Klimoski Named Dean of the School of Management
By Michelle Nery
An intense search that considered a variety of external candidates led to
Richard Klimoski's selection as dean of the School of Management (SOM) for a five-year
term beginning July 1. Klimoski had been serving as the school's interim dean
since last July.
"I am truly delighted with this selection," says Provost Peter Stearns. "As
interim dean, Rich has already advanced the school in many ways, and I look forward
to further progress under his leadership, as the school pursues new educational,
research, and outreach goals."
Klimoski came to George Mason from Ohio State University in 1995 as a professor
of psychology and director of the Center for Behavioral and Cognitive Studies
and the Applied Experimental Graduate Studies Program in Psychology. He also served
as associate dean for outreach in the College of Arts and Sciences from 1997-2001.
"The School of Management is at a pivotal point," says Klimoski. "It is poised
to take advantage of the convergence of a set of developments that will contribute
to its increased vitality, its national reputation, and its relevance to the region.
These developments include investments in new faculty, a mobilized alumni base,
partnerships with the business community, and the support of university leaders
who are committed to the school's success."
Klimoski's vision for the school is simple - fame and fortune. To satisfy part
of the fame quotient, he has stepped up communications of the school's accomplishments,
activities, and initiatives to alumni and the business community, as well as to
faculty, staff, and students, through the biennial SOMTimes magazine and
the first-ever SOM supplement to the Mason Spirit. Klimoski also hopes
to encourage faculty publishing and the discipline of scholarship to help boost
the school's fame.
Fortune for SOM can be high-quality students and a strong enrollment in graduate
programs, as well as the more traditional endowments, gifts, and research grants.
The school is working with the business community, as well as Vikas Chandhoke,
associate dean for research in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Jim Olds,
director and CEO of the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, to develop a program
for a master's of science in bioscience management. "The time is right for a program
like this, and it follows in the footsteps of our successful master's of science
in technology management," says Klimoski.
SOM also hopes to develop more partnerships across the university including
joint degrees with existing Ph.D. programs in the Institute for Conflict Analysis
and Resolution and joint degrees with the School of Law similar to the currently
offered joint master's of nursing and MBA degree. SOM is also working with the
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department to ensure that the curriculum is informed
by work being conducted in business ethics.
Increased staffing is also part of Klimoski's plans for improvement. He has
already appointed Associate Professor James Harvey the new associate dean of undergraduate
studies. He also plans to recruit a graduate coordinator to work with the Graduate
Admissions Office to recruit students for SOM's graduate programs and is considering
hiring a development officer. In addition, Klimoski will concentrate on the hiring
and mentoring of new faculty with the addition of at least seven faculty members
this fall and by beginning recruiting efforts for the school's endowed chairs.
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