MOUs Without IOUs: Sustaining Leadership in International Business Programs Through Disruption

International business (IB) programs are vulnerable to disruption even when formal partnerships remain intact. Examining three IB study abroad programs that experienced recovery, collapse, and redesign, this article identifies four sustainability mechanisms: interpersonal relationships, operational memory, role redundancy, and proportional institutional support. Weaknesses in these mechanisms create predictable vulnerability. A challenge–response table and two diagnostic frameworks help administrators and program champions identify risk, realign leadership and institutional support, and strengthen continuity in volatile international education environments.