Background

Professor Benjamin Roth joined the faculty of the College of Social Work in 2013, where he is also a faculty associate at the University of South Carolina’s Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, and a member of the core faculty of the Rule of Law Collaborative. In 2017, Roth received the Teacher of the Year award from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), South Carolina chapter. The award is presented to an educator who serves as a role model for students and enhances the relationship between social work practice, research and education.

Roth’s research is at the intersection of immigration and social stratification, with a focus on youth and barriers to social mobility. His on-going scholarship examines the impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on the educational and career trajectories of undocumented youth. Roth is also engaged in a comparative study of how cities in four different states are responding to changes in immigration policy and how the changes influence the types of services and supports available for Latino immigrants. He is also currently principal investigator on two internally-funded research awards. Through a USC Advanced Support for Innovative Research Excellence (ASPIRE)-research funded award, Roth is studying how neighborhood violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras affect residents’ decision to migrate to the United States. With funding from a grant through the USC Rule of Collaborative, he is evaluating the effectiveness of community-based youth centers in El Salvador to assess the relationship between participation in youth development programs and the intentions of youth to migrate.

Roth recently authored journal articles on youth migration from El Salvador, barriers to educational attainment for undocumented youth and access to Latino immigrant-serving organizations in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. His publications have been featured in journals, such as the Journal of the Society for Social Work Research, Forced Migration Review and Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Roth is currently a member of the USC Council of Academic Diversity Officers, which works to support and advance diversity and inclusion efforts within the College of Social Work and across the university.

Roth received his Master of Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.