The 2022-23 academic year came to a close before I became the dean in August 2023.
Former Dean Peter Brews and Interim Dean Jan Bass led the Moore School to have one
of its best years so far with job placement outcomes, student salaries and rankings.
This web version of the 2022-23 Annual Report provides an in-depth look at the Moore
School’s past year. We will be continually updating this online version as audits
for the past academic and fiscal years are completed.
With the strength of the school’s recent achievements, my vision is to continue to
enhance the Moore School’s programs to build on the solid foundation that has already
been established.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. My door is always open.
Best, Rohit Verma
Strategic Areas, Fall 2023
Dean Rohit Verma has four key strategic areas where he is focusing the bulk of his
time:
Enhance Degree Options
Build on the strong portfolio of current programs to include other minors, more multiple-degree
options in collaboration with other USC colleges such as engineering, hospitality
and health sciences and other U.S. and international institutions.
Strengthen the Team
Strengthen and nurture the team of faculty and staff through priority recruitment,
professional development, opportunities for growth and exploration, and networking
with distinguished visiting faculty, researchers and industry experts. Encourage continued
top scholarly research across all departments.
Maximize Financials
Generate additional resources through corporate partnerships, philanthropic giving,
research grants, creative fundraising ideas and optimizing costs where possible.
Emphasize Brand Value
Highlight the Moore School brand through promoting Moore School accomplishments and
initiatives in media outlets, including through online media, news media, impactful
events, community engagement and collaborative partnerships.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Business Schools 2024
graduate level, published in 2023
International (International MBA): No. 1
Part-Time MBA (Professional MBA): No. 18
Supply Chain/Logistics (International MBA): No. 20
Overall (International MBA): No. 55
Financial Times Masters in Management 2023
Financial Times Masters in Management 2023 (Master of International Business): No.
62
Poets & Quants For Undergrads 2023 Best Business Schools
Poets & Quants For Undergrads 2023 Best Business Schools (Undergraduate): No. 48
*Accounts for students graduating during the summer 2022, December 2022 and May 2023
commencements. The job placement/salary data included in this report was collected
via the industry-accepted National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) online
survey, and all student data is self-reported. Responses for the 2023 survey were
gathered from 1,421 graduates with a response rate of 50.88 percent (723 respondents).
Academic Spotlight: Full-Time International MBA program
The University of South Carolina has been one of the top universities to implement
and execute a rigorous International MBA curriculum to prepare tomorrow's business
leaders. The Moore School was a pioneer 50 years ago when they started their international
business program as one of the first institutions to focus on global education. The IMBA program has been ranked No. 1 for 10 consecutive years and has been in the top 3 for 34 consecutive
years — ever since U.S. News & World Report released their first IMBA rankings.
In honor of the IMBA’s half-century anniversary in 2024, the Moore School is offering
a full financial award for top applicants enrolling in the International MBA program.
Cheers to 50 years, International MBA program!
“The education I received during the IMBA program gave the CFO in my first job post-graduation
the confidence to offer me the title ‘finance manager,' although I did not have previous
work experience in either finance or management. Not a day passes where I do not reference
something I learned while studying at the Darla Moore School of Business.”
Dan Houck, ’08 IMBA, is now the chief financial officer for minicomputer solutions
specialist Simply NUC. Houck jumped from software developer to finance with the skills
he gained from the IMBA.
Program Spotlight: Marketing and the Center for Marketing Solutions
The Moore School Center for Marketing Solutions seeks to provide a plethora of hands-on experience for marketing students through
unique outreach programs, events, networking opportunities and project opportunities.
The Center Advisory Board, which includes marketing executives and alumni, provides
input for:
Sharing available marketing jobs (both full-time and internships)
Participating in experiential-learning projects
Enhancing the curriculum
Making sure the marketing department understands the realities of the marketplace
and the overall marketing discipline as much as possible.
In 2022-23, the Center for Marketing Solutions coordinated 16 projects with corporate
partners, including: Coca-Cola, Sonoco, Milliken, Continental Tire, Lionsgate Entertainment,
Brown Forman, Breakthru Beverage Group, Alliance Sales and Marketing, FedEx.
Students engage with corporate partners throughout the semester or project and ultimately
present their recommendations to executives from each company. In some cases, these
projects have led directly to job offers and created a solid foundation for starting
their marketing careers.
The USC Chief Marketing Officer Summit is the annual showcase event for the marketing discipline sponsored by the Moore
School marketing department. Now in its 7th year, with more than 400 students and
others attending each year, the Summit provides students with access to marketing
leaders across industries and geographies. From keynote talks with marketing professionals
and alumni panels to TedTalk-style motivational discussions and networking opportunities,
the event is not only highly impactful to our students but also provides an intimate
way for USC and Moore School alumni to connect with the university.
Past companies represented in the CMOs include: FedEx, Coca-Cola, Disney/ESPN, L’Oreal,
Spotify, Pinterest, Procter & Gamble, Brown Forman, Allstate, Progressive, Chick-fil-A,
IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Continental Tire, Breakthru Beverage Group, Georgia Pacific,
Google
Moore School Center Updates
The Moore School’s 13 centers enhance the school’s capability and capacity to provide experiential learning, conduct
research, work closely with corporate partners and keep the curriculum aligned with
the needs of the business community. Many of the centers provide opportunities for
faculty-led student consulting projects. The Moore School is in the process of launching
its 13th center, the Center for Financial Institutions. Read on for a brief overview of the
centers’ projects in 2022-23.
Established new engagement points with IBM and South Carolina Student Loan.
Organized an IBM cloud workshop, the Data for Good Hackathon, an Analytics Expo and
the Applied Analytics Forum for Moore School students.
The Data for Good Hackathon, in collaboration with Final Victory Animal Rescue, received
a much higher number of registrations from USC students compared to last year with
13 teams joining the competition; two MSBA student teams finished in the top three
winning projects.
Introduced three new practicum projects for the student teams in the Master of Science
in Business Analytics (MSBA) program.
Hired executive director Marcia Avedon, a former executive VP, chief of HR, and marketing
and communications officer at Trane Technologies.
Professor Anthony Nyberg succeeded fellow professor Patrick Wright as center director. Associate professor Adam Steinbach was appointed academic research director.
Significantly increased corporate memberships, rising to 50 partner companies.
Published four reports stemming from the annual HR@Moore Survey of Chief HR Officers.
Hosted roundtable events including American Airlines, Albemarle Corporation, AbbVie,
National Academy of Human Resources and the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Organized Talent Leaders Network events hosted by The Home Depot in Atlanta and AbbVie
in Chicago.
Sponsored the sixth annual Leadership Legacy Award, honoring 2022 winner, Steven J.
Squeri, chairman and CEO at American Express.
Provided $50K in CIBER federal funds to support the SC Manufacturers Alliance's (SCMA)
upcoming international business (IB) executive training program
Provided more than $140K in IB research funds to more than 20 Moore School faculty
for their ongoing world-class research
Managed and conducted two Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) overseas
programs to Sub-Saharan Africa in May/June — Rwanda & South Africa (with 26 participants)
and South Africa & Eswatini (with 18 participants)
Financially supported 16 Moore School/USC faculty and staff; and 10 MSI & CC faculty
to attend other FDIB overseas programs , including South Korea, Scandinavia, Germany,
Philippines and Singapore, Japan, India and Turkey
Collaborated with the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Languages, Literatures
and Cultures (DLLC) to support their faculty's foreign language testing credentials
in order to assess the continuing foreign language proficiency of Moore School graduate
and undergraduate business students
Delivered corporate partner projects to more than 70 percent of undergraduate marketing
majors.
Hosted the largest USC CMO Summit to date, featuring 18 speakers with more than 300
students attending over two days.
Tasked the 24-person advisory board to review the marketing curriculum, create new
student networking opportunities and explore new partnership opportunities.
Saw record average starting salaries and placement rates for marketing graduates.
Awarded 22 graduates the first “Sales Leadership Certificate” for taking 3+ sales
classes.
Earned new National Sales Competition rankings.
Delivered 11,000 engagements with students/corporate partners at sales events.
Launched SalesFEST and grew corporate partnerships by 42 percent.
Created the “CSI Studio” podcast to promote student involvement and differentiation.
The Carolina Sales Team finished 16/80 at the International Collegiate Sales Competition
hosted by Florida State University in November 2022, and then in February 2023, won
first place for “Top Bull Individual” and first runner up for “Top Bull Team” (the
Championship Flight) at University of South Florida’s Selling with the Bulls.
Hosted two Relentless Challenge Opportunity Workshops on blockchain and the SC Film
Commission sponsored by the SC Department of Commerce.
Hosted seven alumni entrepreneurs in live-interview events recorded for their speaker
series.
Added seven Friends of Faber donors including The General’s Hot Sauce, DPX, AOS and
SCRA.
Taught 18 veterans in their STRIVE start-up classes supported by the Institute for
Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.
Worked with 25+ startups & nonprofits through partnerships with USC’s law clinic,
the McNair Institute for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurism and GrowCO.
Awarded $25,000 in prizes to student and alumni startups at their annual The Proving
Ground event.
Expanded avenues of engagement with its world-class global community in preparation
for the Moore School’s 50th anniversary celebration of international business scheduled
for April 2024.
Hosted 11 Sonoco Visiting Fellows from five continents to further promote senior-level
global scholar and practitioner involvement at the Moore School.
Hosted five Pathways Speaker Series events, which allow students to speak with global
leaders about their dynamic career journeys.
The UPS Global Scholars program, funded by The UPS Foundation, celebrated four years
of broadening participation in international programming.
Conducted 21 capstone consulting projects through undergraduate and graduate courses
with center-partner firms.
Certified 95 undergraduate and graduate students with the industry-validated Sonoco-USC
Lean Six-Sigma Green Belt Certificate.
As of May 2023, the center had certified 1,596 graduates; to their knowledge, USC’s
operations and supply chain program is the only academic program — across any discipline
anywhere in the world — that has accomplished this milestone for students before graduation.
