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The Big Story: USC Price ranked among 5 best public affairs schools for 10th year
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U.S. News & World Report ranked the USC Price School of Public Policy No. 5 among the nation’s best public affairs schools for the 2026-2027 period, marking the 10th straight year that the school has been placed in the top 5.
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The details: The USC Price School ranked No. 5 among 266 schools for its graduate programs in public affairs and administration. USC Price tied for No. 5 with programs at the University of Georgia, University of Michigan, and University of Washington.
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USC Price has been ranked among the top 5 public affairs schools since 2016 and among the top 10 since 2008.
- We also received top-10 placements in several specialty programs: Urban Policy (#4), Health Policy (#5), and Homeland Security (#8).
What they’re saying: “We are honored that our peers continue to recognize the USC Price School as one of the nation’s best public affairs schools,” said Christoper Boone, Dean and C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Chair of the USC Price School. “We will continue to combine world-class education, evidence-based research and deep engagement with community leaders to solve major challenges.”
Read more about our top ranking
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Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to deliver USC Price Commencement keynote speech
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Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Ph.D., will be the keynote speaker at the 2026 Commencement ceremony for the USC Price School.
Get to know Rudd: The incoming President and CEO of Asia Society also served as Australia’s Foreign Minister and, more recently, the country’s Ambassador to the U.S. from March 2023 to April 2026. He was a Member of the Australian Parliament from 1998 to 2013.
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As Prime Minister, Rudd oversaw the government’s response to the 2008 financial crisis, helping Australia avoid a recession thanks in large part to economic stimulus packages. He also ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are the prime cause of climate change and withdrew Australian troops from the Iraq War.
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As Ambassador to the U.S., Rudd worked with diplomats under U.S. Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, helping to secure multi-billion dollar trade deals for minerals and submarines with the U.S.
Read more about our keynote speaker
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🤖 Avoid Online Scams: USC Price student Naya Dukkipati, founder of Project SafeWeb, teaches digital safety to college students, from strengthening passwords to spotting scammers. Read more
🚨 Threats to Free Speech: With free speech facing challenges from seemingly all points on the political spectrum, the issue took center stage at the latest installment in the George Washington Leadership Lecture Series. Read more
📚 New Research Center: The Center for Economic and Social Research has joined the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service and the USC Price School. Read more
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| NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya gets candid about academic freedom at USC Open Dialogue Project event
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Professor Neeraj Sood hosted a conversation with National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya about academic freedom, scientific integrity and how universities can be a place of intellectual diversity.
- Bhattacharya, a former professor of medicine at Stanford University who sparked controversy in 2020 when he was publicly critical of lockdowns and mask mandates as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasized the importance of academic freedom, in which institutions do not persecute unpopular ideas and campus culture tolerates diverse viewpoints.
- During the USC Open Dialogue Project event, he said that most university scholars “just want to be allowed to do their work without political interference, without being ostracized by the fellow community scholars.”
Read more of their conversation
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One last thing: Naval ROTC alum continues Trojan tradition of supporting U.S. military
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Like a lot of high school students, William Durban wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life. But he did know that we wanted to be a leader.
- His leadership training came through the Naval ROTC program, hosted by the USC Price School.
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“I wanted to have as much responsibility as I could … and I think the ROTC program at USC really helped me build a base to do that,” Durban said.
USC launched its support of America’s military in 1914, when it opened a training school for U.S. Army officers. It began hosting the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in the 1940s. Its graduates include highly decorated military and civilian leaders – including four-star generals, astronauts, Medal of Honor recipients, and officials in the highest levels of government service.
Now, Durban is continuing that Trojan tradition aboard the USS Paul Ignatius, named after the former Secretary of the Navy – who was also a USC alum.
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The Trojan spirit is omnipresent on the ship. USC memorabilia hang in various places on the ship, from the mess decks where the crew eats to the captain’s cabin, and from the pilothouse to the ship’s mascot, which is a replica of Tommy Trojan named Sparty.
- And the ship’s motto? “Always Ready. Fight On!”
Read more about Durban’s military journey
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USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
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