WANDA M. AUSTIN, PH.D.
Interim President

December 3, 2018
Dear USC Marshall community,
I am writing to inform you that Jim Ellis will step down from his position as dean of the USC
Marshall School of Business, effective June 30, 2019. He will continue to serve as a member of
our faculty. I know this news is hard for many to process as he is such a prominent member of
our university community.
Because this is a personnel matter we are limited in what we can share about this decision.
This decision regarding Dean Ellis’ role at the university was made after careful deliberation.
I personally met with Dean Ellis as did several others. In addition, we consulted with outside
legal counsel to the Board of Trustees and external human resources experts. At the end of this
process, I informed Dean Ellis that he would remain as dean through the end of this academic
year, but that a new dean would be appointed for the coming school year.
Over the past decade, Dean Ellis led many positive initiatives. USC Marshall is a worldclass business school and the transition to new leadership will be made with a commitment to
providing the very best for its students, faculty, staff, and the community it serves.
We sincerely appreciate Dean Ellis’ many contributions to USC Marshall as its dean and look
forward to his continued contributions as a faculty member.
Sincerely,

Wanda M. Austin
Interim President

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California 90089-0012 • Tel: 213 740 2111 • Fax: 213 821 1342