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New Deans at Kelley, Darden
The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington and the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville recently announced the appointment of new deans. Robert Bruner will take charge at Darden, and Dan Smith will helm the Kelley school.

Bruner has spent more than 20 years at Darden, where he received much praise for his teaching. Corporate finance is his specialty, and he's written many books, including one of the most popular collections of case studies.

Although Darden has so far signed Bruner for only a one-year appointment, Bruner says he plans to put in motion long-term initiatives that will enhance the school's future. Among his top priorities are developing a new executive education program set to launch in June, 2006, and hosting events and activities celebrating the school's 50th anniversary. He also hopes to increase the number of faculty and staff members in admissions and executive education. "To feed growth, we need to attract the best," adds Bruner.

"DREAM REALIZATION BIZ."  Smith, a professor at Kelley since 1996, was serving as the interim dean for the last year and was among the search committee's four finalists for the permanent job. A former professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Pittsburgh, Smith is an academic at heart. But that doesn't mean the corporate world isn't at the forefront of his mind as he takes the reins at Kelley. He says he wants the community to understand the important role universities play in the world's economic development.

Refining a strategic plan to finalize the school's brand positioning, entering international markets like China and India, and aggressively expanding the online MBA program to combine traditional classroom time and distance learning are among Smith's top priorities. Ultimately, he'd like the Kelley school to be the institution of choice for the best students, faculty, and companies in the country, he says.

"Our mission can be summarized very clearly: We are in the dream realization business," says Smith. A dean, apparently, is part educator, part CEO, and part dream weaver.

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