USC Business School Dean Takes Advisory Role After Faculty Backlash

The dean of the University of Southern California’s School of Business has quietly transitioned to an advisory position in the provost’s office amid significant faculty discontent regarding his leadership.

Jeffrey Garrett, who heads USC’s Marshall School of Management, faced criticism last month as faculty pointed fingers at him for falling enrollment and reductions in graduate programs.

A notable backlash occurred on April 4, when 52 faculty members signed a letter heavily criticizing his leadership. Although Garrett hosted a town hall in May in response, the event seemingly escalated tensions.

A professor commented to LA Material about the meeting being “disappointing,” voicing their frustration. Another professor remarked it was simply “a waste of time.”

In a lecture chat, some faculty mentioned Garrett’s impressive salary—$1.16 million for fiscal year 2023, as reported by ProPublica.

The faculty’s sentiment pointed to Garrett having perhaps created quite the challenging situation for himself.

One staff member witnessed the unfolding crisis and compared it to a chaotic movie scene, saying, “It felt like you had to rush on stage to pull people off because the situation kept getting worse.” Another remarked sarcastically, “Turn off the lights. Kill me.”

On Wednesday, the university announced Garrett’s departure from his position in August, appointing him as the newly established special advisor to the president for global strategy and engagement. A memo from President Andrew Guzman described his upcoming role, emphasizing efforts to “strengthen USC’s relationships,” “expand our international reach,” and “advance opportunities.”

This reshuffle allows Garrett to sidestep a planned no-confidence vote by the Marshall faculty scheduled for July.

President Kim Bong-soo expressed confidence in Garrett’s qualifications for the new role, stating, “He’s someone who thinks globally and has a better sense than anyone of how things are going to play out geopolitically and what the challenges and opportunities are for USC.”

In the interim, Andrew Cole, dean of USC’s School of Accounting, will take over as acting dean of the School of Business.

Garrett has led the School of Business since his appointment in 2020, previously serving as dean at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for six years.