The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism laid off 13 employees Monday, Dean Willow Bay told faculty and staff in a meeting after employees were notified. The layoffs are to help meet the $6.5 million cut from Annenberg’s budget required by USC, Bay said.
Someone who attended the meeting and requested anonymity to be able to share details freely related to Annenberg Media what Bay told Annenberg faculty and staff.
Two of those laid off were faculty who were not reappointed. Three were laid off in the technical operations department, which hosts Annenberg’s technology equipment, supports classrooms and facilities and trains students in media production.
Other laid off employees were staff across the school’s departments and programs.
The layoffs come just days after the Keck school and healthcare system laid off 89 employees and are the beginning of many expected across the university this month. The cuts are in response to a $200 million operating deficit announced by interim President Beong-Soo Kim in July. At that time Kim warned of mass layoffs.
In response to a question in the meeting about leaders and their compensation, Bay said she had taken a “reduction in service” to lower her own salary, without providing details of her compensation. She also said the USC central administration took a 10% budget cut.
“The cuts are large, the cuts are deep and the human dimension is significant,” Bay told faculty and staff.
In addition, the USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking will wind down after former Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III retires. The Center, founded in 2017, conducts research on “soft skills” and holds leadership development for young executives.
2:25 p.m. This story was updated with additional context.