Strategic Plan

We act with integrity in the pursuit of excellence.
We embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, and promote wellbeing.
We engage in open communication and are accountable for living our values.

- Develop connections among Marshall’s programs and those of other USC schools to give all students the opportunity to earn multiple credentials.
- Align Marshall initiatives with USC Moonshots that take advantage of our location in Southern California.
- Ensure that we attract and retain the most talented and diverse faculty, students and staff.
- Build a unified and inclusive community among faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and business partners.

Increase the size of the faculty: Because Marshall’s faculty has not kept pace with student growth over the past decade, the school is working to increase the size of the full-time faculty by roughly 10% to 250, with a 60/40 mix between tenured/tenure-track and RTPC faculty.

Support research excellence and thought leadership: The School will provide sufficient research support for faculty to maintain if not improve our top-10 global position in research, focusing on the most pressing and important issues facing the business world and society.

Increase racial and ethnic diversity among the faculty: Because Marshall's student body is considerably more racially and ethically diverse than its faculty, the school should pro-actively seek to increase the number of faculty who identify as Black, Latinx/e, and/or Indigenous.

Increase the number of chaired professors: Because Marshall is significantly “under-chaired” compared with its peers, the school will focus considerable fundraising efforts on increasing the number of not only research-based but also teaching-based chaired professors.

Achieve gender parity in new appointments: Even though Marshall is home to many outstanding women professors, the gender profile of the faculty is considerably less balanced than the student body. As an actionable step to reduce this imbalance, the school should strive to achieve gender parity in new appointments.

Achieve gender parity across the student body: As the first top business school to achieve gender parity in both its full time MBA and undergraduate programs, Marshall should now aspire to achieving gender parity throughout its entire student body.

Increase scholarship support: To deliver on Marshall’s core commitment to recruit the most talented students irrespective of their financial means, the school should continue to raise more gifts to support scholarships for students at all levels.

Focus on career pathways for all students: Because Marshall is committed to launching and accelerate the careers of our students, the school should consider coordinating its careers teams to create a “one stop shop” for all our students and the myriad companies interested in recruiting them.

Emphasize our distinctive approach to human leadership: Because being a successful leader today requires more self-understanding and human skills than in prior generations, Marshall should consider a flagship initiative focused on inclusive and purpose-driven leadership.

Enhance real-world learning opportunities: Application of classroom concepts prepares Marshall students to excel in the workplace. To maximize opportunities for students, Marshall will create incremental student startups/incubator, international project-based experiences and student-managed investment funds.

Reimagine global programs: As a pioneer and world leader in providing students with immersive international educational experiences, Marshall has the opportunity to re-define international education through more project-based programs that are better integrated with the on-campus curriculum.

Right-size staffing levels: The school has begun a multi-year process for reviewing staffing needs and levels to identify both areas where the school needs to increase staff numbers and opportunities for increasing the efficiency of our operations.

Advance the impact of the Staff Council: To represent and amplify the staff voice in decision-making and communication, the inaugural Staff Council was elected in 2022 and its Chair was appointed to the Dean’s Cabinet. In the coming years, the school will consider how best to involve the Staff Council in its shared governance.

Staff Diversity: The school is committed to continually reviewing the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of staff and also the culture and climate of the school inclusion and belonging among staff as well as ensuring equity in employment, retention and career progression.

Increase professional development opportunities for staff: Following the successes of the inaugural staff and faculty development conference, the school will develop a diverse portfolio of professional development opportunities for all staff.

Increase the efficacy of the Operational Cabinet: The Operational Cabinet, with its chair sitting on the Dean’s Cabinet, was created in 2023 to better engage senior staff in school wide decision making and implementation, to counteract siloing and to streamline business processes. The school will work with the Ops Cabinet to ensure its centrality to the implementation of strategic priorities.

Fine tune hybrid work options: Following the lessons learned during the COVID pandemic, Marshall followed USC guidelines to develop remote work and shared office arrangements to support well-being and reduce single-use office spaces. In the coming years, the school will continue to monitor and fine tune these arrangements to ensure an optimal balance of presence, service and well-being.

Enable and cultivate a dynamic educational environment and workplace community: The school is committed to supporting a community that attracts, retains, and develops diverse students, staff, and faculty through a culture founded in respect and collaboration.