Culture and Community Success

Culture and Community Success

The Office of Culture and Community Success acts as a centralized hub, unifying Marshall students, staff, and faculty around a shared commitment to bold, collaborative growth that integrates human leadership, principled action, and inclusive engagement. By embracing our differences and intentionally fostering engagement and belonging, the Office reinforces Marshall’s dedication to academic excellence and meaningful societal impact while furthering USC’s broader mission to serve and innovate for the public good.
USC Marshall is committed to building supportive spaces for all of our students, staff, and faculty, while encouraging empathy, inclusion, and understanding across a variety of backgrounds.

You have to be able to hear every voice. If you establish a culture where everyone feels valued and that they belong, then you do get more. You get more engagement, more collective intelligence, more creativity, better critical thinking.

Sarah Townsend

Vice Dean of Culture and Community Success

Associate Professor of Management and Organization

Prioritizing Ethics and Responsibility

USC Marshall students and faculty share their thoughts on the importance of respecting and regarding societal responsibilities. "Those who do the right thing — those who conduct business with integrity — build a reputation and ultimately in the long term are always more successful," Joe Ucuzoglu '97, CEO Deloitte US.
Welcome to Marshall
Undergraduate Leadership Programs

OFFICE OF CULTURE AND COMMUNITY SUCCESS

The Office of CCS lays the groundwork for Marshall and USCʻs mission by partnering with students, staff, faculty, and alumni to ensure that we have a community in which members from all backgrounds are valued, heard, and empowered to create positive change.

We engage in work in two overarching areas, while deliberately promoting practices and policies to ensure fair treatment:

Undergraduate student recruitment. In partnership with admissions and various individual faculty, the Marshall and Leventhal schools have several initiatives to broaden potential recruitment. These programs provide potential students with resources and information on applying to USC and prepare them for success and ultimately expand access to business and accounting professions.
Master’s and doctoral student recruitment. Working with other academic units across USC as well as outside organizations (such as CONSORTIUM), we work to increase the visibility and position of Marshall as an inclusive academic community.
Strategic faculty hiring. We support the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs as well as our department of human resources to assist with increasing utilization of the resources available to departments and hiring committees and to promote broad recruitment strategies and unbiased hiring processes.
USC Marshall and Leventhal Culture & Community Fellows Program. The Program consists of Marshall and Leventhal faculty and staff who serve and partner with our office to expand capacity and impact throughout the organization. Beginning in Fall 2024, the program focuses on three pillars: Knowledge (workshops, education sessions, and discussions), Community (building connections among faculty and staff), and Service (supporting Office of Culture and Community Success initiatives). Fellows’ serve as facilitators, mentors, strategists, and ambassadors while engaging in assessment and evaluation of organizational culture and community efforts.
Human Leadership Forums. Alone or in partnership with other units within Marshall, we invite and host speakers who are prominent industry leaders, professionals, and others with unique expertise. Speakers share their experiences and perspectives to increase DEI-related knowledge and skills among the Marshall community.
Cultural & Heritage Month Celebrations. We have joined with other diversity administrators across USC to support the planning and execution of campus-wide events celebrating and honoring the rich tapestry of cultures represented within our academic community.
Leadership Development Core. Series of workshops given to all entering masters-level students to develop critical leadership skills for their time at Marshall and, subsequently, in their careers.
THE TENURE PROJECT We are gold sponsors of The Tenure Project, which offers a supportive environment where junior faculty from all backgrounds and identities are welcomed and engaged in programs, events, and dialogues that address the important issues affecting Black, Latinx/e, and Native American junior faculty obtaining tenure in US business schools. Marshall hosted the annual conference in July 2024.
Faculty and Staff Community Connections. We host and support workshops and community-building opportunities for faculty and staff with the ultimate goal of supporting well-being and building a community in which all members know they belong and that their unique backgrounds and experiences are valued.
Student Experience. Our office serves to mentor and support students both formally and informally. This work includes offering funds to enable students to attend professional networking conferences, connecting student groups with speakers, and lending an open ear to bolster student resilience and problem-solving.

GRADUATE STUDENT AFFINITY ORGANIZATIONS

There are nearly 30 registered Marshall Graduate Students Organizations, including affinity organizations. Groups are open to all Marshall graduate students and provide a means of support, resources, collaboration, professional development, social networking and advocacy opportunities.

Black Graduate Business Leaders

BGBL is dedicated to assisting Marshall Graduate students of African descent become successful leaders in academia and business. BGBL strives to strengthen the economic, intellectual, and cultural wealth of the black community.

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Graduate Asian Business Society

The Graduate Asian Business Society (GABS) is committed to promoting and celebrating the diverse Asian community at Marshall. GABS aims to enhance the Marshall environment by developing forums through which studentscan network with and learn from Asian business leaders and peers, and help its members and alumni build a lasting network and share career and business opportunities.

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Graduate Women in Business

USC Marshall Graduate Women in Business (GWiB) is a student-led organization focused on the advancement of women in business.

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Jewish Association of Marshall Students

JAMS is dedicated to fostering a Jewish professional networkamong Marshall students, the USC graduate schools and theLos Angeles business community from all industries andfunctional areas. The organization serves as a forum formembers as well as the Marshall community as a whole togain exposure to relevant business issues and Jewish culture.

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AFFINITY ORGANIZATIONS

There are 30+ Marshall Undergraduate Student Organizations, including affinity organizations. Groups are open to all Marshall undergraduate students and provide opportunities to engage around shared interests and experiences, as well as to build leadership, encourage teamwork, and sharpen networking skills.

Ascend

Ascend USC Chapter is the Premier Pan-Asian Business Club at the University of Southern California. We are dedicated to providing the best resources and opportunities for our members.

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Association of Latino Professionals For America

The Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) USC Chapter’s goal is to empower and help develop underrepresented students as leaders in all majors. By connecting students with professionals in several different settings, we hope to provide growth opportunities directly applicable to their future careers. We seek to be the bridge between students and professionals, while preemptively educating students on common misconceptions about entering the workforce. Additionally, our chapter prides itself on its culture of togetherness and networking, which we call “ALPFAmilia”. In combination with ALPFA USC’s familial culture and practices, ALPFA is focused on empowering students of all backgrounds through the various opportunities offered with professional development workshops and professional events.

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Black Business Student Association

The Black Business Student Association operates under the USC Marshall School of Business, and is dedicated to preparing students of diverse backgrounds and areas of study to succeed and thrive in the professional world by providing them with numerous resources and opportunities.

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Latino Business Student Association

The Latino Business Student Association was founded in the fall of 1978 and is one the largest and most active pre-professional business organizations in California.

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C&C FELLOWS

The USC Marshall and Leventhal Culture & Community (C&C) Fellows program is a one-year initiative for faculty and staff of the Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting to expand organizational efforts across the organization. Beginning in Fall 2024, the program focuses on three pillars: Knowledge (workshops, education sessions, and discussions), Community (building connections among faculty and staff), and Service (supporting Office of Culture and Community Success initiatives). Fellows serve as facilitators, mentors, strategists, and ambassadors while engaging in assessment and evaluation of organizational culture and community efforts. Participation requires attending monthly meetings, completing professional development opportunities, and contributing at least 30 hours annually to Marshall/Leventhal community and culture efforts. Benefits include professional development opportunities, access to learning opportunities, and a supportive community of culture and community practitioners.