Shaun Harper

University of Southern California

Clifford and Betty Allen Professor

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. He also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership, as well as the USC Race and Equity Center’s founder and Chief Research Scientist. He was named University Professor in 2022, a distinction bestowed only to 30 of nearly 4,700 full-time USC faculty members. Dr. Harper has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic papers. His research has been cited in more than 26,000 published studies, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, and in multiple amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. In September 2024, Harvard Education Press published Harper’s book, The Big Lie About Race in America’s Schools. In July 2025, Teachers College Press published his 13th book, Let’s Talk About DEI: Productive Disagreements About America's Most Polarizing Topics. In addition, he has authored more than 125 articles for the Washington Post, TIME magazine, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and other widely-read newspapers and magazines. The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and several hundred other news outlets have quoted Shaun and featured his research. He has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, PBS NewsHour, and NPR. The recipient of dozens of top awards in his fields and six honorary degrees, Professor Harper served as the 2020-21 American Educational Research Association president and the 2016-17 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. He has been repeatedly recognized in Education Week as one of the field’s 10 most influential scholars; he was ranked #1 in education policy in 2025. Dr. Harper has worked with more than 400 educational institutions, corporations, city and state government agencies, and other organizations. He has testified to Congress four times and spoken at numerous White House, federal agency, and Congressional Black Caucus convenings.