At the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, a group of faculty delivered a vote-of-no-confidence message to Dean Geoffrey Garrett, citing a “downward trajectory” in reputation, research commitment, and graduating student quality. The letter links the decline to centralization of decision-making and reduced information flow to faculty. Faculty also pointed to potential impacts on admissions and the school’s financial outlook, arguing that proposed cuts to the PhD program would further weaken academic standing. The dispute is unfolding against recent U.S. News ranking declines that the faculty say reflect broader leadership and operational choices. For higher education leaders, the case underscores how faculty governance pressure is intensifying when program quality signals and enrollment forecasts worsen simultaneously.