USC’s Sonoco International Business Department being honored with Global Vision Award from Columbia World Affairs Council
November 6, 2024
The Darla Moore School of Business’ Sonoco International Business Department is being recognized by the Columbia World Affairs Council for the renowned IB program’s 50-year anniversary with the 2024 Global Vision Award.
To celebrate five decades of international business impact, a black-tie gala is being held Dec. 3, 2024 at the Columbia Museum of Art honoring three Moore School IB department pioneers: William “Randy” Folks Jr., Kendall Roth and posthumously, former dean James F. Kane.
“The award-winning International business programs at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business have trained outstanding global business leaders for half a century,” said Bob Coble, former Columbia mayor and chair of Columbia World Affairs Council Board of Directors. “Now, those leaders have spread across every corner of the world representing South Carolina and the Gamecock spirit. As a result, our state has become synonymous worldwide with excellence and as a welcoming destination for trade and investment.”
Renowned globally, USC’s undergraduate international business program at the Darla Moore School of Business retained its No. 1 ranking for the 26th consecutive year in 2024, according to U.S. News & World Report. The International MBA earned the No. 1 graduate program ranking in 2024 for the 11th straight year and has been ranked in the top three nationally for 35 consecutive years, also announced by U.S. News.
Along with the prestigious U.S. News rankings, the Master of International Business program has also been ranked the top U.S. program by Financial Times. International business faculty have been ranked No. 1 worldwide for faculty research productivity in IB for 30 years.
“The Moore School’s international business curriculum is continually advancing to address the dramatic changes occurring across the global business landscape,” said Kendall Roth, ’86 Ph.D. in international business, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, currently the executive director of the USC Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) who has been with the Moore School since 1986. “But perhaps the most significant change in the past 40 years has been our progression to a partner-based model of international business education. Our programs are increasingly developed and delivered in collaboration with top business schools throughout the world. No other business school in the world has a comparable portfolio of IB programs.”
Acknowledging the Moore School’s unique approach to international business, the December event will mark the 31st year the Columbia World Affairs Council has presented the award to recognize a global vision that has made a significant impact on projecting South Carolina internationally.
“The Moore School’s academic programs have evolved with the needs of students and businesses over a half-century,” said Randy Folks, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and the first international business department chair; with the Moore School from 1969-2014 when he retired. “Yet, the constants of strong international content, development of foreign language capabilities, overseas study and use of internships continue to produce outstanding graduates with superb capabilities. Our reputation depends as much on our scholarship and relationships as it does on the quality of our program and the performance of our graduates.”
ABOUT THE COLUMBIA WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Founded in 1993, the Columbia World Affairs Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization providing global education programming and innovative international exchanges. The Council serves as a center for international development to increase the connectivity and visibility of South Carolina as a world-class state. The Columbia World Affairs Council is a member of the national World Affairs Councils of America, the largest grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to inspiring, educating and engaging Americans in international affairs and the critical global issues of our times. The Council is also a member of Sister Cities International and has administered the Sister City program on behalf of the City of Columbia since 1996. Learn more at www.columbiaworldaffairs.org
ABOUT THE DARLA MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina is among the highest ranked business schools in the world. Well known for international business education and research, the school also has highly ranked operations and supply chain programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and ensures that all undergraduates and most graduate students leave the school data proficient, analytically capable and functionally based. Founded in 1919, the school has a history of innovative educational leadership, blending academic preparation with real-world experience through internships, consulting projects, study abroad programs and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Moore School offers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as distinctive executive education programs. In 1998, the school was named for South Carolina native and New York financier Darla Moore, making the University of South Carolina the first major university to name its business school after a woman. Learn more at sc.edu/moore.
