As David Madigan prepares to assume the role of provost and executive vice president for academic affairs tomorrow, student government leaders say seeking student input on academic decisions, supporting international students and setting a clear artificial intelligence policy should be some of his top priorities. His previous role in the police removal of a pro-Palestinian encampment at Northeastern University has also raised concerns among student leaders.
As provost, Madigan will serve as the second-highest-ranking official at USC, reporting directly to President Beong-Soo Kim. Madigan’s responsibilities will focus on setting the policies that shape the quality, direction and integrity of the university’s academics, according to a statement from the provost’s office.
“At USC, the provost oversees 22 schools, as well as academic programs and administrative units that support the work of faculty, including teaching, research, and student success,” the Office of the Provost said in a statement. Since Madigan is new to the role, the office declined to comment on his plans for existing or future academic initiatives.
Madigan’s predecessor, Andrew Guzman, announced he would be stepping down this fall on May 19 after almost three years as provost. In 2024, the Academic Senate approved a resolution censuring Guzman and former university President Carol Folt over “widespread dissatisfaction and concern” about actions taken in response to campus events related to the “conflict in the Middle East.”
Madigan faced similar scrutiny over campus protests during his tenure as provost at Northeastern University. In April 2024, he and then-Chancellor Ken Henderso co-signed a statement defending the university’s decision to use police to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment, which resulted in 98 arrests, including 29 Northeastern students and six faculty and staff members.
The statement described the encampment as an unauthorized occupation of university property and said the university had to balance freedom of expression with campus safety. Madigan and Henderson said protesters had been given advance notice before police intervened.
“All of these factors, taken together, left university leaders with no choice but to act,” the statement said.
The incident came during a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities nationwide, including USC, where the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 93 people during the April 2024 Divest from Death encampment.
The provost is also responsible for faculty affairs and resource allocation, according to the provost’s office. USC’s full-time, part-time and adjunct research, teaching, practitioner and clinical-track (RTPC) faculty voted in favor of unionizing in June 2026. USC asked the National Labor Relations Board to review the validity of the result, according to a letter co-signed by Guzman and Steven Shapiro, the senior vice president for health affairs. The situation remains ongoing as USC faculty rallied in September to demand the university recognize their union.
The provost search committee included university faculty and administrators, as well as the undergraduate and graduate student government presidents, who represented the student body during the selection process.
“I think a lot of the time the reason why students don’t know what a provost does is because they can sometimes feel a little bit disconnected from upper administration within universities,” Undergraduate Student Government President Syrabi Nur Rahman said in an Oct. 12 interview with Annenberg Media.
Rahman said that a priority for the committee was finding a provost who would be committed to “having an active presence in their students’ lives” and understanding the student body’s needs.
In an Oct. 6 interview with Annenberg Media, Rahman emphasized the importance of student involvement in university decisions.
“I would love the provost to know that USC students are very passionate and very ambitious, and every student has very strong opinions of how they want to lead their lives in the way that this university makes decisions,” Rahman said.
“Something that he mentioned in his interview that I really think stood out to me was his emphasis on not being a command-and-control leader, but being a collaborative leader,” Rahman said in the Oct. 12 interview. “He is someone who has a lot of appetite for impact and believes in the community of scholars and believes in being on the ground with students.”
However, Rahman also expressed concern about Madigan’s involvement in the Northeastern protest response, calling his record “definitely alarming for our students” in the Oct.6 interview. She emphasized that USG intends to maintain close communication with the new provost to ensure student perspectives are represented in administrative decisions.
“Diane and I would pull out [all] stops to uplift our students’ voices in these conversations and bring those voices into those rooms,” Rahman said in the same interview.
In a September interview with Annenberg Media, Madigan emphasized the importance of free expression within universities.
“To deliver on our missions, it is critical that we have freedom of ideas, freedom of communication, that people can freely express ideas that can be offensive, and are certainly provocative,” Madigan said. “This isn’t just nice to have, this is core.”
USC Graduate Student Government President Janielle Cuala said she hopes Madigan will uphold former Provost Guzman’s “willingness to engage directly with students and student leaders,” and take student perspectives into account when making decisions that affect their education. She said above all she hopes to see Madigan ensure graduate students get appropriate academic and personal support from the university.
“I hope graduate students are viewed not simply as recipients of university decisions, but as partners in making USC better. Investing in their success strengthens USC’s teaching, research and broader academic mission,” Cuala said in a statement to Annenberg Media.
Cuala also said the university must support international students, who have faced visa issues, changing immigration policies, and employment restrictions, in addition to acclimating to a new country and academic environment. According to university data from the 2025-26 academic year, nearly 12,000 international students were enrolled at USC.
The Department of Homeland Security’s termination of the duration of status rule was postponed due to litigation, but the system could still be replaced with fixed periods of stay based on students’ program end dates. Additionally, in August, the Office of International Services announced that it will authorize Curricular Practical Training requests only when practical training is a degree requirement for graduation.
Rahman said another major concern for students is how the university will lead on artificial intelligence use in classrooms and research. According to the university’s artificial intelligence policy, “the use of AI Tools creates new opportunities for the USC community. That same usage can present substantial legal, regulatory, and reputational risks that USC must balance.”
All active USC students, faculty and staff have unlimited access to ChatGPT Edu, though instructors set their own course-specific policies regarding the appropriate use of generative AI in coursework. At the time the university’s OpenAI partnership was announced, students were divided in their attitudes toward AI use.
For Rahman, Madigan’s ability to connect with students will be an important measure of his leadership.
“I would love to see David show up in student affairs more,” Rahman said in the Oct. 6 interview. “I would love for the provost’s presence to be known, for students to know who the provost is, to know that that’s someone that’s approachable that you can talk to, because David is that kind of person.”
Edited by Zayane El Solh