Thomas S. Leary Jr. has been named vice president of capital construction and facilities management at USC.

In addition to his oversight of these areas, Leary will provide strategic output for the university’s master plan design and implementation on the University Park and Health Sciences campuses.

He reports to Robert Abeles, senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer.

Before joining USC, Leary worked on large-scale projects for major developers, managing endeavors with budgets up to $9 billion. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in construction engineering technology and has worked in construction management for more than 25 years.

Development Operations Leader Joins University Advancement

Tracey L. Vranich has joined USC’s advancement division as associate senior vice president for development operations.

Reporting in her new role to vice president for development Courtney Surls, Vranich oversees development research, donor relationship management and donor stewardship.

Vranich’s first order of business will be to ensure that development operations are capable of supporting and sustaining the largest campaign in the university’s history.

Before coming to USC, Vranich served as assistant vice president for development operations at Fordham University in New York, where she worked with Al Checcio, USC’s senior vice president for university advancement, and played a key role in the planning and implementation of Fordham’s $500 million campaign.

Warren Bennis Memoir Honored

Still Surprised: A Memoir of a Life in Leadership (Jossey-Bass), written by University Professor Warren Bennis, has won a gold 2011 Axiom Business Book Award in the memoir/biography category.

The awards honor the year’s best business books, as well as their authors and publishers.

Strong Showing in Central France

The short film has been the cornerstone for aspiring storytellers at the USC School of Cinematic Arts since the school was founded.

This year, at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival in central France – the world’s largest international short film market – the university crossed a milestone in the medium by representing 10 percent of the American films shown.

USC has had a presence at the Clermont-Ferrand market since 1989 and has had a dramatic increase in participation in the past five years. The festival, held in February each year, attracts about 3,000 professionals from around the world looking for short films. This year, 65 projects from USC students and alumni were included in the event.

Two cinematic arts-related films have secured sales in Japan, 10 have secured sale for Italian broadcast and other sales are pending.

Applications Being Accepted for Development Awards

The Center for Education, Training and Career Development, part of the Los Angeles Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute, is accepting applications for cohort 2 of the pre- and postdoctoral research and career development awards.

The center, which is located on the Health Sciences campus, houses the educational activities of the Los Angeles Basin institute. It is designed to provide multiple points of entry into the clinical and translational research training experience regardless of level of experience, disciplinary expertise or professional setting.

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