“Higher Education: Engine of Democracy, Security & Upward Mobility” the topic for lunchtime event at the USC Hotel ballroom in Los Angeles.
Dr. John B. King, Jr., the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, is the featured speaker for this year’s 46th Pullias Lecture, produced annually by the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education. The title of his talk is “Higher Education: Engine of Democracy, Security and Upward Mobility,” and will focus on the role that higher education plays in our society.
Registration is now open for the free, lunchtime event.
In conversation with USC Rossier School of Education Dean Pedro Noguera and Pullias Center Director Adrianna Kezar, Chancellor King, who previously served as the United States Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, will share his views on the ways that higher education can uphold democracy, ensure security and lead to upward mobility.
“We are at a critical time for discussions about the role of higher education in ensuring core goals like social mobility and democracy, and I look forward to this chance to reflect and take stock and we navigate a volatile time in our history,” noted Adrianna Kezar, who also serves as the Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Leadership at USC’s Rossier School of Education.
Dr. John B. King, Jr. is the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States. In fall of 2023, the System saw its first overall enrollment increase in a decade and hired approximately 700 faculty members across all disciplines at SUNY’s State-operated campuses.
Before being appointed SUNY Chancellor, King served as president of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit, and Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland College Park. Prior to this, Chancellor King served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. Upon tapping him to lead the U.S. Department of Education, President Obama called Chancellor King "an exceptionally talented educator," citing his commitment to "preparing every child for success," and his lifelong dedication to public education as a teacher, principal, and leader of schools and school systems.
The Pullias Center, a research center focused on advancing equity in higher education, offers a number of resources that highlight the role that higher education plays in our society, including a 2024 special issue of Change Magazine, which is helmed by Executive Editor Adrianna Kezar. Additional resources include the books Envisioning public scholarship for our time: Models for higher education researchers [Kezar, A., Drivalas, Y., & Kitchen, J.A. (Eds.). (2018)] and Higher education for the public good: Emerging voices from a national movement [Kezar, A. J., Chambers, T. C., & Burkhardt, J. C. (Eds.). (2005)], as well as numerous reports available on the Pullias Center website.
The event is open to all members of the higher education community, including faculty, staff, students and alumni.
Free parking at the USC Figueroa Street parking lot is available with your registration to the Lecture.
