USC Open Dialogue Project Brings Student Groups Together
The second-year initiative, led by founding director Neeraj Sood, presented its mission and operations at Trojan Family Weekend.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Lecture and Seminars
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The USC Open Dialogue Project presented its mission and operations at a Friday afternoon event in the Tutor Campus Center Trojan Grand Ballroom during Trojan Family Weekend. The project is in its second year and has launched an initiative bringing together leaders of Trojan Democrats, USC College Republicans and the USC chapter of Turning Point USA.
Why it matters
The project aims to bridge the conversational gap between student political organizations on campus. Its first strategy is to decentralize dialogue, which it presented to families and students at the event.
The Open Dialogue Project is in its second year of operation after President Beong-Soo Kim introduced it in 2025. The source does not provide participation figures or outcome measures for the student leader initiative.
The players
University of Southern California (USC)
A private research university in Los Angeles that hosts the Open Dialogue Project on its campus.
Neeraj Sood
A USC professor of public policy and finance and business economics who serves as founding director of the Open Dialogue Project.
Beong-Soo Kim
The president of USC who introduced the Open Dialogue Project in 2025.
The details
Neeraj Sood, a professor of public policy and of finance and business economics, is the project's founding director. The project was formed by a faculty task force on academic freedom under former Provost Andrew Guzman, and three members of its student advisory board presented alongside Sood and Kamy Akhavan.
Timeline
2025: President Beong-Soo Kim introduces the Open Dialogue Project.
August: Parents first hear about the ODP during orientation week.
Friday, November 2026: The project presents at Trojan Family Weekend.
Season Trajectory
The project grew out of a faculty task force on academic freedom formed under former Provost Andrew Guzman. It now extends that faculty-level work into direct engagement among student political organizations.
Families attending Trojan Family Weekend could hear the project's presentation in person at the Tutor Campus Center. The source does not indicate whether future sessions are open to the public.
The takeaway
The project's approach centers on decentralizing dialogue so that differing student political groups can talk with one another directly. Its second year suggests the effort is ongoing rather than a one-time event.
Further reading
For more on campus speaker series, see Lecture and Seminars in Los Angeles.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Trojan.
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