USC Iovine and Young Academy Receives $1 Million Commitment from Verizon to Advance Inclusive Learning and Innovation in Secondary Education

The University of Southern California’s Iovine and Young Academy has received a $1 million commitment from Verizon to advance the Academy’s integrative learning paradigm and support its expansion into secondary education. 

With Verizon’s gift, the Academy will develop specialized professional development programs for secondary school educators by expanding key components of its integrative curriculum (that combines design, technology and entrepreneurship) in partnership with LAUSD’s new magnet, Iovine and Young Center. The high school, located in Leimert Park, was founded by entrepreneurs Jimmy Iovine and Andre “Dr. Dre '' Young and will open in fall 2022.   

The co-created curriculum will include challenge-based learning (CBL) experiences that are customized to secondary education and rooted in complex real world contexts that span design, technology and business; team-based collaborative exploration; and professionalizing learning experiences realized in partnership with leading companies and institutions.  

The Academy’s curricular research and development will be led by Matthew Manos, professor of design strategy and director of Challenge-based Learning, and include a team of faculty experts and students who will facilitate collaboration with educators, students, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to continue to reimagine teaching and learning for the 21st century.  The Academy is also partnering with the Rossier School of Education on the structured assessment of challenge-based learning in higher and secondary education. 

“Verizon’s gift recognizes the importance of the Academy’s transformative educational paradigm and we are grateful for their commitment to exploring innovative and inclusive education,” said Thanassis Rikakis, dean of USC Iovine and Young Academy. “This gift will help drive research and development around the future of learning and pioneer new curricular paradigms that equip young people from diverse backgrounds to be active stakeholders in shaping a sustainable future of work.” 

The new integrative curriculum in partnership with LAUSD is part of the Academy’s broader strategy to bring learning innovation to education (spanning K-12 and higher education) and create more inclusive, equitable, and accessible educational experiences and environments. This initiative has inspired numerous collaborations with partners in the for-profit and non-profit sectors to explore the future of learning through immersive workshops and training programs, meaningful use of technology, and multi-sector research.    

The Academy was founded by Iovine and Young and is the duo’s first venture in education. Since its founding in 2013, the Academy has emerged as the premier institution for academic innovation due to its collaborative and convergent framework that focuses on developing human intelligences at the intersection of design, technology, business, and communications.  

The University of Southern California’s Iovine and Young Academy (Academy) has received a $1 million commitment from Verizon to advance the Academy’s integrative learning paradigm and support its expansion into secondary education.

USC Iovine and Young Academy Receives $1 Million Commitment from Verizon

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