20th Anniversary Celebration of California’s Clean Car Standards (AB 1493)

Gov. Gray Davis, Fran Pavley and Sandy Berg examining an Isuzu Electric Truck, part of the electric showcase provided by LACI.
(Photo by Deirdre Flanagan)

By Matthew Kredell

California’s role as a worldwide leader in enacting climate change policy all started on July 22, 2002. That’s when then-Gov. Gray Davis signed into law AB 1493, which established California’s Clean Car Standards.

Many of the architects of California’s AB 1493 gathered at Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator on July 22 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this landmark legislation.

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy co-hosted the event, which recognized then-Gov. Gray Davis and author Fran Pavley for their groundbreaking work to pass the bill.

“I’m very proud that when I came to this fork in the road, I listened to Fran Pavley, Winston Hickox, my whole team, Mary Nichols, and signed this bill,” Davis said. “Because I really do believe it started a clean-energy revolution in America that continues today.”

Pavley gave shoutouts to many people who played instrumental roles in the bill’s passage. These included original sponsors Russell Long from Bluewater Network and Tim Carmichael from the Coalition of Clean Air. They were soon joined by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Pavley also thanked the following organizations and individuals who made a difference in passing the legislation: Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), Interfaith Power and Light, Better World Group, Sonoma Climate Center, V. John White, Union of Concerned Scientists, League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund, American Lung Association, Sierra Club, the Energy Foundation, as well as many local, state and federal officials.

Gov. Gray Davis and Fran Pavley, Former California State Senator, Author of AB1493. (Photo by Deirdre Flanagan)

“It really did take a village,” said Pavley, now environmental policy director for the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. “We could not have been successful without them, many who have joined us today. There weren’t a lot of big organizations in Sacramento supporting this measure. It really was a grassroots effort.”

The legislation mandated that the California Air Resources Board develop and implement greenhouse gas limits for vehicles beginning in model year 2009. It became the first measure passed in the United States to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles.

A middle school teacher before entering the legislature, Pavley wasn’t heavily influenced by or knowledgeable of the power wielded by oil companies and auto manufacturers that opposed the bill. She just thought it sounded great to clean up the air and greenhouse gas emissions that were contributing to the global climate crisis.

She gave credit to Davis for standing strong against such opposition.

“You want to alienate some of the most powerful special-interest groups in the state, you have to know there could be a price for that,” Pavley said. “And he not only stepped up and signed it but made sure it was implemented. So thank you again, Gray Davis.”

But the story and far-reaching impact of AB 1493 didn’t stop at it becoming law. First it needed to survive seven years of lawsuits from auto manufacturers.

Davis credited the three governors to follow him, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, with defending and building upon AB 1493.

Pavley followed up her impact with AB 1493 by authoring climate change legislation AB 32, signed by Schwarzenegger, and SB 32, signed by Brown.

Kevin de León, Councilmember, City of Los Angeles. (Photo by Deirdre Flanagan)

“Of all of California’s climate legislation, 1493 is the cornerstone and it was built into everything else that happened afterwards,” Pavley said. “You can’t overestimate how significant it was.”

City of Los Angeles Councilmember Kevin de Leon said Pavley inspired him to continue pushing for legislation to impact climate change during his time in the state legislature.

“I’m not quite sure if I would have moved SB 535 or SB 350 or SB 100 decarbonizing our grid if I didn’t know who Fran Pavley was and was inspired and motivated by Fran Pavley,” de Leon said.

Schwarzenegger was unable to attend due to a filming conflict but provided a letter read by Linda Adams, former California EPA Secretary.

“I’m honored to stand with the many California leaders who have supported this important law and I’m so happy that everyone is gathered today to celebrate the architects of it and our state’s commitment to the environment,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “Gray and Fran, you are both true action heroes who have made California a model for the world.”

Since Davis signed the bill, 17 states have adopted California’s clean car standards as their own. And in 2009, the Obama Administration adopted AB 1493 as the national standard for regulating tailpipe emissions.

“Our bill basically survived all these litigation attacks, if you will, in early 2009,” Davis said. “By then, Obama was President and was well aware of what we were doing. He took most of it, 85 to 90% of it, to form a national solution. Because of these efforts, 1493 not only reduces emissions in California. It reduces them nationally, and we had some impact in people’s thinking around the world.”

The Biden Administration reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own leading greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light trucks.

“California gives every state a run for their money in terms of climate action, and that’s a good thing,” said Ali Zaida, Deputy National Climate Advisor to President Biden. “That has propelled I think the shift we’re seeing across the country and really a renaissance in the American auto industry.”

Recently, Newsom advanced AB 1493 by announcing that California would become the first state to end new gas car sales by 2035.

“While the Supreme Court is restricting the federal EPA’s ability to tackle climate change, here in California we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of California’s clean cars rule,” Newsom said in a pre-recorded video. “Our state proudly has been working hard to tackle pollution and clean air for well over a half a century.”

Jason Mark, CEO of the Energy Foundation, moderated a panel discussion on the impact of AB 1493 and the future of mitigating climate change in California with Sandy Berg, vice-chair of the California Air Resources Board, Lauren Faber O’Connor, chief sustainability officer for the City of Los Angeles, and Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs.

Panel Discussion L-R: Matt Petersen, CEO & President, LACI, Sandy Berg, Lauren Faber O’Connor, Bob Keefe, and Jason Mark. (Photo by Deirdre Flanagan)

Berg recalled that she joined the California Air Resources Board just 30 days before the vote on 1493.

“One of the premier things that I think 1493 did is it truly was the tipping point for the autos that this was here to stay, that their contribution to health and to climate was absolutely identified, we weren’t going to back down, and they needed to really step up,” Berg said. “We had to fight like hell to get it and we had to wait seven years, and we did not back down.”

O’Connor said that Los Angeles is taking the lessons learned from 1493 and applying them to the heavy-duty sector. In 2017, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach committed to zero-emission heavy duty transportation by 2035. Newsom then made it the law of the land for all California ports.

“Cooperation, collaboration and partnership can happen,” O’Connor said. “1493 is an example of something that was generated at the state, has built an incredible, long-lasting coalition, but also wouldn’t have had the full impact that it had if it wasn’t for the Obama Administration. The cooperation and collaboration and learning, that can be something we can apply to the energy sector, to water and so on.”

Keefe literally wrote the book on climate change and the economy. His book Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet came out earlier this year.

He attested that AB 1493 changed the narrative regarding environmental policy being bad for business.

“Back then, businesses were almost uniformly against things that were good for the environment,” Keefe said. “Because they bought into the false narrative that so many industries and lobbyists and others were spewing that we couldn’t have a good economy and a good environment. Well, 1493 changed that. Fran Pavley changed that.”

Keefe added that 150,000 people now work in the electric vehicle industry. And when hybrids and other plug-in vehicles are included, that total reaches 250,000 people employed.

“It’s nice to look back and see how much has been done the past 20 years,” Davis said. “But I know this law will continue to affect people for decades to come.”

What makes a healthy city?

Advocates around the world are using a USC Price professor’s research to make their cities healthier and more sustainable.

Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis Geoff Boeing is part of an international team of researchers who recently published a series in The Lancet Global Health on how to create healthy and sustainable cities –  and how research can inform policies to improve public health.

The series couldn’t be timelier: Much of the urban growth over the next 30 years is predicted to occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which face harsher consequences of climate change and are disproportionately affected by health challenges including infectious diseases. Shortly after the series was published, The Lancet co-hosted two global launch events with the researchers, and over a dozen local events were held around the world with city leaders, researchers and health and sustainability advocates.

The Price Office of Communication recently sat down with Boeing to discuss The Lancet Global Health series, the “1,000 Cities Challenge” and what happens next.

Q: This research follows an earlier series of papers in The Lancet on healthy cities. Can you talk a little bit about the prior research and what’s new?

Back in 2016, The Lancet published a series looking at urban design, transport and health in cities around the world. One of the big takeaways was that we need a better evidence base to support cities that are well-designed and have good transportation policies and urban planning. But that evidence base is often hard to come by.

At this point, we know what healthy cities look like and how they’re performing for their citizenry. For example, we know cities in Europe tend to have better pedestrian accessibility, easier access to daily living needs and access to public open space than most American cities, which are characterized by sprawl, poor accessibility and car dependence.

But we also need better and more specific targets to hit. We have to put actual hard numbers on it to say, ‘If you do this, then we see this kind of relationship with physical activity and health.’

Our research tries to better understand what those targets might look like in 25 cities. We assessed whether cities are moving in the right direction to improve population health and reduce the factors contributing to climate change. And we created tools so other cities throughout the world can replicate these goals.

Q: If you were to create a recipe for a healthy, sustainable city, what ingredients would you need?

There’s a lot of geographic diversity around the world, along with different cultures, customs and forms of political governance. So, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all. But there are some invariant principles about what makes human beings healthy, like having access to healthy food, healthy air and physical activity. Being safe and having access to shelter – that’s essential.

When it comes to access to public open space, are there places for you to get outdoors to move around, get exercise and play with your children? Can you satisfy daily living needs without just sitting behind the wheel of your automobile?

While we’re not able to capture all aspects of what makes a city healthy, we were able to look at some of those specific public health aspects of it.

Geoff-Boeing
Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis Geoff Boeing (Courtesy: Price School)

Q: What’s an example of a city that’s meeting some of its residents’ needs, but not others?

In an American city like Phoenix, residents often have some source of food within a mile of their residences. But that’s because Phoenix is built on these super blocks of one square mile, with houses close enough to strip malls, with grocery stores and restaurants. You can walk to them, but it’s certainly not a pleasant walk.

That brings up an important aspect of urban design, which we can’t really capture in a study like this: The quality of the pedestrian environment. It’s an important piece of future research. For example, how wide is the sidewalk? Are there any street trees along that sidewalk to give you shade? Are there cars zooming by 12 inches away at 40 miles per hour, or are you protected as a pedestrian? Just because it’s only a half mile to get food doesn’t mean it’s the same walking experience as in another city.

Q: What are some of the solutions to make cities healthier and more sustainable? Are they expensive?

The biggest problem in America is that we make healthy cities, active travel and affordable housing illegal so much of the time. For example, apartments are banned in the vast majority of Los Angeles and only single-family homes are allowed. That makes it a lot harder to build smaller, more affordable housing units. We used to have much more walkable streets in Los Angeles, but we widened them in the middle of the 20th century, eliminating the street trees that shaded the sidewalks, so we could fit six driving lanes onto most of our arterial roads.

These are choices we made. And a lot of those are fairly easy to fix. It’s easier to build protected bike lanes than it is to build a new freeway. It’s easier to create bus-only lanes that carry more passengers than it is to widen the I-5 freeway through Orange County. These are fundamentally political choices, but a lot of them can be relatively inexpensive.

Q: I gather public transportation is a huge piece of the solution.

It plays a big role. But in most situations, train or bus trips start and end with a walking or biking trip. It’s the last mile problem and the solutions have to be useful. Often, cities will put bike lanes where it’s convenient to stick them, rather than thinking comprehensively about what a useful bicycling network looks like. Los Angeles is a poster child of that; we have these little scattered spurs and stubs of a bike lane for a block or two, and it just stops and disappears. It’s not a comprehensive network.

In a similar vein, cities build new light rail lines along disused freight tracks that go through industrial areas, or down the median of a freeway, because there’s some land available there or they’re able to use it without having to acquire a new right of way. In those cases, they’re not prioritizing that idea of access.

Q: Tell me about the launch events you held to discuss the results of the series. That’s a pretty unusual follow-on; how did it come about?

One of the central goals of our research is to make this work useful and usable by folks on the ground. We want to turn the data over to the mayor of a city and say, ‘Here’s how your city compares to its peers. Here’s where you could improve urban living for your citizens.’ The local launch events helped capitalize on that by bringing together those local stakeholders, along with some of the authors of the papers, to talk through the findings, how that city stacked up and what kind of policies they had in place.

We generated local scorecards for each city, which laid out some of the key facts and figures about that city and how it’s doing relative to the other places we looked at. The goal is for advocates to be able to bring those hard numbers as evidence to their city council and say, ‘We need safer walks to school; we need easier access to our daily living needs.’

In addition, we held a global launch with The Lancet to reach a wider audience and communicate that our software and data are open source and reproducible. We’ve invited anybody anywhere to use our tools. Once they generate the results and upload it to our website, we can build this into a broader database that benchmarks cities all around the world. Our goal is to expand to 1,000 cities.

That sounds ambitious. How are you getting that call out?

We have several dozen authors across all of these papers and everyone’s working to spread the word. We had a few hundred people attend the global launch. There’s a connection to a consortium of mayors operating in this sustainability space as well as to the United Nations with their sustainable development goals. That helped us frame a lot of our work around that global agenda of living within our means, with an eye toward a sustainable future in which we’re all healthier and more equitable.

Is there anything you want to add?

The open source, open data nature of this project really opens a lot of doors. For the first time, we’re able to do a lot of this analysis using open-source software and open data – meaning it’s all free and the work can be relatively low effort, where you don’t have to necessarily collect the primary data yourself.

The more that we can contribute all these things into open platforms like OpenStreetMap, the easier it is for everyone else to have access to it and to conduct citizen science or use the data for advocacy. So, aside from the urban planning and public health side of things, this is one of the big philosophical thrusts of our paper: We really need to lean into this idea of open science, open-source software, and open data for all.

USC Price pays tribute to Joyce Mann

Joyce Mann, director of USC Price’s International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM), unexpectedly passed away on June 27 as she was preparing to leave home for work. She was 65. We remember her here in photos and quotes from a few of the many people who knew and loved her.

Joyce was born in Rome, N.Y. But with a father in the U.S. Air Force, she and her family moved frequently. Waypoints for the Mann family included Winnemuca, Nevada; Okinawa, Japan; Moses Lake, Wash.; San Bernardino, Lompoc and Cambria, Calif. She had intended to retire in Cambria with her husband, Bob Sarnoff, and three sisters, Linda, Barbara and Christine.

Student and teacher from the beginning, she enjoyed swimming, bowling, pickleball, and long walks along Cambria’s seashore.  But her number one sport was always contract bridge, at which she allowed her competitive nature to shine.

Her father, Jim, was American and her mother, Yaiko, was Japanese – and Joyce and her sisters joyfully embraced both cultures and families.

Through IPPAM, Joyce had the opportunity to travel to other countries to recruit future students and attend alumni reunions.  

“She wanted to try everything in her life,” said Linda Mann Melendy, one of her three younger sisters.

She studied microbiology (premed), first at Cuesta College, then UCLA.  When not studying, she organized to remove a nuclear reactor from campus and protested to stop the opening of the Diablo (nuclear) Canyon Plant.  Off-campus, she was a Planned Parenthood clinic defender.  In graduate school, she switched to a master’s in health care policy. After her MPH, it was off to a UCLA/RAND joint PhD program and post-doctoral research.

She joined USC in August, 1999, to start the IPPAM graduate program at what is now USC Price with professor Glenn Melnick.

The Mann Family: James, Barbara, Yaiko, Front row: Joyce and Linda.
Joyce, aged 2.
Jim and Yaiko Mann with 8-month-old Joyce, December 1957.
Joyce in high school.

The high school years

“She was not your typical child. Joyce already read the newspaper when she was 7 or 8 years old.  She wanted to learn about the Vietnam War. I knew she was going to be special.” – Linda Mann Melendy

 

Joyce with Bob at Joanna Yu’s son Kenny’s wedding (Oahu, near Kailua).
Young Joyce and husband Bob Sarnoff.

“Were Joyce still with us this month, she would want us to all fight on but always with the biggest smile and the deepest compassion for everyone we touch.” – Bob Sarnoff

Top to bottom: Joyce and sisters Linda, Barbara, and Christine.
Joyce and her father, “Papa Jim,” with family members.

“She would do anything for her friends, her family and her Price School/IPPAM family.” – Linda Mann Melendy

“Joyce was the most selfless and generous person.  She truly lived her life to make the world a better place.” – sister Barbara Mann

Colleagues Ann Abrahamyan, Joanna Yu, and an IPPAM student with Joyce.
Price School colleagues and Joyce.

“She could work 17 hours a day, 7 days a week, but she was always kind and generous. She never complained, she never criticized.” – Joanna Yu, academic director, IPPAM, and friend and colleague to Joyce for 30 years.

“I met Joyce when we both worked at RAND, and I feel very fortunate for the support she provided to me when I joined the Price School. Joyce was fiercely intelligent and a joy to be around. Her passing is a great loss for our community,” – Dana Goldman, dean, USC Price School.

“My wife, Megan, and I were at an IPPAM reception … for a visiting dignitary and Price alum from Taiwan who also did beautiful ceramics. He had presented Joyce with one of his extraordinary artistic cups. When my wife admired it, Joyce gave the cup to her and refused to take it back when Megan insisted. We were both bowled over by such a kind and generous act by Joyce.  Megan still treasures that cup and uses it daily. Joyce was an exemplary leader, a person of warmth and natural congeniality whom we will deeply miss.” – Terry Cooper, professor emeritus of public policy

Joyce and students at a Price School “Welcome Back” celebration.
Joyce at IPPAM’s 15th Year Anniversary party.

“It’s been a challenging time since Dr. Joyce Mann passed away. However, I can still feel her spirit about learning and education in my personal and professional life. I am grateful that she arranged the IPPAM program in such a constructive environment so that students always have inspiration to continuously learn and grow.” – Aditia Nugroho, MD, MIPM, IPPAM ’20

“Without question my greatest contribution to the USC and Price School community was the day I convinced Joyce to move with me from UCLA to USC to start IPPAM.  If each life on earth is represented by a candle, Joyce’s candle was brighter than most, and now the earth is a little less bright, both because of her passing and because our lives are a little less bright without Joyce in our lives.” – USC Price Professor Glenn Melnick

“I treasured all the moments I spent with her laughing, playing games, watching movies, traveling, and talking.  I love you forever and always Auntie Joyce.”  – niece Maryn Steeb

Dr. Joyce Mann Memorial Scholarship Fund

Dr. Joyce Mann dedicated her time and talents as Director of the International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM) for more than 13 years. This scholarship fund will honor Joyce’s passion and legacy for the USC Price community by supporting students in the International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM). Students will be awarded based on merit, potential for professional contributions to their field, and those that embody the character and tireless spirit of Joyce.

Direct Giving Link:
This link is set to default to the Joyce Mann Memorial Scholarship Fund on giveto.usc.edu.
University of Southern California 

Mobile Giving:
Text: JOYCEMANN to 41444 from any mobile device. Individuals will follow prompts on how to make a gift via credit card.

For any additional questions please contact:
Ann Abrahamyan
Business Manager
International Public Policy and Management Program
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (213) 926-9158

In Memoriam: Dr. Joyce Mann

On behalf of the entire USC Sol Price School of Public Policy community, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the parents, family, and friends of Dr. Joyce Mann, who passed away on Monday, June 27th, 2022.

Joyce joined USC Price in 1999, serving as director of the IPPAM program for the last 13 years. Her intellect, generosity, and compassion touched the lives of everyone who had the honor of knowing and working with her. Joyce’s research centered on health care issues and made a lasting impact in the field, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to inform future policymakers.

As dedicated and thoughtful Joyce was with her team, colleagues, and beloved students, she would not want to see anyone in distress. Instead, we can remember her by her contagious laughter, spirited work, and the intimate yet enriching moments you shared with her at IPPAM and USC Price.

Her goals truly embodied the mission of the Price School as she seeked to improve the quality of life for people and their communities. For every person that has crossed her path, it will be difficult to forget her admirable tenacity, never-ending care, and kind soul. Joyce was one of a kind, and her presence will be greatly missed.

Sincerely,
Joanna C. Yu, Ph.D.
Academic Director
International Public Policy and Management Program
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: (213) 740-0547

Dr. Joyce Mann Memorial Scholarship Fund

Dr. Joyce Mann dedicated her time and talents as Director of the International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM) for more than 13 years. This scholarship fund will honor Joyce’s passion and legacy for the USC Price community by supporting students in the International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM). Students will be awarded based on merit, potential for professional contributions to their field, and those that embody the character and tireless spirit of Joyce.

Direct Giving Link:
This link is set to default to the Joyce Mann Memorial Scholarship Fund on giveto.usc.edu.
University of Southern California

Mobile Giving:
Text: JOYCEMANN to 41444 from any mobile device. Individuals will follow prompts on how to make a gift via credit card.

For any additional questions please contact:
Ann Abrahamyan
Business Manager
International Public Policy and Management Program
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (213) 926-9158

New USC Price/Viterbi Executive Global Space and Defense Program Prepares Military Experts to Coordinate Policy and Technology

Jamie Johnson, Ph.D, presenting material during the Executive Program in Global Space and Defense, Spring USC Residency.
(Photo by Hannah Benet)

By Omar Lewis and Jenesse Miller

Highlights

  • War in Ukraine underscores need for program’s multidisciplinary approach to national defense
  • High-ranking officials from military, government and private industry took part in program’s inaugural year
  • Student projects looked at missile defense challenges, how to respond to an attack on U.S. satellites, how to defend Guam

Participating in USC’s first Executive Global Space and Defense Program couldn’t have been more timely for George Christoph.

It’s one thing to ponder theoretical threats, said Christoph, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, But, “it’s another thing to see it in action with Russia acting out what they said they were going to do. I hope this makes everyone realize this threat is real, and it can happen.”

Indeed, the program’s capstone events, April 28-30, coincided with Russia’s missile attack on Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv, underscoring the global stakes for missile defense.

Taught by faculty in the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and USC Viterbi School of Engineering and in partnership with the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), the course helps students learn to better defend against international threats to the U.S. homeland and outer space by enhancing their understanding of the intersection of public policy and engineering.

Upon completion of the program, Christoph, who is stationed in Panama City, Florida, says he plans to brief top ranking military officials on the valuable lessons he learned from the USC executive education program.

USC Price Director of Executive Education and a professor of the practice of governance Frank Zerunyan teaching at Spring residency course. (Photo by Hannah Benet)

An interdisciplinary approach to missile defense

“As a university, we are immersed in the future of the world. That’s exactly what we are doing through this program by bringing an interdisciplinary approach to global defense and deterrence,” said Frank Zerunyan, USC Price Director of Executive Education and a professor of the practice of governance. Zerunyan and USC Viterbi Associate Dean of Corporate Engagement and Programs Candace House Teixeira co-created the certificate’s curriculum and faculty appointments.

More than two dozen high-ranking officials from the military, government and innovation communities completed the inaugural USC Executive Program in Global Space and Defense. The eight-month course, which kicked off last September, aimed to help  leaders tackle growing issues of national security by bridging bureaucratic gaps between policy and new innovations.

The first cohort was made up of professionals holding various positions in the Department of Defense, U.S. Army, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, The National Guard, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies.

“You can have the best engineering solution in the world, but it doesn’t matter if the policies in place don’t allow you to utilize that solution,” said Riki Ellison (USC Dornsife ’83), the founder and chairman of MDAA. “We wanted to create a culture of excellence where we can teach future leaders how to collaborate, exchange ideas and create key relationships.”

Military experts say mixing professionals who have a variety of security and defense backgrounds helps them better understand how to address real-world defense challenges, builds collaboration and ultimately strengthens military defense.

“After this course, one of the military professionals may personally and professionally know a senior person from Boeing. They can actually pick up the phone and say, ‘Look at what’s going on here internationally; do you have this on the shelf or what can we do to help enable and speed this process?’” said Rear Admiral Victorino G. Mercado (ret.), MDAA’s academic innovation liaison to the project and former assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Guest speakers included senior defense officials, military leaders and experts in defense policy and operations. The U.S. Space Force, the newest military branch which has become key to the conversation about national and global security, also took center stage in the course. Students visited Vandenberg Space Force Base and The Los Angeles Space Force Base. USC recently joined the Space Force’s University Partnership Program.

“Understanding what’s new in academia and how we can apply that to what we do in space was extremely valuable and exactly what I was hoping to get from this experience,” said Colonel Heather Anderson with the U.S. Space Force. “It gives me a different strategic picture.”

Students completed the course with group capstone projects designed to analyze the toughest policy and engineering problems while producing tangible solutions. Topics ranged from missile defense challenges, to how to respond to an attack on U.S. satellites, to how to defend Guam, the westernmost territory of the U.S.

 

Students react to a capstone presentation for the USC Price/Viterbi Executive Program in Global Space and Defense. (Photo by Hannah Benet)

Recruitment for the second cohort is already underway

USC Price’s Zerunyan, who also serves as the director of university’s ROTC program, said USC was well situated to host the executive program, which, reaffirms the intersection of our military academic assets, defense technology, community and governance at the core of Los Angeles County and reflects our central mission: the development of leaders to devise policies that make societies and communities worldwide better places for all.”

Planning for the next iteration of the program has begun, Zerunyan said, with recruitment for the second cohort taking place over the summer and an anticipated launch in September 2022. “It is unique for an executive education program to bridge diverse academic areas, such as engineering and policy, with the real-time needs of the U.S. Military and industry partners,” said USC Viterbi’s Candace House Teixeira. “We look forward to years of continued program development in this area. This is just the beginning.”

Related faculty


Zerunyan-fixed

Frank V. Zerunyan

Professor of the Practice of Governance
Director, Executive Education
Director of ROTC Programs