The 2025 Spring Hooding Ceremony is for all Moore School master’s programs, including Master of Accountancy, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Economics, Master of International Business, MBA and Professional MBA. All master's students graduating in Spring or Summer 2025 may participate.

Kurt Ekert ('96 MBA)
President and CEO of Sabre  

Kurt Ekert is president and CEO of Sabre, a leading technology platform to the travel and hospitality industry. He was appointed CEO in April 2023 and leads a global team of highly talented colleagues.

Kurt joined Sabre as president in January 2022, bringing 25 years of global operating leadership and governance experience in technology, travel and tourism, and a track record of growth and turnaround performance.

Before joining Sabre, Kurt spent five years as President & CEO of CWT, where he engineered a digital transformation, while delivering significant growth, highlighted by $7 billion of new business wins. Prior to CWT, Kurt was EVP & Chief Commercial Officer at Travelport, where he led the operational turnaround that enabled a successful IPO in 2014. His industry experience also includes senior executive positions at GTA and Orbitz Worldwide, as well as executive roles at Cendant and Continental Airlines. Kurt has held prominent industry governance positions as Chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel & Tourism Advisory Board, and as a director of eNett, Carlson Travel Inc., the World Travel & Tourism Council, and the UNGA Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.

Kurt holds a BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the University of South Carolina, and saw active duty as a U.S. army officer. He is a current board of directors’ member for Sabre, Passur Aerospace and ZYTLYN Technologies.

Outside of work, Kurt enjoys sports, history, reading, traveling and spending time with his family.

The hooding ceremony will last approximately one and a half hours. A reception will immediately follow in the Sonoco Pavilion at the Moore School.

Please note that students are only allowed 5 guests. Students, please register your guests when you register to attend.

1501 Pendleton Street Garage

This garage is closest to the Horseshoe. The Pendleton Street Garage entrance is on Pickens Street. A parking attendant will be at the entrance. Please do not park in reserved or handicapped spaces unless you have a permit to do so.

821 Park Street – Discovery Garage or the Lots near CLA: GS4, GS4, and AD16

Please allow 20-30 minutes to walk or to take the shuttle to the Russell House or Horseshoe. The Comet Shuttle is run by the City of Columbia. The shuttle is free to students, faculty and staff with ID.  For guests who park in the garage or lots near the business school, there will be a student at the 821 Park Street shuttle stop (#1847) to assist with the fees to ride the shuttle to the Horseshoe. 

Metered Parking

City of Columbia parking is available on the streets surrounding the Horseshoe, but meter fees will apply. Those with handicapped license plates/placards may park at City of Columbia meters at no charge. Limited handicapped parking spaces are located behind many university buildings. The Moore School and the University of South Carolina are not liable for any parking fees or citations.

Link to: Interactive USC map for locating parking lots

All parking areas are at least half a block away and there are other events in the area, so please allow ample time for parking and walking. 

• Graduates walking in the Moore School Hooding and the university ceremonies are required to wear the black graduate robe, the business school hood in drab* and the cap with tassel.
  *Master of Science in Business Analytics students will wear gold hoods and gold tassels.
• Regalia orders can be placed online. If you have questions about any additional graduation supplies, you should contact the bookstore directly at 803-777-4160.
• Attire: Business professional. Dark pants and dress shoes preferred. Dresses worn under graduation robes can be any color.
• Students must arrive by 8:30 a.m. in the Russell House Ballroom (2nd Floor). Please read graduation instructions sent to you by your program managers. Prior to the procession, students will gather for a class photo. After the photo, graduates will be arranged in a line in alphabetical order for the procession.
  People who are late may miss instructions and/or photos.

• Each graduate will receive an index card in the Russell House
• Deans and faculty will lead the procession to the performance hall. Graduates should fill in the rows in an orderly fashion. A staff member will be standing at the seats to guide you. Do not leave empty seats. 
• At the appropriate time during the ceremony, the class will be asked to rise by row.
• Participants from the first row will be called forward. Remaining participants should remain seated until directed by one of the staff members assisting with the ceremony. The person at the end of the row will stand, and everyone else should follow to the stage. 
• As you approach the stage, present your card to the reader for your name to be announced. Your academic program administrator and Dean Verma will then take your hood from your arm. You should turn and face the audience while you are being hooded. There may be a button inside the hood with a string attached. Make sure this string is unbuttoned or the hood will not go over your head. 
• Do not rush onto the stage as you are being hooded. There will be a photographer taking individual pictures of each graduate.  Pause after being hooded to get your photo taken. Please provide adequate space after each graduate as hooding proceeds.   
• If your cap is knocked off during the ceremony, maintain your composure and wait to place it back on your head until after you have returned to your seat.
• At the end of the ceremony, music will begin for the recession. Please leave adequate space between you and your classmate as you leave the seating area.  
• During the hooding ceremony, photos will be taken by a university photographer. You will receive a link with access to all the photos taken during the ceremony within one week of the event.
• Diplomas will be mailed to your permanent address approximately 90 days after graduation. Be sure to check your permanent address in my.sc.edu to ensure it is accurate.