Deans Counsel

On this episode of Deans Counsel, hosts Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Todd Milbourn, the newly-installed 10th Dean of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. He holds the Tolleson Chair in Business Leadership and the Andrew W. Chen Endowed Chair in Financial Investments. An experienced and visionary academic leader, Todd is dedicated to advancing teaching and research, supporting top academic talent, and engaging the business community to help prepare the next generation of business leaders for the opportunities ahead. Milbourn came to SMU from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was the Hubert C. and Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance. In his 25 years at Washington University, Milbourn recruited leading faculty from top universities, expanded the Ph.D. program, led the rollout of several specialized master’s programs and facilitated the establishment of four new research centers. In his most recent role as deputy dean, he helped lead the school’s strategic efforts to align with the broader university’s strategic plan and increase engagement with the St. Louis business community. In this episode, Todd talks about his experiences in over a quarter century in academia, and his impressions of his new role, less than 100 days into the job (as of this interview date). Subjects discussed include:- why he made this move to Deaning- his approach to onboarding- Todd's strategic planning proces- what he learned on his "Listening Tour"- how to construct a leadership teamLearn more about Todd MilbournComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, Jim Ellis and Dave Ikenberry speak with Avijit Ghosh, Dean Emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Gies College of Business. He also served as vice president/chief financial officer and comptroller for the University of Illinois System since 2018. Dr. Ghosh's Research and teaching interests are in the area of retail and marketing strategy and sales forecasting. His reas of specialization include locational analysis, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, and marketing strategy.In this perhaps provocative conversation, Avijit lends his insights into to the state of higher education today, and expounds on such topics as:- the value proposition: delivering on the promise of higher education- the cost of higher education as a barrier to accessibility- delivering multiple avenues for education (not just undergraduate)- tech transfer- his perspectives on today's political environmentLearn more about Avijit GhoshComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, Jim Ellis and Dave Ikenberry speak with Bernard "Bernie" Banks, Director of Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders (and a Clinical Professor of Management within the University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business). The mission of the Doerr Institute “…is to elevate the leadership capacity of Rice students and to improve the practice of leader development in higher education.”  Most recently, Bernie served on the faculty and senior leadership team at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management from 2016-2024 prior to arriving at Rice.Bernie retired from the U.S. Army in 2016 as a Brigadier General after having successfully led West Point’s Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership in his final assignment. In addition to having studied leadership extensively, he has led multiple military units ranging in size from 10 to over 3000 people.  In this instructive conversation, Bernie relates to our hosts some of the experiences he's gleaned through his decades as an inspiring leader, touching on topics such as:- his objectives as Director of the Doerr Institute- how he measures effectiveness- acquainting students with the leadership mindset- creative approaches to leadership developmentLearn more about Bernie BanksComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, Jim Ellis, Dave Ikenberry and Ken Kring speak with John Evans, Dean of the VinUniversity College of Business and Management in Hanoi, Vietnam. Prior to joining VinUni, Professor Evans was the Pro Vice Chancellor and President of Curtin University Dubai campus.John has held numerous senior leadership roles in Higher Education and has extensive senior academic international experience. He is also an active researcher and publishes and teaches mainly in the fields of Corporate Governance, Financial Control and Financial Accounting. He is a Fellow of the CPA and holds a PhD from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).Founded in 2020, VinUni is a private, not-for-profit university that has built strategic collaborations with Cornell and Penn, and represents an emerging trend of "startup" business schools. At only five years old -- and with the business school being a year younger -- VinUni faces a unique set of challenges, far different from the many legacy schools with far more history and experience than VinUni.In this wide-ranging conversation, John walks our hosts through his experience thus far, discussing such topics as:- attracting top talent- establishing VinUni as a research as well as teaching institution- developing key programs in collaboration with Cornell and Penn- how the university's startup nature differs from administration and systems creation at legacy schoolsLearn more about John EvansComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, Jim Ellis and Ken Kring speak with Blair Sheppard, Special Advisor to Duke Kunshan University, and previously Dean of Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Blair is responsible for directing all of Duke Kunshan's fundraising, corporate development, non-degree program development and regional development for the newly formed campus in China.From 2012-2024, Blair served as Global Leader for Strategy and Leadership at PwC, where he focused on building resilient strategies and leadership for PwC worldwide, and further sharpened his ability to see further into the future than most of the rest of us.In this episode, we hear very compelling observations from Blair about four key mega-trends -- climate, technology, global forces and aging -- that he feels will fundamentally reshape every aspect of society (including business, of course). With us, he shares some insight into how business schools, through their research and teaching, must soon lean into these abrupt changes in societal needs. In so doing, he also lends advice as to how we as leaders should go about the change process of taking faculty through this difficult process, touching on topics such as:- Why some long-held assumptions are no longer holding- Our rapidly changing world's impact on curriculum- Rethinking the teaching of strategy- How Ai will shape demand for the MBALearn more about Blair SheppardComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, Jim Ellis and Ken Kring speak with Gerry Sanders, Dean of UNLV's Lee Business School. In perhaps our most riveting discussion to date, Gerry walks us through his experience during an active shooter incident targeting Lee, and the confusing aftermath.In addition to feeling firsthand the myriad emotions that arise during and in the wake of this all-too-common, uniquely American occurrence, Gerry received a crash course in university-level crisis communications -- a complicated experience full of hard-earned lessons to say the least.You'll come away from this episode with some fascinating and instructive insights, including:•some basic protocols to have in place in the event that the unthinkable comes to your campus•addressing the need (and prioritizing the response) for information coming from multiple sources (campus, media, personal)•the cultural shifts that take place following a traumatic event•managing the communication conflicts between campus and the publicLearn more about Gerry SandersComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at feedback@deanscounsel.comThanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, we've got all three of our moderators -- Jim Ellis, Dave Ikenberry, and Ken Kring -- onboard to speak with Umaimah Mendhro, Founder and President of One League, an organization empowering highly promising, underserved changemakers to realize global impact. Partnering with Stanford, Harvard and MIT as well as global industry leaders, One League is focused on bringing world class education to a highly engaged and academically accomplished set of students who, because of location and economic or social status, are unable to access top graduate-level business education.Less than 3% of the students at top schools come from the bottom income quartile. As such, tremendous talent is left behind. By making graduate-level education accessible to these typically marginalized groups, One League is truly a disruptive force for good on today's higher education landscape.This unique episode touches on numerous topics, including:•modular and online education•corporate relations and philanthropy •recruiting and mentoring•Umaimah's advice to other deansLearn more about Umaimah MendhroComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Ken Kring speak with Adam Goodman, Director of the Center for Leadership at Northwestern University, where he's also a Clinical Professor in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. With a career journey that began as a special assistant to the president of the University of Colorado, Adam has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge about what it means to lead at the highest academic levels.In this edifying episode, Adam speaks from experience about a number of topics, including:•the interdisciplinary nature of leadership studies•the importance of developing leadership skills in academia•degree-granting leadership programs•some practical advice for new deansLearn more about Adam GoodmanComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Ken Kring welcome Paul Pavlou, Dean of the University of Miami's Herbert Business School and Leonard M. Miller University Chair Professor. Recognized as one of the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds," Paul earned a Ph.D. in Information Systems and a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and managerial studies, magna cum laude, from Rice University. Before arriving at UM, he served as Dean of the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, where he helped raise over $150M in philanthropic gifts and commitments. With equally impressive backgrounds in information systems and fundraising, Paul is well-positioned to lead Miami Herbert into he future, as well as wax eloquently in this conversation on such subjects as:•engagement with industry•alumni relations•AI integration•the challenges ahead for higher education•the transformative life experience of being a deanLearn more about Paul PavlouComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Dave Ikenberry welcome Marianne Lewis, Dean of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and Professor of Management at the University of Cincinnati. She knows the College extremely well, having started there as an assistant professor in management in 1997. From there, Marianne steadily rose through the ranks, becoming associate dean for undergraduate programs in 2009, a job she held for five years. After one year on a Fulbright in the UK, she accepted her first deanship, at Bayes Business School at City University of London, formerly known at the Cass Business School. Four years later, in 2019, Marianne returned to Lindner as its dean.  In this episode, we hear some remarkable, creative ideas and suggestions regarding so many aspects of what can bring out the best in business schools and the impact they can have on society. Topics addressed include:•how universities must modernize their curriculum•the great skills gap and teaching soft skills•reflections on issues faced by higher educationLearn more about Marianne LewisComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Ken Kring speak with Jason Wingard, Executive Chairman of The Education Board, Inc. and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard. Dr. Wingard is a globally renowned executive, with deep experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, specializing in the future of learning and work. He recently served as the 12th President of Temple University and Professor of Management and Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies. Dr. Wingard previously served as Dean of the School of Professional Studies and Professor of Human Capital Management at Columbia University. Prior to Columbia, he was Managing Director and Chief Learning Officer at Goldman Sachs.Dean's Counsel was excited to have this opportunity to pick the brain of someone with such vast experience and success as Jason. Unsurprisingly, this conversation covers many topics, including: •Shifting employer expectations and the Great Skills Gap•Disruption in higher education and the need for universities to revise their curriculum•the essential importance of teaching Soft Skills•trending devaluation of the college degreeLearn more about Jason Wingard.Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Dave Ikenberry speak with Tim Westerbeck, President of Eduvantis, a leading agency offering strategic advisor to higher education institutions around the world. Tim's work focuses on helping institutions grow amidst significant disruption, by defining strategies and new business models aligned with the future. He has served as a colum­nist for Busi­nessweek and is a fre­quent com­men­ta­tor in The Wall Street Jour­nal, The New York Times, and other global media. Tim is also a reg­u­lar pre­sen­ter at global indus­try forums, such as the Indian Man­age­ment Con­clave, AACSB Inter­na­tional, The Euro­pean Foun­da­tion for Man­age­ment Devel­op­ment, and oth­ers. Considering the current upheaval and confusion at the highest levels of academia, largely due to the abrupt change in the political climate, Tim's appearance on the podcast couldn't be better timed. His conversation with Jim and Dave offers an interesting and high-level perspective of what's happening today. Tim talks about:the sense of "doom and gloom" hanging over the recent AACSB meetingsthe many ways higher education is under attacka stagnation in MBA programsinnovation being the way forward - The Age of Real Innovation is Upon Usthe emerging concept of Micro-credentialsLearn more about Tim WesterbeckComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Bruce Weber, Willem Kooyker Dean of the Zicklin School of Business and a professor in the Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems & Statistics at New York's Baruch College. Previously, he was the dean of the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at the University of Delaware. He has an AB in applied mathematics from Harvard University and an MS and PhD in decision sciences from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.In this episode, Bruce talks about the early days of his career, which began at Zicklin, and the many things he's experienced and learned over the course of his remarkable time in academia, before returning to lead Zicklin in 2023. This delightful conversation touches on several topics relevant to today's academic leaders, including:•the power of linking community colleges to four-year institutions•philanthropy's importance in funding operations and initiatives •the uniqueness of the urban campus•diversity•faculty governanceLearn more about Bruce WeberComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at feedback@deanscounsel.comThanks for listening.--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryProduced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital ArtsDeansCounsel.com

On this special episode of Deans Counsel, we flip the script a bit by putting two of our hosts -- former business school deans Jim Ellis (USC) and Dave Ikenberry (Colorado), along with returning guest Allison Davis-Blake (Minnesota) -- in the guest chair to speak specifically to an important area of deanship: transitions.In this detailed and wide-ranging discussion, these three Deans Emeriti speak with Deans Counsel host Ken Kring -- Co-Managing Director of Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn/Ferry International -- about lessons learned and shared from their own experiences with entering, thriving in and departing their various roles in academia, touching on topics including:• Guiding principles of deanship• The transition from traditional academic to administrator• Understanding the rapidly changing culture of academia today• The need to plan for what comes after one's deanshipLearn more about:Allison Davis-BlakeKen KringJim EllisDave IkenberryComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note!Thanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Mary Ann Scully, Dean of the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola University of Maryland.Mary Ann enjoyed a successful career in banking, including co-founding Howard Bank, for which she served as CEO and Board chairperson until Howard's merger with FNB in 2022, before setting her sights on the academy. At Loyola of Maryland, she is tasked with leveraging the historical strength of both the undergraduate and graduate programs with renewed focus on the needs of employers and the success of a new generation of students. Her executive experiences combined with her deep business connections inject a new perspective. In this episode, Mary Ann describes her fascinating transition from banker to dean, covering a number of topics along the way, such as:• the initial challenges and adjustments she faced at the start of her deanship• building trust amongst all constituents in her strategic vision• faculty engagement and strategic initiatives• resource mobilization and external relationsLearn more about Mary Ann ScullyComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at feedback@deanscounsel.comThanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com