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 | | ARCHIVES 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | USC and Higher Education Issue #20.21 :: 05/23/2007 - 05/29/2007 Getting Down to Business Big Changes in Store for USC's Flagship Program |
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| USC’s Moore School of Business might make a new home in the university’s Innovista research campus. Photo by Mindy Lucas |
Big changes are ahead for USC’s Moore School of Business — namely a new dean, new facilities and, while university officials describe it as “only an idea,” the very real possibility of a move to the university’s research district, Innovista.
Business School Dean Joel Smith plans to step down toward the end of the year after his replacement, Hildy Teegen, gets up to speed. Teegen, who oversees the Center for International Business Education and Research at George Washington University, is scheduled to begin her new duties at USC in mid-September.
To hear Smith tell it, the changes in store for the Business School are a good thing. “I think the Business School is positioned to be even more significant than it has been,” Smith says.
In recent years, the school has enjoyed national attention having consistently ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s top public schools for international business. And just this year the school was named among the “50 best MBA schools for getting hired” by CNNMoney.com, placing ahead of even Wake Forest University’s and Tulane University’s highly regarded business programs.
Smith credits the successes of the Moore School of Business to several “programmatic changes,” such as an expansion of its international business program and the adoption of new technology.
For the School of Business — arguably the university’s flagship program — the only other major obstacle to future successes might be the two buildings housing the school — H. William Close and Francis M. Hipp. First constructed in the 1970s, the buildings have seen little in the way of renovations. Smith says once the university started looking into the costs of improvements and upgrades it became clear that “for a few more dollars” USC could go with new buildings. University officials have estimated the cost of those buildings to be between $75 million and $100 million.
“We don’t have the resources yet but we’re working on it,” Smith says, adding that the school’s goal is to match a $45 million commitment that Lake City financier and university benefactor Darla Moore has pledged. The Business School is named after Moore, who also sits on the USC board.
So far, the school has raised a little more than $10 million and the university has added $15 million.
Smith says the school’s current home would remain part of the university if the School of Business moves, but it’s too early to know how the two buildings would be used. As for moving into Innovista, Smith says it becomes “more of a possibility as the school continues to raise money.”
USC spokesman Russ McKinney describes the possible move to Innovista as “a natural progression.”
“The university’s master plan, which was adopted in 1992, made it very clear that the campus would grow to the west … so it’s a logical move,” McKinney says, adding that if the school decided to construct new buildings in Innovista, it would be “a very strategic location for the business school.”
Does the dean think the coming changes might upset the school’s momentum?
“The Business School will be what the Business School will be no matter where it is,” Smith says. “Some believe having the Business School in Innovista will cause businesses to be more interested in being there.”
As Smith goes on to say, the school would take advantage of the location by partnering with startups and research companies in a process he calls “student engagement.” For example, business students might explore commercial applications of a product invented by an Innovista firm. Says Smith, “That’s why I believe the school is poised to take it to that next definable level [and be] recognized not just as one of the great business schools but among the elite public business schools in the country.” | |
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