The Romain College of Business has narrowed down their dean search to three candidates after the former dean stepped down in fall 2021. 

The Romain College of Business held open forum presentations with each dean candidate from April 18-27. These presentations were open to staff and students.

“This is the first official interview process I’ve been to, and it’s really interesting exploring this networking process,” said Selina Wang, sophomore health services major. 

Wang said she was required to attend the presentation on April 20 for her minor in human resources.

The final dean candidates for the Romain College of Business are:

• Filiz Tabak, Professor of Leadership and Chairperson of Department of Management in the College of Business and Economics at Towson University in Maryland.
• Daniel J. Goebel, Dean at State University of New York Brockport in New York.
• Sudesh Mujumdar, Dean of the College of Business Administration at Savannah State University in Georgia.

All candidates presented at 2 p.m. in Form I in the Pott College of Science, Engineering and Education. Tabak presented on April 18, Goebel on April 20 and Mujumdar on April 27.

After each candidate’s presentation, students and staff who attended could ask the candidate questions relating to their experience and how else they intend to impact the future of the college. Students who attended a presentation could also fill out a feedback survey. 

Braxton Sicard, senior marketing major, said he had not attended any of the open forums and did not even know they were happening. “As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t affect me directly.”

“I know that they are as high as you can get in the school itself, but other than that I’m not sure what they do,” Sicard said.

Mark McKnight, associate professor of accounting, said there are “a lot of reasons” students should care about the deans. “That’s the person that oversees the degree program where you get your degree. That’s really important.”

“I’ve been here for sixteen years and dean searches are done when they’re needed,” McKnight said. “You have all of these reasons that you need to do a search, and you do them when they’re required for the university.”

Cathy Carey, professor of economics and former dean of the Romain College of Business, stepped down from deanship in fall 2021. “I very much care for and support USI and the Romain College of Business. I look forward to supporting the new dean in my role as a professor of economics,” Carey said. 

Carey declined to comment on any specifics of the search.

The Romain College of Business’s search comes after the College of Nursing and Health Professions and College of Liberal Arts held their dean search. Their candidate’s presentations were held from Feb. 17 to March 1.

Del Doughty, former dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education at Texas A&M University, was announced as the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts on April 8. The College of Nursing and Health Professions currently has not announced their new dean.

Each college created search committees consisting of leadership staff and community representatives. The search committees are responsible for screening and voting for a dean based on their college’s dean search prospectus.

Each college’s dean search prospectus can be found here: Romain College of Business, College of Liberal Arts, College of Nursing and Health Professions.

The requirements for dean positions include a doctorate or terminal degree, qualifications equivalent to a tenured, full professor and evidence of administrative leadership experience. Each college also has its own requirements related to their accreditation and/or the applicant’s personal experience in the field.

Deans report directly to the provost and serve as the chief academic officer for their respective college. Deans oversee the student and faculty experience, help set the budget and manage the stability and growth of their respective college.