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; 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.
About the USC 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
1946
Delinquency Control Institute is established and is still in operation as the Safe Communities Institute
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.
1964
Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning begins
1971
Kim Nelson is Dean of the School of Public Administration
1972
Sacramento Public Affairs Center is established
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
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 Economic Development is launched
1998
METRANS University Transportation Center is established
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
Online Master of Public Administration degree is offered
2011
Sol Price Center for Social Innovation is launched
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
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
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
90th Anniversary Celebration at Los Angeles City Hall on January 31st
History of the Price School
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.
Contact Us
USC Price Office of the Dean
650 Childs Way, RGL 312
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626
Phone: (213) 740-0350