USC Annenberg launches new Center for Third Space Thinking

The Center for Third Space Thinking, a new center dedicated to equipping businesses and nonprofits with the essential skills needed to thrive in a communication-driven world, has been established. It will be based at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Ernest J. Wilson III, the former dean of USC Annenberg, founded the center, and the Annenberg Foundation has provided a $1.5 million launch grant to open it.

The center aims to help people and organizations solve problems through skills built around adaptability, cultural competency, empathy, intellectual curiosity and 360-degree thinking. It will focus on three areas — leadership development, education and community engagement.

“We are creating a novel third space that relies on communication-centric strategic thinking and its critical soft skills that are in such high demand but seriously under supplied in the market,” Wilson said. “We’re going to fix that.”

A powerful vision

The Annenberg Foundation grant will help launch the center’s educational leadership and community empowerment programs and share the center’s knowledge with diverse, underserved communities.

We support this powerful vision for educating a cadre of Third Space thinkers.

Wallis Annenberg

“We support this powerful vision for educating a cadre of Third Space thinkers,” said Wallis Annenberg, USC trustee and chairman of the board, president and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation. “We believe soft skills are imperative in our quickly changing world and are excited to support the center’s leadership programs.”

Shellee Smith, the center’s executive director, added: “We are grateful to the Annenberg Foundation for providing the Center for Third Space Thinking with the funding we need to launch our important work. With this first grant, we now have the ability to transform people and organizations with a new, fresh, communications approach to strategic thinking and problem solving.”