Shaun R. Harper

Shaun Harper is a Provost Professor in the Rossier School of Education, Marshall School of Business, and Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. In 2022, he was appointed University Professor, a distinction bestowed only to 30 of 4,700 USC full-time faculty members. Dr. Harper also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership, as well as founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center. He served as the 2020-21 American Educational Research Association president and the 2016-17 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. He was inducted into the National Academy of Education in 2021. Harper has published 12 books, plus over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic papers. In addition, he has published more than 125 articles in the Washington Post, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and other major newspapers and magazines. His research has been cited in nearly 24,000 published studies across a vast array of academic disciplines, in multiple amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. President Joe Biden appointed him to the National Board for Education Sciences. The recipient of dozens of top awards in his fields and five honorary degrees, Professor Harper was ranked the nation’s 4th most influential professor in Education Week for 2023. He has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ESPN, NPR, and the Dr. Phil Show.