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MAY 9, 2001 B-SCHOOL NEWS Can Chicago's New Dean Warm Up the Windy City? Faced with plummeting student satisfaction, the University of Chicago looks to Virginia's Darden School for a dean with the personal touch
It makes sense that Chicago, known more for its academic rigor than for cozy confabs, would recruit a dean who could act as a pep-squad captain and ally for serious Chicago scholars. In October, 2000, Chicago slumped to the No. 10 position in BusinessWeek's Top 30 B-Schools ranking, from No. 3 in 1998. The decline was partly due to unhappy Chicago MBAs, who demonstrated the greatest decrease in satisfaction among students at the top B-schools. Under Snyder, Darden students, by contrast, marked the greatest rise in satisfaction in 2000 -- edging the school to No. 9, from No. 11 in 1998. "Chicago does have an edge to it," Snyder says. "It's a tough place. But all students want to feel as if they've got a say. I want to champion that." FUND-RAISING ACE. A Chicago alum, with a PhD in economics, Snyder's insider status helped him land the job. And it could help him keep up the tough balancing act of juggling demands from students, faculty, alumni, and corporate partners. When the search committee approached Snyder in March, "The No. 1 thing they needed [was] someone who understood the faculty and would support [their academic] values," Snyder says. Snyder is also adept at raising funds. At Darden, he attracted over $120 million to the school from donors such as Frank Batten Sr., who handed Darden $60 million worth of securities in December, 1999 (see BW Online, 12/10/99, "A $60 Million Gift Has Darden Thinking Big"). Chicago is in the midst of a five-year, $175 million capital campaign -- though with a market value endowment of $211.3 million during the last academic year, the school isn't desperate for funds. That's a good start, since Snyder's plans include building the school. He says he'll consider setting up a new campus in Latin America (Chicago already has campuses in Barcelona and Singapore). He also feels the school has to better position itself in the B-school market. Whatever route he takes to do that, more money helps. CHI-TOWN SHAKEUP. University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III named C. Ray Smith, a professor of business administration and executive director of the Darden Foundation, as interim dean on May 8. Smith has been interim dean twice before. Casteen says Darden hopes to fill Snyder's shoes by the time classes start in September. Back in Chicagoland, there's another new dean in town. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., announced on May 7, that Dipak C. Jain, currently the school's associate dean for academic affairs and a marketing professor, will take the top slot. Jain, who says a typical work week for him is seven days long and spans breakfast, lunch, and dinner, adds that he sees "no need for any major change" at Kellogg. But he knows that he does "want more [work] distribution" to associate deans. "I don't know where I'll start. I have a full plate," Jain says. B-schools have never been known as hotbeds of change, so a new set of deans can't be expected to precipitate industry-shifting innovations. But if Snyder's and Jain's aspirations play out well, things should be interesting around the Windy City this fall. By Mica Schneider in New York  | | [an error occurred while processing this directive] Learn about your online education options |
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