Sunil Kumar Named Dean at Chicago Booth

Posted by: Geoff Gloeckler on July 28, 2010

This morning it was announced that Sunil Kumar, the Fred H. Merrill Professor of Operations, Information, and Technology at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (Stanford Full-Time MBA Profile), would be the next dean at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Booth Full-Time MBA Profile), the top-ranked MBA program according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Kumar’s appointment was announced by University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer and Provost Thomas Rosenbaum. “He brings the right blend of vision, entrepreneurial energy and academic leadership that will build on the contributions of Chicago Booth at a time of tremendous momentum and achievement,” Zimmer and Rosenbaum explained in a joint email to the Booth community. Kumar is the second Stanford MBA faculty member tapped to lead a top B-school in the past year, with Peter Henry taking over the dean’s position at New York University’s Stern School of Business (Stern Full-Time MBA Profile) last fall.

Kumar has been on the Stanford MBA faculty since 1996, teaching courses in operations management, critical analytical thinking, and revenue management. He is also credited for co-developing a widely-used factory simulator, called “Littlefield Technologies”, for teaching operations management, according to the announcement.

“I am excited to become dean of Chicago Booth,” Kumar said in a statement. “I share the school’s passion for the pursuit of ideas that hold up under careful scrutiny. I look forward to helping strengthen and enhance Booth’s outstanding research environment and its rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education. I am eager to get to know the faculty, students, alumni and staff of the school, and to engage with the business community in the city of Chicago.”

Kumar replaces Edward A. Snyder, who stepped down as dean at the end of June after holding the position since 2001. Snyder will be taking over as dean at the Yale School of Management (Yale Full-Time MBA Profile) in 2011. While at Booth, Snyder helped obtain a record $300 million gift from David Booth, co-chief executive officer of Austin, Texas-based Dimensional Fund Advisors Inc., and oversaw the construction of a $125 million building.

Booth professor Harry L. Davis will serve as interim dean until Kumar takes office January 1, 2011.

Reader Comments

Nikhil Abraham

July 29, 2010 2:08 AM

Congratulations Dean Kumar and Chicago Booth.

It's not easy being a dean ... here are some qualities that seem to matter: http://uchicagojdmba.posterous.com/sunil-kumar-new-dean-of-chicago-booth

Maroons

July 29, 2010 11:45 AM

Dean Sunil Kumar,

Your predecessor was asleep at the wheel and did nothing to help with the career opportunities for the students in the part time MBA program especially involving internship.

Hope you are different.

Ankit

July 30, 2010 12:21 AM

Congrats for the achievement,...

Davis

July 30, 2010 10:22 AM

Maroons, Kumar's predecessor was the best dean in the galaxy. He completely brought Booth to a new dimension

pharmacy tech

August 3, 2010 2:43 PM

nice post. thanks.

Anti Morons

August 4, 2010 11:30 PM

Maroons, similar to your name, you're certainly certifiable morons.

To Booth, i think you can you better, a lot better.

Steve

August 5, 2010 2:30 AM

Maroon,

A common affliction of part-time MBA students is the inability to understand the definition of part-time. Part-time means you have other obligations, usually consisting of a full time job, that preclude you from attending the full-time MBA program. I have yet to see someone hold down an internship and a full time job . If you were looking for expanded career service opportunities and internships, you severely erred in not making the requisite sacrifice to attend full time. If you couldn't gain admittance, you should have pursued your studies where your needs would have been met instead of blaming the administration/Ted Snyder. I worked with the man firsthand as a student, among dozens of others over the years, on making corporate connections that directly led to interviews on campus. He was in a word, epically concerned with student placement.

gaurav

August 5, 2010 9:09 AM

I would just like to add here that I was in the same boat as Mr. Maroons. I ended up applying for a fulltime MBA program and got accepted there. Would be attending Ross this Fall. Glad I made that decision.

Joe

August 7, 2010 9:23 AM

I dont like Stanford guys. They seem to be too full of themselves and when push comes to shove, have nothing to bring to the table.

I hope he gets fired in 6 months

Nitin

December 12, 2010 9:52 PM

Hi Guys - Not sure if i will get reply here. But does part time MBA graduates participate for recruiting along with full time MBA.
(i would think companies would not know unless they want to ask specifically about internship experience which part timers would not have).

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