    Dan Mazmanian becomes Dean of the School of Policy, Planning and Development

  • 2002

    Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy is established

  • 2003

    Tomás Rivera Policy Institute moves into the School of Policy, Planning and Development

  • 2004

    John and Judith Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise is established

  • 2004

    Center on Risk, Economic, and Terrorist Events (CREATE) is launched as the nation’s first Homeland Security Center

  • 2005

    Jack Knott becomes Dean of the School of Policy, Planning and Development

  • 2007

    Executive Master of Leadership degree is introduced

  • 2009

    Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics is established

  • 2009

    Center for Sustainable Cities moves to the School of Policy, Planning and Development.

  • 2011

    USC Sol Price School of Public Policy is established with a transformative $50 million naming gift from the Price Family Charitable Fund to endow and rename the School

  • 2011

    Sol Price Center for Social Innovation is launched

  • 2011

    Online Master of Public Administration degree is offered

  • 2012

    Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy is established and housed in the Price School

  • 2013

    Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon establishes partnership with USC Price; a key component of the partnership is the Borthwick Lecture Series on George Washington

  • 2014

    Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management degree is established

  • 2015

    Spatial Analysis Lab (SLAB) is launched

  • 2015

    New Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Development degree is unveiled

  • 2016

    Two new undergraduate degrees are introduced: Bachelor of Science in Public Policy and Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies and Planning

  • 2017

    Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making is established; this multidisciplinary center is housed at the Price, Viterbi, and Marshall Schools

  • 2018

    California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) joins USC Price School in Sacramento

  • 2019

    Executive Master of Urban Planning degree is introduced

  • 2019

    90th Anniversary Celebration at Los Angeles City Hall on January 31st

  • 1927
  • 1928
  • 1929
  • 1929
  • 1932
  • 1933
  • 1946
  • 1951
  • 1951
  • 1953
  • 1954
  • 1955
  • 1964
  • 1965
  • 1966
  • 1971
  • 1972
  • 1973
  • 1974
  • 1976
  • 1978
  • 1982
  • 1984
  • 1986
  • 1988
  • 1989
  • 1991
  • 1992
  • 1994
  • 1996
  • 1996
  • 1998
  • 1999
  • 1999
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2007
  • 2009
  • 2009
  • 2011
  • 2011
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2019
First three graduates of the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration1932.
First three graduates of the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration in 1932.

With a history spanning more than 90 years, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy has earned a distinct reputation for excellence in creating scholarship that serves the global public good.

In 1929 the USC School of Citizenship and Public Administration opened its doors, becoming one of only two programs of this kind in America. It was by no means the multifaceted institution that stands today, but it contained seeds of a bold vision that would become the foundation for decades of progress.

In addition to a degree in public administration, the School of Citizenship and Public Administration offered classes in urban and regional planning, which eventually led to the urban and regional planning degree and school at USC. Over time, public administration formed the health administration program and the public policy program, while the urban planning school developed a real estate program.

A key milestone for the school was reached in 1998 when these various strands came together. A single, multidisciplinary entity was formed: the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

In November 2011, the school received a transformative $50 million naming gift from the Price Family Charitable Fund to endow and name the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. The gift honors the life of Sol Price, founder of Price Club. Known for his savvy decision-making, civic engagement, and commitment to social responsibility, the legacy of Sol Price aligns with so many of the values we strive to uphold at the USC Price School of Public Policy.