The Olin School of Business began looking for a new dean shortly after current dean Stuart Greenbaum announced his intent to relinquish the position at the end of this academic year. The search includes a wide spectrum of candidates, from current business school faculty to government employees. In addition, the new dean may specialize in any number of business-related fields.

All constituencies of the business school have had an opportunity to give input to those on the advisory committee, and the search is now in the stage of assembling a list of candidates to present to Chancellor Mark Wrighton, who asked the committee to present a list of three to five finalists by December 15.

“We’re looking for traditional candidates-people who have come up through the university process, or who have tenure and are research types,” said Director of Non-Degree Executive Programs Kenneth Bardach. “We may be looking at people from industry or the government-and we are actively seeking women and minority candidates.”

Bardach added that the committee is not limiting the search to candidates within the U.S.

“We’re looking abroad,” he said.

Additionally, the search will soon involve an outside headhunting firm, though members of the committee would only say that two firms-one recognized nationally, and another recognized internationally-are the finalists for consideration.

Student Union President David Ader, the undergraduate student on the advisory committee, said the group asked for input on both the challenges of the position and qualities the committee should seek out in potential candidates.

“There were two main questions we asked,” he said. “What do you see as the most important opportunities and challenges facing the next dean, and what are the necessary and desirable qualities the search committee should be looking for?”

Students responded to the questions through meetings of the undergraduate business council as well as through surveys.

“The same thing students are looking for everywhere is degree value,” Ader said. “Sort of being able to go out into the workforce and have the Olin School recognized, which is very similar to any other school.”

Students also asked for “generally good leadership qualities,” and someone who could “make everyone feel valued, who has vision for the school.”

Ader expressed satisfaction with the feedback from students.

“We had a 14 percent response rate on the surveys, which is a pretty good turnout, although it could always be better,” Ader said.

Bardach agreed that the Olin community is very interested in the progress of the committee.

“People really talked openly and passionately about the way they saw the school,” he said of a town hall meeting held among Olin faculty. “There’s a sense that we’re at that stage-it’s time to move to the next level.”

Joel Seligman, dean of the law school, said there was at least one similarity in the business school’s search to the search that ended in his being named dean of the School of Law.

“There are top-rate outside consultants who are participating in the process,” Seligman said. “And it is a very wide and very determined search.”

Professor William Peck, a former dean of the School of Medicine, is also on the business school’s search committee. Professor Anjan Thakor, the John E. Simon Professor of Finance, is the chair of the committee but could not be reached for comment.

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