The USC Marshall School of Business is the tenth-ranked business school in the world — and highest-ranked West Coast school — based on faculty research contributions, according to a University of Texas at Dallas survey. A database created by the Naveen Jindal School of Management has tracked publications in business journals for the survey since 2009.

USC Marshall Dean James G. Ellis credits the ranking to a university environment that nurtures professional growth and prizes intellectual inquiry.

“At Marshall, our faculty leverage unparalleled opportunities to advance their scholarship and pursue success as part of a great research university,” he said. “I am tremendously proud of the work our faculty are doing and the recognition they have earned.”

According to Gareth James, the school’s vice dean for faculty and academic affairs and professor of data sciences and operations, the findings should come as no surprise to anyone keeping close tabs on USC Marshall’s development.

“Both the quality and the volume of faculty research coming out of Marshall have been rising steadily for a number of years — an increase we have worked hard to achieve,” he said.

In 2008, Ellis launched the Thought Leadership initiative, signaling a commitment to cultivating and increasing world-class faculty and path-breaking research. Together with Professor John Matsusaka, holder of the school’s Charles F. Sexton Chair in American Enterprise and past vice dean for faculty and academic affairs, Ellis put USC Marshall on the map as “a premier destination for top faculty talent and innovative research that is redefining business,” James said.

Bridge Hall houses undergraduate programs at the USC Marshall School of Business. (USC Photo/Philip Channing)

The school’s overall rise in the rankings is also reflected in specific subject areas, from accounting and management to marketing and finance.

“Marshall’s increasing stature in the research community, together with its innovative and highly ranked educational programs, are two primary factors driving the school’s growing international prominence,” Matsusaka said.

James was quick to caution that the UT Dallas results — like all rankings — are imperfect.

“This is just one measure of how we’re doing,” he said. Yet the numbers provide a window into the school’s drive for distinction, in academic research as well as teaching, mentoring and career advising. As James put it, “The bottom line is that we are dedicated to fostering excellence in every endeavor.”

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