USC Iovine and Young Academy

The first of its kind in the nation, the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation not only offers a uniquely crafted curriculum to its inaugural cohort, but also extends invaluable learning opportunities to the entire university community.

With a visionary gift from music-industry leaders Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young, the University of Southern California is establishing a new academy to teach critical thinking and nurture unbridled creativity at the intersection of three essential areas: art and design; engineering and computer science; and business and venture management.

Conceived as a collaborative environment that brings students, instructors and professional mentors together, the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation is a transformational presence on one of the nation’s most dynamic university campuses.

The focus of the program’s course of study is on creativity and critical thinking. It draws on the talents and influence of faculty and leaders from multiple disciplines and industries to empower the next generation of disruptors and professional thought leaders who will ply their skills in a global arena.

USC’s strategic location in Los Angeles, widely viewed as the creative and media capital of the world, provides an unrivaled opportunity for students to take advantage of a living laboratory where music, film and the visual arts are deeply intertwined. In addition, the university’s proximity to the city’s burgeoning “Silicon Beach” as well as Northern California’s Silicon Valley provides access to the world’s premiere technology companies from which students can learn and draw inspiration.

The Academy will enroll its inaugural class of students in fall 2014. Students who complete a course of study in the Academy will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. Crafted via a unique and groundbreaking integration of its core disciplines — visual and audio design, engineering and computer science, business and venture management — this degree recognizes each individual’s ability to truly engage and to succeed in an educational experience that is constantly asking the question, “What if…?”

Academy majors will fine-tune their ideas and complete working models or prototypes in the Garage, the Academy’s collaborative creation space. Located on the top floor of USC’s Steven and Kathryn Sample Hall, adjacent to the new Ronald Tutor Campus Center, the Garage contains state-of-the art learning and networking spaces, maker and fabrication studios with 3D scanning and printing capabilities, high-powered computer work stations, and spaces for individual and group work, or even down time. Students working in the Garage will be grouped into self-directed teams and guided by faculty and industry mentors including artists, designers, technology visionaries, business and public policy leaders, philanthropists, global entrepreneurs, and others.

Senior Administration

Erica Muhl, DMA, Dean, Executive Director, Professor of Fine Arts and Composition

Susan E. Metros, MFA, Associate Dean, Professor of Design Practice

Brian K. Shepard, DMA, Assistant Dean, Professor of the Practice of Audio Design

Admissions and Student Services

Jessica Vernon, M.Ed., Senior Adviser and Recruiter

Faculty

Professor: Sarah Banet-Weiser, Ph.D., (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism)

Professor of Design Practice: Susan Metros, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design)

Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship: Gene Miller, MBA, J.D., (Marshall School of Business)

Clinical Professors: Jonathan Taplin; Alison Trope, Ph.D., (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism)

Professor of Clinical Management and Organization: Robert B. Turrill, Ph.D., (Marshall School of Business)

Associate Professor of Clinical Information and Operations Management: Arif Ansari, Ph.D., (Marshall School of Business)

Associate Professor of the Practice: Michael Crowley, Ph.D., (Viterbi School of Engineering)

Associate Professor: Joshua Kun, Ph.D., (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism)

Associate Professors of the Practice of Fine Arts: Haven Lin-Kirk, MFA; Ann Page, BFA, (Roski School of Art and Design)

Assistant Professor: Robeson Taj Frazier, Ph.D., (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism)

Assistant Professor of the Practice of Fine Arts: Sherin Guirguis, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design)

Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing: Ira Kalb, MBA, (Marshall School of Business)

Assistant Professor of Clinical Information and Operations Management: Hiroshi Ochiumi, Ph.D., (Marshall School of Business)

Senior Lecturers: Patrick Dent, M.S.; Trina Gregory, B.A., (Viterbi School of Engineering)

Lecturers: Nathan Greenfield, M.S.; Robert Parke, M.S., (Viterbi School of Engineering)

Lecturer of Fine Arts: Andrew Kutchera, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design)

Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship: Greg Autry, MBA, Ph.D., (Marshall School of Business)

Adjunct Professor of Strategy: Christine El-Haddad, Ph.D., (Marshall School of Business)

Adjunct Faculty: Andrew Byrom, BFA, (Roski School of Art and Design); Jeffrey Cain, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design); Steve Child, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design); Paula Patnoe-Woodley, M.A., (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism); Jillian Pierson, Ph.D., (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism); Joseph Potts, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design); Osvaldo Trujillo, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design); Alexis Zoto, MFA, (Roski School of Art and Design)

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