SUNY Geneseo Dean of the School of Business

Geneseo, New York

The State University of New York College at Geneseo, one of the nation’s top public undergraduate colleges, seeks a Dean of its School of Business. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a student-centered business school at a critical juncture in its history. The School of Business will play a major role in the College’s efforts to increase outreach and development activities as it relies increasingly on private funding. The next Dean will build on momentum already established by the College to advance the School’s niche as a provider of a first-rate business education anchored in the liberal arts.

With the School having successfully secured AACSB re-accreditation in 2012, the Dean will have an opportunity to develop an ambitious plan to significantly advance the standing of an institution with a reputation for preparing top-quality students for the workplace and graduate school. The Dean’s long-term strategy will address issues such as the development of a renewed and strengthened faculty, the management of high student demand for classes in the School, increased engagement with the business community and alumni, and development of resources in a time of dwindling state support.

Geneseo seeks a dean who will be a strong internal advocate for the school and a partner with senior administration in outreach efforts to alumni, donors, and the business community. The Dean will be a presence on a campus that values close connections among students, faculty and administration. S/he will recruit and develop new faculty while leading a veteran faculty group that has a reputation for working well together and collaborating with faculty in other disciplines in the liberal arts tradition of Geneseo.

The executive search firm Isaacson, Miller has been retained to assist Geneseo in this recruitment. All inquiries, nominations and applications should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.

SUNY GENESEO: HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Founded in 1871 as a teacher training college, Geneseo has developed into the most selective undergraduate institution in the SUNY system and is nationally recognized as a center of excellence in undergraduate education. It is a public liberal arts college with selected professional and master's level programs that combines a rigorous curriculum, transformational learning experiences and a rich co-curricular life to create a learning-centered environment. The entire college community works together to develop socially responsible citizens with skills and values important to the pursuit of an enriched life and success in the world. A long-standing member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, Geneseo is widely recognized as one of top liberal arts colleges in the public sector.

In 2012, U.S. News and World Report ranked Geneseo as the top “Up and Coming” and “Best Undergraduate Teaching” regional university in the North. Since 1998, the publication has rated the College first or second among public universities in the North every year. The New York Times calls Geneseo, “one of the nation’s most selective, highly regarded public colleges,” a “hidden gem” that is “increasingly seen as a first choice for high achievers.” In its 2012-13 college rankings, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance placed Geneseo first in the nation as a best- value college for out-of-state students and ninth for in-state students on its list of the nation’s top 100 public colleges. Geneseo is also listed in the Fiske Guide to Colleges as a “Best Buy” school, and is lauded for its academic programs, accessible professors and hometown atmosphere.

Located in the Genesee Valley, 30 minutes south of Rochester and one hour east of Buffalo, the Town and Village of Geneseo are bordered by the Finger Lakes to the east and Letchworth State Park to the west, affording numerous recreational opportunities. Canada’s largest city – Toronto – is three hours to the northwest. The Geneseo Village Historic District, one of only 24 communities in the nation on the National Register of Historic Places, boasts numerous finely preserved, historic homes and buildings as well as a picturesque and thriving Main Street. The greater Rochester area offers many institutions of higher education and diverse cultural amenities. Students, faculty and staff both enjoy and contribute to the cultural vibrancy that characterizes the Town and Village of Geneseo and the region.

SUNY Geneseo is the first choice for many applicants. The average combined math and critical reading SAT score for incoming freshmen in Fall 2012 was 1333, with the 25th to 75th percentiles being 1230 - 1360. Geneseo has an acceptance rate of below 45 percent and a six-year graduation rate of about 81 percent – among the highest in the nation for public institutions. Forty percent of Geneseo’s students study abroad before they graduate. The College’s 5,450 students are taught by 256 dedicated full-time faculty and around 100 talented adjuncts. Eighty- eight percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty, 90 percent of whom hold terminal degrees.

Geneseo provides its students with an enriching liberal arts education and a breadth of programs within a small college setting. A rigorous and distinctive liberal arts education on a close-knit residential campus is the cornerstone of the Geneseo experience. The institution’s common core includes courses in western humanities, fine arts, social and natural sciences, foreign languages, non-western traditions, United States history, numeric and symbolic reasoning, and critical reading and writing. The College consists of 21 academic departments as well as two professional schools: the School of Business, and the Ella Cline Shear School of Education. The College offers a total of 48 undergraduate programs, six master’s programs, and 25 interdisciplinary minors. Faculty and staff have also developed a number of cooperative programs in several fields with other institutions, including 4-1 MBA programs. Geneseo is the only public undergraduate institution in New York with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. A number of Geneseo’s curricular and co-curricular programs have received, and continue to receive, national recognition as best practices in higher education and as exemplars of integrating the academic and student life experience. Deep integration – of curriculum and co-curriculum, living and learning, liberal learning and professional experience – defines the learning experience of students at the College. The College is also actively integrated in the life of the communities of Geneseo and Rochester, supporting regional economic development and outreach efforts and leveraging the intelligence, compassion, and creativity of its students, faculty, and staff. Geneseo’s Student Ambassador Program is a prime example. An incubator and facilitator for student projects that are life- changing and transformational, it relies on grants from generous donors that allow students to pursue groundbreaking work in leadership, innovation, diversity, business, community engagement and scholarship. Housed within the newly established Center for Inquiry, Discovery and Development, the program is the first part of a proposed combination of facilities and resources for economic development: small business start-up and incubator support, team development laboratories, entrepreneurship programs, student-centered innovation grants, and research and performance spaces for musical arts and technologies. The Center will advance the goals of the Finger Lakes region economic development plan to accelerate job creation, expand the higher education sector, support inclusive high-end workforce development, and enhance the region’s quality of life.

SUNY Geneseo’s faculty, staff, and administrators strive to sustain an environment where all students feel valued and are nurtured personally and intellectually. Undergraduates work side by side with faculty and staff mentors, assisting in ground-breaking research and taking advantage of the many opportunities this distinctive, student-centered college has to offer. For decades, Geneseo students have benefited both personally and professionally from the many ways that classroom learning is augmented by hands-on educational experience in the field and in the lab. More than 40 percent of Geneseo students attend graduate or professional school within a year of graduation. The efficacy of Geneseo’s educational model is evident in student surveys and the achievements of its graduates. In the National Survey of Student Engagement, Geneseo seniors are above the mean of the College’s Carnegie peers in student-faculty interaction and enriching educational experiences. According to the NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates, between 2000 and 2009 Geneseo was third in the nation among Masters institutions in the number of STEM doctorates awarded to alumni, and eighth in the nation across all disciplines. The College is accredited by the Middle States Association for Colleges and Schools. Carnegie classifies it as a Master’s S institution.

Leadership

President Christopher C. Dahl

Christopher C. Dahl is President and Professor of English at the State University of New York at Geneseo. He was appointed to his current post in February 1996, having served as provost and interim president. Previously, he served as Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Millersville University of Pennsylvania and before that, as professor of English and chair of the Humanities Department at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. President Dahl will retire effective June 30, 2014, having served Geneseo during a period of unprecedented growth. He will begin a nine-month sabbatical on Oct. 1, 2013. Provost Carol Long will serve as interim president.

A specialist in Victorian literature, Dahl holds a bachelor's degree in English from Harvard College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees, also in English, from Yale University. Active in his community, Dahl has joined Geneseo students on service trips and sings baritone as a member of the Geneseo Festival Chorus. In addition, he regularly teaches 19th century British literature to undergraduates. He serves on the boards of the Center for Governmental Research and the Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. He also is a past president of Rochester Area Colleges, a consortium of 19 area colleges and universities.

At the national level, Dahl has just completed a term as a board member of the American Council on Education. Previously, he served on the boards of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Under his leadership, Geneseo has clearly defined its role and mission as a public liberal arts college and center of excellence in undergraduate education in New York State.

Provost Carol Long

Carol S. Long was named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2009 after serving as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and School of Education at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Prior to becoming Dean, Long served Willamette as a department chair and then associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts. She also established and directed an Oregon Writing Project site in partnership with surrounding K-12 schools and colleges. As Dean she served as administrative liaison between Willamette and Tokyo International University and brings deep experience in international partnerships to her work at Geneseo. Her recent published work has been in the interdisciplinary field of Rhetoric of Science. A leader in the area of digital learning and technology, she has served on the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE) and currently serves as a NITLE Fellow. Long earned her doctorate and master’s degree in English from Northwestern University. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Pomona College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

The School of Business

Positioned within a highly recognized public liberal arts college with strong professional programs, the School prepares its 750 students for both the immediate challenges of employment or graduate study and the lifelong pursuit of professional success. Its 225 accounting majors, 450 business administration majors, and 75 economics majors are taught by 18 tenured faculty, one tenure-track faculty member, and five adjuncts. The school’s annual operating budget is $2.3 million.

The School of Business is committed to excellence in business education within the context of a strong liberal arts tradition. Its carefully designed programs reflect a sustained commitment to teaching and continuous improvement. The School prepares graduates to assume responsible leadership positions in professional employment, to enter and succeed in graduate schools, and to develop lifelong habits of learning.

Academics

The School of Business provides students with high-quality degree programs that offer an integrated combination of knowledge, skills and professional orientation. Business School students leave Geneseo with a thorough grounding in the principles, tools and best practices of a business discipline, an appreciation of the many issues that affect the business world, competence in the analytical, interpersonal and communication skills necessary to succeed in the business world of today and tomorrow, and an exposure to and interaction with the world of business. The liberal arts core of a Geneseo education combined with the business curriculum provides a broad foundation that will lead students to develop sound business judgment and effective problem-solving skills.

The School is driven by intellectually curious students and a collaborative faculty. Unlike most schools of business, it is organized without individual departments. This flat organizational structure allows faculty and administration to address school-wide issues and places the dean in close contact with faculty. Business faculty in three mutually-supportive disciplinary areas frequently team teach courses inside and outside the School. Research in the School is geared toward the teaching mission and opportunities for undergraduate research are many. Faculty are continually innovating to create an atmosphere of active learning through the use of student teams. Many classes involve outside speakers and field trips that align with Geneseo’s student- centered active learning community.

Business students earn B.S. degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics. Geneseo students can also earn minors in Business Studies and Economics. The School of Business established an M.S. in Accounting Program in 2005. This program meets the state requirements as well as providing the skills and knowledge required for a licensure qualifying program by the accounting profession in New York State. The program is designed for individuals with an undergraduate degree in accounting who are interested in careers in public accounting or other accounting related fields, and individuals who wish to take the CPA exam in New York State. Students normally complete the full-time degree program in one year. Geneseo students rank highly among the top schools in the state in their first-time pass rate for the CPA exam.

Business majors who complete a prescribed set of courses at Geneseo in four years can earn an MBA through the School’s 4+1 program. Following graduation at Geneseo, they can complete the MBA with one additional year at SUNY Binghamton, Rochester Institute of Technology, Clarkson University, Union College, or Alfred University.

In keeping with the School’s philosophy of making students aware of diversity and globalization issues affecting the business world, students have the opportunity to study abroad. The school has ongoing relationships with Hacetteppe University in Turkey and El Sauce, Nicaragua. Thirty-three business students studied abroad and 30 visited El Sauce for service-learning opportunities, including small business development work, last year.

The School is planning the creation of a Trading Room/Finance Lab, with a target date of 2014. The room would provide students with state-of-the-art trading and security analysis capabilities. A potential site for the room has been identified and fundraising has begun.

Outreach

The impact of the School extends well beyond the classroom. Students and faculty contribute to the local and global community and gain valuable experiences through that interaction. Alumni, community leaders, and other friends contribute to the school through their ideas, time, and financial support.

There are 10 student clubs and organizations within the School representing all major functional areas of business. They sponsor events that provide opportunities for professional development, internships, research collaboration, and volunteering. Students provided volunteer tax assistance to nearly 100 low-income and elderly people in the community last year. For the past 11 years, they have made an annual trip to New York City to meet with accounting and finance firms and network with alumni. The Student Managed Investment Fund allows students to manage roughly $200,000 in investments. Business students are required to participate in a minimum of 12 professional development events as part of their graduation requirement.

The School works closely with alumni, employers, and the business community through the Business Advisory Council (BAC) and Alumni Connections Committee (ACC). These organizations hold official meetings twice a year but meet in smaller groups and provide valuable advice to School leadership throughout the year. They are a source of important connections to the business community and employers and combine a valued external perspective with a deep understanding of the School.

The School is currently engaged in a search for the VanArsdale Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. The VanArsdale Endowed Chair is supported by a $2.5 million gift from banker and community leader Charles L. “Bud” VanArsdale. Housed in the School of Business, the VanArsdale Professor will develop courses that explore entrepreneurial thinking and practice with students throughout the College. This is the first Endowed Chair at the College and is designed to attract an individual to instill a spirit of entrepreneurship in the College and the student body and help strengthen the connection between the business community and Geneseo.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), housed within the School, continues to work with individuals looking to start new businesses and sponsors events designed to assist in the growth of new firms. A new SBDC Director, Paul Morrell, was hired in July 2012. There are plans for the SBDC to work closely with the new VanArsdale Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship, regional economic development organizations, and the College’s new Center for Inquiry, Discovery and Development.

THE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Reporting to the Provost, the Dean serves as the chief academic officer of the School of Business. The Dean oversees strategic planning; budgets; fundraising; curricula; faculty recruitment, development and retention; program development; assessment; and administration. Maintaining the school’s accreditation with AACSB International is a primary responsibility for the Dean, as are issues of State Education Department compliance and community outreach. The Dean works with the Provost in the school’s development of academic policy and maintenance of academic quality.

KEY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Strategically position the School to excel in an increasingly competitive environment

The Dean will join the School at a critical juncture. While it enjoys the stability that comes with strong enrollment and its recent re-accreditation, the Dean will be charged to work with faculty and administration to create a vision for the School’s future and a strategic plan to guide critical decisions to execute the strategy. The Dean will be creative, inclusive, and practical as s/he protects and enhances the quality of education for which Geneseo is known. S/he will anticipate new challenges, be mindful of industry trends and innovations, and position the School for long- term success and growth.

Lead the recruitment and development of faculty

The School has enjoyed the stability and leadership of a core of senior faculty. Over the next several years, the Dean will have the opportunity to oversee searches to fill several unfilled tenure track lines. The Dean will enhance the faculty’s ability to provide the advising, teaching, and research support that define Business education at Geneseo. The College Advancement Office and several School of Business alumni developed a new Faculty Enrichment Fund to support faculty recruitment efforts and faculty development activities. The Dean will work to secure the additional resources needed to support faculty and provide the excellent teaching that is a hallmark of a Geneseo education. S/he will think strategically about programmatic needs and how best to manage the teaching workload that strong enrollment demands.

The Dean will recruit excellent faculty who are uniquely fitted to the mission and values of this highly ranked liberal arts college, relying on a supportive and collaborative group of senior faculty to develop their junior colleagues and new hires. S/he must have a nuanced understanding of the workload pressures on faculty at a liberal arts college and provide the necessary guidance and motivation to faculty as they engage in their teaching, service, and research.

Be an active player in the College’s fund raising

In Fall 2011, Geneseo launched the public phase of the largest capital campaign in its history. It is in the final stage of reaching its goal of $22 million to bolster the endowment and strengthen programs. With state support for the SUNY system at an all-time low, this campaign is not a one-time event. It is indicative of a new economic model for Geneseo and public universities throughout the country. The Dean will work with the College’s Vice President for College Advancement and university leadership in a persistent, coordinated effort to build relationships, engage alumni and friends, and communicate the impact supporting the College will have.

Be an enthusiastic public face for the School in the local and regional business community

Situated in the Buffalo/Rochester region, the College enjoys a geographical advantage to be leveraged. The School of Business will play a critical role in this outreach, aligning itself with businesses in both metropolitan areas as well as the local community. The Dean will build a network to support the School that knits together a strong alumni base, an eager advisory council and the business community in the broader region. The resulting connections will improve the quality of life for the region, create new opportunities for students and graduates, and advance development goals for the College. This effort is shared throughout the campus, but the Dean of the School of Business is uniquely positioned to develop the School’s natural connections with the business community and alumni in the region.

Represent the School as a collaborative member of the College community

Just as the Dean will communicate the School’s goals externally, s/he will also be an effective representative of the School within the College. The Dean will work collegially with the President, Provost, Chairs and other academic leaders as part of a close-knit group. S/he will best serve the School by articulating how initiatives will benefit the entire College community and by working with colleagues to find solutions to common problems and seize opportunities. Be an advocate for diversity in the school

Diversity stands as one of Geneseo's core institutional values, framing the College's sense of community and fostering respect and appreciation for the broad spectrum of backgrounds, beliefs, talents, interests, and life choices of students, faculty, and staff. Diversity supports the College's central mission as a center of excellence in undergraduate liberal arts education, providing dynamic frameworks for teaching and learning as well as new collaborations across disciplines, across campus, nationally and globally. The College and the School have made strides in improving the diversity of students and faculty and provide several activities and initiatives to encourage diversity – including the President’s Commission on Diversity and Community. As an academic and administrative leader, the Dean will build on these efforts to foster the recruitment and success of diverse students and faculty and encourage the continued engagement and understanding of diversity issues throughout the School.

Be a visible and engaged champion for students in pursuit of their personal and educational goals

Geneseo students are among the strongest and most academically prepared in the country. The Dean will work with faculty to stay abreast of curricular and pedagogical innovations and extracurricular opportunities that will challenge and engage students. S/he will be an external advocate, leader of the faculty and a presence amongst the students. S/he will help them see what is possible and how best to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by a Geneseo education.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

The successful candidate will embody many of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Academic stature; s/he must possess a terminal degree in a business or business- related discipline and have a record of success in research, scholarship, or professional experience that would support an appointment to the rank of professor in the School; • Familiarity with the process of gaining or maintaining accreditation with AACSB International; • Experience with program development and a desire to vigorously pursue new research and pedagogical innovations; • A team player with demonstrated ability to make effective cases to superiors; • Proven capacity to craft and implement a strategic vision in an academic setting or a similar context; the entrepreneurial spirit and strategic mindset to stimulate growth; • A strong communicator who will present to the public the School’s proud heritage and bright future to improve ties with industry, alumni, and friends. Someone who has worked effectively with senior leadership to carry an inspiring message, cultivate key external constituencies, attract partners, raise funds, generate enthusiasm among alumni, and obtain commitments to support the School; • Outstanding administrative, financial, and management skills, gained as a department chair, associate dean, or dean; • A record of collegial leadership of faculty and staff, keeping them professionally engaged, motivated, and working to develop and nurture their success; • A careful listener who seeks to understand the viewpoints and concerns of others; a record of treating people with openness and fairness; • Skill in relationship building; the ability to connect with all members and constituency groups of the community and to work effectively across the campus and with external groups; • A personal commitment to and record of success in advancing diversity; • An understanding of Geneseo’s liberal arts mission and an attraction to its culture and values. TO APPLY

Applications, nominations and inquiries may be directed in confidence to

Gale Merseth, Vice President & Director Greg Esposito, Senior Associate Isaacson Miller, Inc. 263 Summer Street, 7th Floor Boston, MA 02210

Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged to [email protected].

SUNY Geneseo is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Employer committed to recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students. The College actively seeks applications from women and members of underrepresented groups.