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Key figure in international business program, Jeff Arpan, dies


Dr. Jeffrey S. Arpan

Dr. Jeffrey S. Arpan, Professor Emeritus of Business Administration and a key figure in the early success of the Master of International Business Studies (MIBS) program, died May 28. A memorial service was held Saturday, June 4, at 11:00 a.m. at Rutledge Chapel, University of South Carolina Horseshoe.

At age 24, Arpan was the youngest person to receive his doctoral degree in international business from Indiana University, and his doctoral dissertation was selected by the Academy of International Business as the best IB dissertation completed in 1971. In 1976, he was selected as one of the “Outstanding Young Men in America”; in 2001 was named one of the “Ten Southerners to Watch in Globalization” by the Southern Growth Policies Board; and in 2002, was selected as the Community Ambassador of the Year by the Board of Directors of International Friendship Ministries. He taught at Georgia State University from 1971-1979 before coming to USC. At the Moore School, he held the James F. Kane Professorship in International Business and served as Chairman of the International Business Department from 1985-2003.

Arpan said in a 2004 interview he was most proud of the success of the MIBS program, which in 1989 was ranked the top international business program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. (Now called the International Master of Business Administration program, it has consistently held the No. 1 or No. 2 position since that time.) As Director of MIBS, Arpan oversaw the introduction of the Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Italian, and Arabic language tracks, and was instrumental in helping to internationalize the faculty and graduate student body. He has been credited with establishing working relationships between Moore School and major corporations and was active in executive development programs for companies such as IBM, Verizon, Westinghouse, Eastman Chemical, Sonoco, and Xerox. In 1999, he received the Outstanding Teacher Award for Executive Education and the Alfred G. Smith Teaching Award.

During his long career, Arpan researched and presented international business topics in more than a dozen countries on five continents, and wrote more than a half-dozen books and 50 articles on IB topics. He was a Fellow and Past President of the Academy of International Business, the major professional association of international business professors. Together with his wife, Luz Rodriguez Arpan, he founded Hispanic Connections, a small business that provides a variety of services to connect and integrate Hispanic and other business communities.

In addition to his wife, Arpan is survived by a stepson Alejandro Penaranda Arpan; three daughters, Laura Arpan, Amy Arpan, and Piper Arpan; a granddaughter, Reed Ralstin; a sister, Cheryl Sorokin; a brother, Randy Arpan; and nephews Nathan Arpan, Justin Arpan, Jordan Arpan, and David Knowles.

A Jeffrey S. Arpan Fellowship has been established. The purpose of the fellowship is to provide support for graduate students in international business. Moore School of Business will provide matching funds for donations. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to honor Jeff’s memory do so with a contribution to this fellowship. Contributions may be sent to:

Jeffrey S. Arpan Fellowship
Moore School of Business
University of South Carolina
1705 College Street
Columbia, S.C. 29208