Dear UConn Community,
A number of you may have heard that I was interviewed for the Dean’s position at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University this spring. After the conclusion of their search process, I was informed that they wished to offer me this wonderful opportunity. It is with this background that I wish to let you know that after long and careful consideration, as well as extensive discussions with the President and Provost, I’ve decided to accept their offer and I will be leaving the UConn School of Business. At the request of the Provost, and to ensure we can complete several ongoing efforts, I will stay in my role until December 1, 2011 so that we can ensure a smooth transition as the search for a new Dean is undertaken.
During the coming weeks, we will be implementing a transition team appointed by the Provost in conjunction to our ongoing Associate Deans and senior staff so you shouldn’t experience any hiccups or bumps. I also believe that the President and Provost will be very proactive in moving forward a search for a new Dean and I hope you’ll provide them with all of your support.
In the nearly four years I’ve served as the Dean, I’ve been given a number of wonderful opportunities to meet with a tremendous faculty, staff, students and alumni. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a number of people engage at a level that they had not done so previously and to see our staff step up to numerous challenges during the economy’s worst downturn since the early 20th century. Many of you have stepped up selflessly and taken on new duties and challenges that have enabled us to experience important successes as a school. In just these few years, and after a tremendous effort on everyone’s part, we’ve introduced two new MS programs, a revolutionary redesign of our MBA, a living-learning community for our undergraduate program, a new BSBA for the regional campuses, developed over a dozen new international partnerships and will sponsor the first business school U21 international conference, integrated experiential learning throughout the learning experience for our students and pioneered an experiential accelerator for social innovation including our membership in the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities national consortium as well as Special Olympics International, just to name a few highlights. These initiatives are attributable to our faculty, students and staff as well as external supporters.
I’ve also been blessed with an opportunity to work with a cadre of fellow Deans at the university who are second to no one at any institution. The Provost has provided critical support and guidance to us at the school and, while my acquaintance has been brief, I believe that UConn is very fortunate indeed in the arrival of its new President. Under her leadership I believe that UConn will continue it’s quick ascension in the academic ranks and to provide continuing leadership for the State of Connecticut.
UConn is truly a world-class university and there are many aspects of the job that I will miss dearly. I have felt welcomed by many different people throughout the UConn community and I’ve very much appreciated this support, in particular, given the extensive changes that have taken place at the school. I believe very much that UConn is headed on a very strong upward trajectory and I’m proud to have had the opportunity to contribute towards this mission.
Thank you for providing me with this unique and rewarding experience and it’s been my honor to get to work with such a talented group of people.
Chris Earley