Promoting Equity in Higher Education
Begun in 1995 as a USC Rossier research center focused on higher education policy and practice, the Earl and Pauline Pullias Center for Higher Education was established in 2012 with a generous bequest from the Pullias Family estate. The gift allows one of the world’s leading research centers on higher education to continue its tradition of focusing on research, policy and practice to improve the field of higher education.
Learn More About the Pullias Center’s Mission, Vision and History
What is Equity in Higher Education?
At the Pullias Center for Higher Education, Equity is the fundamental belief at our core and essential part of our mission. We define Equity as:
Equity is the state of quality, or ideal of being just, impartial and fair, and it is synonymous with fairness and justice. Equity in higher education provides equal opportunity to all students, faculty and staff in order to ensure that they develop valuable skills and knowledge that help them live full lives and contribute to society. Equity is essential to remedying conditions for people who have been historically marginalized based on race, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, economic status and other social identities.
We believe it is our responsibility as a research center to highlight the ways in which we, as a society, can address past inequities and promote systemic change to ensure fairness and social justice for all in the future. Our research, policy work and practice is equity-focused in all aspects of higher education, including student success, equity for faculty and non-tenure-track faculty, and staff.
Meet The Pullias Team
One of the world’s leading research centers on higher education, the Pullias Center is directed by nationally-renowned higher education expert Adrianna Kezar. The Pullias Center’s faculty members continually author and edit books on higher education and regularly participate in conferences, symposiums, webinars, panels and more as part of our ongoing effort to share our research-informed perspectives on improving higher education outcomes. With a team of postdoctoral scholars and doctoral research assistants, the Pullias Center is developing the next generation of scholars in higher education.
Our Research-to-Practice Partnerships
The Pullias Center is proud to partner with highly-respected organizations and colleagues on our higher education research. Our research-to-practice partnerships (RPPs) feature collaborations between practitioners, researchers and funders that are intentionally organized to investigate problems of practice and solutions for improving outcomes in higher education.
Alumni
What does it mean to be an alumni of the Pullias Center? Our alumni consist of more than 60 post-doctoral scholars and PhD candidates who have collaborated with Pullias Center faculty members to produce inspiring and policy-changing research. In their post-Pullias lives, they serve in an assortment of roles, from university professor to K-12 superintendents and more, helping to form policy and practice that impacts students of all ages.
Contact Us
We want to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out:
Media Inquiries: Individual faculty members or Sheryl MacPhee, Communications Manager
General questions: pullias@rossier.usc.edu or 213-821-8392
