Meet James Staten:

James Staten is the Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the University of Southern California (USC). In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Keck Medicine of USC and USC’s three captive insurance companies. Prior to USC, James serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Yale New Haven Health System. James received a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from the State University College of New York. 

Key Insights:

USC will be leaving the Pac-12 conference to join the Big 10. In this focused conversation, James Staten explains the factors behind the decision.

• Background Factors. Like many big college athletic programs, USC had run into deficits over the last few years, which negatively impacts facilities and recruitment. Additionally, this decision came at a time when the conference was about to soon enter media rights negotiations. 
• Why the Big 10? USC decided to join the Big 10 because the increased media exposure would benefit student athletes as well as the university’s national exposure and revenue. Additionally, it is a better academic conference.
• Healthcare vs Higher Ed. Higher education is favoring more partnerships and affiliations, rather than the consolidations seen in the healthcare sector.

Relevant Links: 

• Learn more about James Staten
• Read “Not your conventional chief financial officer”