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Dean Emeritus James F. Kane dies at age 75


Kane_bleed1 Dr. James F. Kane, dean of the University of South Carolina’s business school from 1967 to 1993 and the man who led the school's transformation from a "sleepy institution" to one of the top business schools in the South, died June 5. He was 75 and had been in failing health for more than a month.

Dean Kane retired a year ago from the Moore School of Business, where he had taught in the marketing department since 1993. He was named Dean Emeritus on June 30, 1993.

"Much of what the Moore School is today we owe directly to the vision of Jim Kane," said Joel A. Smith III, current dean of the Moore School. "He was a transformational dean who saw an opportunity for international business in the state of South Carolina and made it happen. He also nurtured that vision over the years to include strategic hires and program enhancements such as the International MBA-European track. Today we are still known primarily for our core competency in International Business education. We will forever be indebted to Dean Kane."

In interviews last year for a cover article in Moore Business, the school’s alumni magazine, several colleagues and friends talked about Jim Kane and the Kane era.

Jeanette Ross, who was Kane's executive secretary for more than 15 years, said that as dean, he was "one of a kind. He had such a vision for the school."  Dr. Terence A. Shimp, professor emeritus of marketing and former chairman of the department, agreed.   "Jim was a wonderful dean … because he had high goals for this place….When Jim came to the business school, it was a sleepy institution. Now we're a major player. Jim's administration set the tone and got the ball rolling."

William F. Putnam, a close friend of Kane's and his longtime associate dean, put it this way:  "I like to say that Jim was ‘handicapped.'  He didn't know what he couldn't do. As a consequence, he did a lot of things."

Not yet 35 years old when he took over the helm of the business school 40 years ago, Kane stayed in the deanship for the next 26 years, one of the longest deanship tenures in the country.

Kane's list of accomplishments was a long one:

Jim Kane was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Nov. 23, 1931, and graduated from St. Thomas Military Academy in 1950. A former semi-pro second baseman, he was a navigation instructor with the U.S. Air Force from 1953 to 1957, then earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Indiana State University in 1958. In 1959, he earned a master's degree in economics at Indiana State, then a doctorate in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis in 1964.

In 1964, Kane was hired as the first full-time director of the AACSB, the organization that accredits all U.S. business schools and is now known as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Three years later, he became dean of the University of South Carolina's College of Business Administration. He had never before been to South Carolina.

Soon after coming to USC, Kane enlisted the major players in the state's business community in a capital campaign to raise funds for a new building. James Bradley, then president of The Springs Company in Lancaster, South Carolina, was asked to head up the effort.

In the campaign's early days, Bradley remembers walking with Kane, Francis M. Hipp of  The Liberty Corporation, and James C. Self of Greenwood Mills into the office of James G. Lindley, then president and CEO of South Carolina National Bank, to secure a financial commitment for a new building. "When Lindley looked up and saw the four of us," Bradley recalled, "he said, 'I don't know what the question is, but the answer is yes.'"

Kane had the "ability to get people to help him," said Bradley. "It was hard to say no to him. He was such a confident leader."   

Kane was a hands-on administrator, juggling academics, personnel issues, and fundraising with aplomb. "Those were exciting times," remembered Jeanette Ross. "It was a growth time, and it was fun to watch. You could see it happening, and you wanted to come to work every day because there was so much going on."

Janice DeLozier, who worked for Kane for more than two decades as an assistant dean and associate dean, said that for him, being dean of the USC business school "was not just a job – it was his life." 

James G. Hilton, who was associate dean for academic affairs during the Kane era, said Kane made working at the business school "exciting and a lot of fun," despite the "many cynics"who said that he "dreamed dreams that were not realistic for South Carolina."

"Jim Kane got us visibility," said Dean Smith. "And we wouldn't otherwise have it."

For his part, Kane explained in an interview last year that his modus operandi was simple. "I always had one motto:  Surround yourself with good people, and they make you look good."

He was given the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award in South Carolina, in 1993. He was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana State University in 1976, and the Distinguished Service Award from the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation in 1983.

Kane formerly served on the board of directors of Duck Head Apparel; Delta Apparel; Delta Woodside Industries, Inc.; Glassmaster Company; Roper Temporary Services; Defender Industries, Inc.; Carolina Collegiate Federal Credit Union; The Liberty Corporation; First Union National Bank of South Carolina; Kendall Drug Company; the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce; and the Educational Resources Foundation of the South Carolina Educational Television Network.

He served on the board of trustees of Coastal Carolina University and the USC-Business Partnership Foundation. He was also a senior marketing consultant from 1993 to 1995 for Chernoff/Silver & Associates.

Kane was a member of the (South Carolina) Governor's Task Force for Economic Growth from 1973 to 1975, and served as National Secretary of Beta Gamma Sigma from 1970-1974.

He was a member of the American Economic Association, the American Marketing Association, the National Association of Accountants, Delta Sigma Pi, Beta Gamma Sigma, and Omicron Delta Epsilon.

Survivors include his wife of 28 years, D'Ann McCary Kane; sons Michael Kane (Jennifer) of Lexington, Kentucky, and Steven C. Kane (Deanie) of Columbia; daughters Kathleen M. Kane and Julie A. Kane, both of Columbia; stepchildren Michelle B. Barkdoll (William) and M. Clay Britt (Kim), and 11 grandchildren.

The funeral was held on June 8 at Greenlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia.   

The family asked that any memorials be made to the USC Business Partnership Foundation (1705 College Street, Columbia, SC 29208) or to the charity of one's choice.

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