Committees


Below is a list of university-wide committees which are appointed by the President, Academic Senate, or the Provost. Faculty who wish to be considered for committee service should notify their respective Faculty Council chairs, department chairs or dean of faculty. Retired faculty should contact the Emeriti Center.


Academic SenateAcademic Program, Curriculum & Degrees | Arts, Sports & Events | Benefits | HonorsResearch | Safety | Student Affairs | Technology in Learning | Promotion and Tenure

ACADEMIC SENATE

Additional information about some of these committees, including the reports that they have produced in the past, are also available on the Academic Senate Committees webpage.


ACADEMIC PROGRAM, CURRICULUM & DEGREES

  • Committee on Academic Policies & Procedures (CAPP) | Committee Members
    The Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures (CAPP) is responsible for advising the Provost on unit requirements, residency requirements, and broad-based policies and issues related to the academic appeals process.
  • Continuing Education Committee
  • University Committee on Academic Review (UCAR) | Committee Members
    The University Committee on Academic Review (UCAR) oversees the process of academic program review. UCAR is a permanent, standing university committee appointed by the President. Recommendations for membership is solicited from a variety of sources, including academic deans and the Executive Board of the Academic Senate.
  • University Committee on Curriculum (UCOC) | Committee Members
    The committee plays a crucial role in the decisions regarding the university’s curricular, major, minor, and certificate offerings, and the requirements to successfully complete those offerings. It takes over a thousand actions a year, with most proposals acted on in one of the subcommittees, while complicated proposals are acted on by the executive committee that includes chairs of subcommittees. The committee’s actions are published in the University Catalogue. UCOC advises the Provost on all matters pertaining to the adoption, elimination, and revision of courses and programs. It reviews and recommends university-wide policies on curriculum, and also works with units to ensure that appropriate processes are in place in each unit to provide for faculty oversight, development, and evaluation of curriculum. The committee reviews and approves forms and checklists developed by the staff of the Curriculum Office. Recommendations made by the committee are to be based entirely on academic considerations, with revenue concerns resolved by the dean and the Provost. All committee members are faculty. New members are selected in consultation with the Academic Senate Executive Board. Within the University Committee on Curriculum, there are:

Arts and Humanities Subcommittee (AHS)
Science and Engineering Subcommittee (SES)
Social Sciences Subcommittee (SSS)
Health Professions Subcommittee (HPS)
Overseas Studies Panel (OSP)


ARTS, SPORTS & EVENTS

  • Advisory Board for the USC Fisher Museum of Art 
    The Advisory Board for the USC Fisher Museum of Art is drawn from the audiences that the Museum serves: faculty, staff, students and administration. The Board advises the Director of the Museum on issues related to policy and governance, major acquisitions and major deaccessions, and other matters of significance. This committee reports to the Provost. Members are appointed to a two-year term.
  • Public Art and Campus Design Committee
    This committee has been established to manage the public art program on campus and is responsible for creating a programmatic master plan and developing policies on topics such as project management, donations, controversy resolution, and public information and education. The committee will consider and recommend approval the acceptance of donated works of art, the appointment of artists to create works of art, the final design, and the siting of the art.

BENEFITS

  • Employee Benefits Advisory Committee | Committee Members
    The Employee Benefits Committee reviews, evaluates and recommends in reference to the issues of benefit costs, formulation of changes and implementation of new programs, response to changing legal climate affecting benefit plans, and monitoring changes in the tax code affecting university benefit plans.
  • Committee on Work and Family Life
    The Committee on Work and Family Life seeks to further improve the quality of life of USC faculty and to promote health and wellness. It advises the Center for Work and Family Life. It also explores ways to enhance current childcare benefits and services, working with the Senior Vice President for Administration and his staff on a needs and feasibility analysis to explore expansion of those benefits and services.

HONORS

  • Lifetime Achievement Award Committee
    This committee recommends which retired faculty deserve recognition at the annual Academic Honors Convocation with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The committee is advisory to the President.

RESEARCH

  • Conflict of Interest Review Committee
    The CIRC is charged with reviewing conflict of interest disclosures and formulating recommendations to manage, reduce, or eliminate conflicts of interest. The CIRC consists of faculty members appointed by the Provost’s office, a representative from the Office of compliance, a representative from the USC Stevens Center for Innovation (non-voting), a representative from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or the Office for Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS), an attorney from the Office of General Counsel (non-voting), a representative from the Department of Contracts and Grants (non-voting), and such other representatives as may be determined by the CIRC.
  • Institutional Review Board
    The Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern California is charged with protecting the rights and welfare of human research subjects in research studies conducted at USC and elsewhere by USC faculty, staff, graduate or undergraduate students, regardless of funding or type by or through USC.
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
    The University of Southern California Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees USC’s animal programs, animal facilities, and policies ensuring appropriate care, ethical use, and humane treatment of animals.
  • USC Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee (SCRO)
    The SCRO reviews, approves, and provides oversight over all issues related to the derivation and use of human pluripotent stem cells as defined by federal and state law.
  • Research Safety Oversight Committee (RSOC)
    The RSOC is responsible for oversight of USC’s Research Safety Programs and for facilitating and encouraging the development of strong culture of safety in teaching and research laboratories, establishing and promulgating written institutional policies and guidelines, determining acceptable levels of risk for the institution, and providing guidance to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, the Department of Risk Management, and individual academic departments.

SAFETY

  • Chemical Safety Committee
    The USC Chemical Safety Committee (CSC) is responsible for enforcing policies and guidelines related to the use of potentially hazardous chemicals or materials and ensuring that research involving these agents is conducted in a manner that does not endanger the researcher, laboratory workers, the public, or the environment.
  • Institutional Biosafety Committee
    The Institutional Biosafety Committee is responsible for enforcing policies and guidelines related to the use of all potentially hazardous biological agents including but not limited to infectious agents, human and non human primate materials (including established cell lines), known regulated carcinogens, select agents, recombinant DNA and studies involving human gene transfer. The committee is responsible for ensuring that research involving these agents is conducted in a manner that does not endanger the researcher, laboratory worker, human research subjects, the public or the environment.
  • Radiation Safety Committee (one for HSC and one for UPC)
    In accordance with state and federal regulations, the Radiation Safety Committee must evaluate all proposals for, and maintain surveillance over, all uses of radioactive materials.

STUDENT AFFAIRS

  • Oversight Committee on Athletic Academic Affairs (OCAAA)
    The committee provides the Provost with oversight and advice on matters related to academic support for student-athletes through the following functions:
  1. Reviews and advises on programs, operations, and policies of the Student Athlete Academic Services (SAAS).
  2. Reviews and advises on policies and practices designed to assure academic integrity in all academic-related matters for student-athletes.
  3. Reviews the academic performance of student-athletes, including progress to degree and graduation rates.
  4. Serves as a review board for student-athlete appeals affecting athletic eligibility.
  • Student Behavior Appeals Panel
    The Student Behavior Appeals Panel serves the President through the Vice President for Student Affairs. All recommendations of the Student Behavior Appeals Panel are subject to review and possible modification by the Vice President for Student Affairs and, once approved, are final and binding upon all parties.The members of this panel are appointed by the President. Each appeal is reviewed by three members including at least one student and one faculty member. The panel is advised by an appointee of the Vice President for Student Affairs. The advisor is a non-voting member whenever the panel convenes.The Student Behavior Appeals Panel meets on a regular basis to review all appeals where academic sanctions and/or sanctions of expulsion, suspension, revocation of degree and revocation of admission are imposed.

TECHNOLOGY IN LEARNING

  • Educational Technology Committee
    This committee advises Information Technology Services (ITS) leadership on strategic planning, policy guidelines, and support opportunities and challenges related to learning management systems (LMS). The committee also communicates its shared priorities to the USC academic community to improve LMS user experience and to ultimately increase use. The committee is comprised of up to eight faculty members from various academic units and ex-officio members representing ITS.

PROMOTION AND TENURE

  • Faculty Tenure & Privileges Appeals Committee
    The Committee on Faculty Tenure and Privileges Appeals is a standing University body. Its membership, appointed by the President from among persons nominated by the Academic Senate, is made up of at least 40 full-time tenured faculty, and at least four full-time RTPC faculty of the rank of Associate Professor or higher who serve only where the Handbook requires a RTPC faculty member. At least four committee members shall have law degrees and at least six other members shall have had prior service on a grievance panel. Nominations and appointments shall be at annual intervals for a three-year term. By agreeing to serve on the Committee on Faculty Tenure and Privileges Appeals, faculty members are making the commitment to be available to serve on grievance panels and will accept such requests to serve whenever possible.
  • University Committee on Appointments, Promotions and Tenure (UCAPT)
    The University Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (UCAPT) provides the Provost of the university with advice on the appointments and promotions of faculty at the ranks of associate professor and professor. Committee members hold the rank of full professor and have previous experience on school or division faculty promotion committees. UCAPT generally consists of at least six panels of five to eight faculty members in related disciplinary areas. UCAPT members are a rotating group of outstanding scholars, educators, and creative artists, diverse by field, intellectual approach, ethnicity, and gender. At the end of each academic year, the University makes public the names of UCAPT members from the past two years.
  • University Committee on RTPC Faculty Promotions | Committee Members
    For RTPC promotions, the University Committee on RTPC Faculty Promotions advises the President on appeals when deans have not agreed with the advice of faculty committees.The committee appoints ad hoc panels that include both tenured and RTPC faculty.

Last updated August 2022