IYA dean to step down July 12

Posted on June 26, 2025

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IYA dean to step down July 12

A search for the academy’s next dean with begin later this summer, the Office of the Provost said.

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By SEAN CAMPBELL

June 25, 2025

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The Iovine and Young Academy was created in 2013 and had one dean, Erica Muhl, before Thanassis Rikakis took over in August 2021. (Vincent Leo / Daily Trojan file photo)

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Thanassis Rikakis will step down as dean of the Iovine and Young Academy on July 12 and will return as a professor at the academy, he wrote in an email to IYA students on Wednesday.

Josh Kun, vice provost of the arts, will serve as IYA’s interim dean beginning July 13, the Office of the Provost wrote in a letter to USC senior leadership obtained by the Daily Trojan. A search for the school’s next dean will begin later this summer, the letter read.

In his email to IYA students, Rikakis wrote that he stepped down to spend more time with his kids and to work as a faculty member, which better aligns with what “feels most meaningful to [him] at this point in [his] life and career.” Rikakis also wrote that running the academy during “hard financial times” was taxing.

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“The application of IYA’s transdisciplinary pedagogy … are areas strongly aligned with my teaching and research interests,” Rikakis wrote. “I am looking forward to continuing to contribute to the IYA community as a faculty member.”

Rikakis took over as the second dean of IYA in August 2021 after Erica Muhl stepped down following eight years in the role. IYA was founded in 2013.

The Office of the Provost wrote that Rikakis had “significantly increased visibility and resources” for the academy and the school’s interdisciplinary efforts during his tenure. IYA currently has joint programs with 10 other USC schools.

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