USC Marshall Greatness Shared

DEAN'S REPORT 2020

As we look back on the semester and academic year just ended, I am in awe of the sacrifices made and challenges overcome by our Marshall community. In a matter of weeks, Marshall shifted from an emergency response as we moved classes and work online, to an attempt to understand and mitigate financial challenges, and now planning for the future. It remains our goal that Marshall prosper and emerge stronger from this crisis, a goal I know we will achieve.

There is still a great deal of uncertainty about how the fall will evolve but it is clear that, even in the best case scenarios, it too will be a disrupted semester. International students are awaiting confirmation of visa appointments and the lifting of travel bans, domestic students with health concerns will require extra caution, and it is an open question what population of students we can safely house in the dorms.

Those challenges will be considered and addressed in time, aided by the arrival of Marshall’s new dean, Geoffrey Garrett. I look forward to continuing to serve the school and our Marshall family as Dean Garrett’s deputy. Until then, I want to close this introduction to our annual Dean’s report with some special thanks.

  • To the faculty and staff for continuing to provide a high-quality learning experience;
  • To our Marshall students – remember that those who have had to overcome the most, have gone on to scale the highest pinnacles;
  • To the families of our Marshall students – in these challenging times our amazing students rely more than ever on your support.

It is said we are practicing social distancing, at least for the time being. But to me, that’s just the opposite of what we are doing. While we have never been more physically separated, we remain spiritually united, sharing a common goal to protect each other and defeat this pandemic.

I hope you find this year’s report interesting, informative and at least a bit inspirational. Until we meet again in person, be well and Fight on!

Gareth James

Interim Dean
E. Morgan Stanley Chair in Business Administration

Geoffrey Garrett

Geoffrey Garrett comes to Marshall

Covid-19 Crisis

USC Marshall Responds to the COVID-19 Crisis

Thought Leadership on COVID-19

Tommy Talks

USC Marshall Faculty Address the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Series of Influential Videos

Covid Webinars

USC Marshall Webinar Series: COVID-19 – Challenges and Opportunities for Business

Faculty Research on COVID-19

Expert Analysis on COVID-19

Washington Post

The Coronavirus is Exposing How the Economy Was Not as Strong as it Seemed

LA Times

Tokyo Olympics Postponed Because of the Coronavirus Outbreak

Wall Street Journal

Small Businesses in Limbo as They Await Coronavirus Assistance for Them

MSNBC

Trump Administration Fumbling Medical Equipment Supply Chain Management

Rolling Stone

‘Everything is in Chaos’: The Concert Business Stands to Lose Billions from Coronavirus

USC Annenberg Media

USC, UCLA Work Together to Solve COVID-19 Disruptions Through Online Hackathon

USC Marshall 2019-2020 in Review

U.S. News & World Report 2021 “Best Grad School” Rankings

Faculty Awards

C.W. Park and Deborah MacInnis

Paul D. Converse Award

S. Mark Young

2020 American Accounting Association Lifetime Contribution Award in Management Accounting

Harry DeAngelo

2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Southern California

Patricia Dechow

2019 Seminal Contributions to Accounting Literature Award from the American Accounting Association

In the news

Bloomberg Tax

Mattel Identifies Financial Controls to Improve, Stands by PWC

Washington Post

Five Factors that Led to Victoria’s Secret’s Fall

The Atlantic

America’s Best Drug Dealers are A-list Celebrities

New York Times

Disney is New to Streaming, but its Marketing is Unmatched

USA Today

As Impasse Over Pro-Hong Kong Tweet Simmers, What’s at Stake for the NBA in China?

Financial Times

Equity Investors are Set Up to Lose, Even at Zero Commission

Entrepreneurship
& Innovation

Chief Executive Chocolatier

Shana Elson MBA ’14 got the confidence she needed to launch her online chocolate business at USC Marshall.

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In the Room Where it Happens

Third Annual ATHENA Conference connects women entrepreneurs.

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Ready, Set, Food!

USC Marshall-aligned startup gets funding from Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban.

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USC Marshall Vets get Help from Law Students

MBA students tap into legal knowledge from USC Gould’s Small Business Clinic.

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Thought Leadership

Minds and Machines


Nate Fast studies the psychology of technology

Attention Please


Cary Frydman shows how neuroscience can influence economic policy

Judgment Calls


Gülden Ülkümen studies making decisions when you are uncertain

The 99 Percent Economy


In his new book, Professor Paul Adler suggests we try democratic socialism, or else…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Black Accountants

Club for Black Accountants Returns to USC

The National Association for Black Accountants brings Leventhal students together for education, networking and outreach.

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Etan Thomas

Athletes and Activism

Athletes and scholars meet to debate activism, celebrity and the media at USC’s Bovard Auditorium.

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Student transfer

Another Path to Success

New Pathways program helps high-achieving, underrepresented students plan for a successful transfer to USC Marshall.

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diversity

Devoted to Diversity

The Kendall L. Simmonds Scholarship continues professor’s legacy of supporting underrepresented students.

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diversity

The Forward Summit

Diverse voices in business come together in the first USC Marshall Forward Summit.

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Community-Building Partnerships

Some of our greatest accomplishments come when we look beyond campus and remember to connect with a wider community in LA, across the nation and around the world.

100 Years of Business

USC Marshall celebrates the 100th anniversary of its charter signing.

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Veterans Serving the Community

Members of USC Marshall’s MBV program turned out to help Habitat for Humanity.

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Diving into Disruption

Marshall and iORB convene top researchers and industry execs at Fintech Conference.

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