Steve Schrader
Department Business Manager Computer Science
Tell us a little bit about yourself — where are you from, what is your academic background, and anything else you'd like to share?
I was born in Houston, Texas and was what was charitably known at that time — at least in the south — as an “oops” baby. My parents were biology lab partners in their senior year of high school. I was a take home final that got out of hand. I joined them just in time for their sophomore year at the University of Texas. And, for one reason or another, I’ve never been far from a college campus ever since. From babyhood to now, colleges are where I’ve felt most at home and I’ve been at USC — first as a student, then as a staff member — since 1987. I have three degrees from USC: a bachelors and masters in Cinema/Television Critical Studies from the School of Cinematic Arts, as well as a masters degree in professional writing from Dornsife.
Why do you work at USC?
I joined the computer science department in 1993 and have been here ever since. The Viterbi community — from students to faculty to staff to leadership — embraced me from the very beginning, supported me, taught me, gave me a job I love, forgave me when I messed things up, and applauded me when I did good work. In CS, I’m part of a phenomenal team of devoted professionals who work hard, are kind and mutually supportive, laugh more than they whine, and know when to get away when the tough work gets done. I strongly believe in all that we are doing and am proud that, while we may stumble from time to time, we never forget as an institution, nor as a community, that the student experience, and our students’ well-being, must always be kept at the center of everything we do.
What do you like most about Los Angeles?
The whole world passes through Los Angeles. Sometimes it pulls over just for a minute, sometimes it stays for a summer, and sometimes it never leaves. But no matter the length of the stay, it always leaves behind something of value: people, ideas, food, music, art, language. We are constantly re-imagined, reconstituted, rejuvenated by what the world leaves with us. And no matter our flaws, we are a truly great city because we invite the world in, embrace it as a neighbor, and tell everyone they can stay, build a life for themselves, and contribute to defining who we are and what we want to be as a global community. People dream all over the world and then come here to live what they dreamed. That’s a special place.
What is your favorite city you've visited and why?
Up until quite recently, I would have told you my favorite world city was Paris. Up until quite recently, I would have told you my favorite U.S. city was Austin. But that was before I, quite recently, fell hopelessly in love with an absolutely amazing woman who lives in neither of those places. And once I found her, the moment I found her, I knew instantly that if she wasn’t in either of those places, there was no way they could still be my favorite cities. So what’s my favorite city now? Wherever she is. So forget Paris, and never mind Austin; if she moves to Biloxi, I’m all in for Biloxi.
What is your favorite part of campus? (can be a location but also a person, a department, a building, a project, etc.)
Doheny Library. Nothing else comes close for me. It’s center stage for USC and a gorgeous backdrop for Commencement, the biggest day of our year as a university. JFK spoke from those steps. I heard President Obama speak there. It masqueraded as UC Berkeley in “The Graduate,” but we know the truth. Architecturally, it’s the most beautiful building on campus, and, as a bonus, is filled with books! Lots and lots of incredible books. It was also the site of my first campus job. I worked in the Warner Bros. Archives that used to be housed inside the Cinema Library on the 2nd floor.
Most importantly to me, I have three wonderful children thanks to Doheny Library. I’ll let you sort out that mystery. And speaking of mysteries and Doheny Library: Check out the section of Richard Rayner’s fascinating “A Bright and Guilty Place” devoted to the death of Doheny library’s namesake, Edward Doheny Jr., who was murdered by his confidential secretary in 1929. Juicy stuff.
What innovation/invention do you hope to see in the next ten years?
I have several: a microphone that automatically cuts off if you speak a lie into it; a handheld machine that converts unwanted walls into bridges — light enough so that children separated from their parents at the border could operate it without supervision; an implant that sends an exceedingly unpleasant electrical current into the groin of any man stating his opinion on limiting women’s reproductive rights; a personal micro-climate for climate change deniers — seeded with the worst possible effluvia of human pollution; the recorded voice of your chosen higher power, that yells out “I never said that!” whenever someone uses religion as a pretext for prejudice or hate or cruelty; a massive, state-of-the-art housing development on the far side of Neptune, where racists could finally live free from the torments of diversity.
What is your favorite movie? Or, what is your favorite food?
I can’t choose a favorite movie any more than I could choose a favorite child. Food is barely easier, but I’ll play along and put it in a movie context: My favorite meal would be unlimited fried shrimp and endless tacos at a Drive In movie theater on a hot humid summer night and far enough back in time that I still had hair.
