Jennifer Wolch appointed Dean

Jennifer Wolch, professor of geography and director of the USC Center for Sustainable Cities, was appointed dean of graduate programs in July 2005. She will provide leadership and guidance for graduate student recruitment and for current students to ensure their experience is intellectually rewarding and to help them on their scholarly and professional career paths.

Her research focuses on the geography of poverty and homelessness in American cities, social policy and human service delivery, and the role of the voluntary nonprofit sector in the American welfare state. She also studies the urban environment, particularly the problem of metropolitan sprawl, the place of animals in the city, and the role of parks and open space in the promotion of physical activity and health. Wolch was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Social and Behavioral Sciences in 1995-96 and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1997. She also received the Association of American Geographer's 2005 Award for Distinguished Scholarship for her intellectual leadership, use of transdisciplinary methods, and contributions to research and policy. This award is the most prestigious honor for scholarship awarded by the association.

Wolch received her Ph.D. in urban planning from Princeton University. She has been a faculty member at USC since 1979. In addition, she is a member of the Association of American Geographers, the American Planning Association and the Society of Women Geographers.