New Dean at Purdue’s Krannert School

P. Christopher Earley is the latest business school dean to play musical chairs.

Currently head of the University of Connecticut’s B-school, Earley is taking the dean’s job at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management, the school announced today (June 14).

Earley won the job over three other finalists who spoke at open forums on the Purdue campus in April and May. The other three finalists were Rajiv Dewan, a senior associate dean at the University of Rochester’s Simon School; Michael Mikhail, an accounting professor at Arizona State University’s Carey School, and John Birge, an operations management prof at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

In landing this new job, Earley moves from a school–Connecticut–ranked 60^th by Poets&Quants to one–Krannert–that is ranked 38^th. As dean at Connecticut, Earley created an experiential learning community outreach program focusing on social innovation that includes joint activities involving students, faculty and organizations such as Special Olympics International and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. He also doubled international partnerships.

Krannert’s new dean brings a wealth of global experience to the job. Before his three-and-one-half-year stint at Connecticut, Earley was dean of the National University of Singapore Business School, held a chair in organizational behavior at London Business School in England, and also a chair in global leadership at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

“Dean Earley will be a dynamic and visionary leader for Krannert,” said Purdue President France A. Córdova in a statement. “He brings academic and business acumen that will help our students succeed in a global economy. His international experience, in particular, will help the school in developing a relevant and important global mission. He will strengthen the Krannert School’s attractiveness to students and scholars.”

Earley will begin at Purdue during the fall semester. His appointment is subject to Board of Trustees’ approval.

“It’s with tremendous pride and enthusiasm that I take on a leadership role at the Krannert School of Management,” Earley said in a statement. “Not only is Krannert an integral part of one of the world’s leading research universities, but the school also has a global presence and recognition that provides its students and alumni with knowledge, experiential learning and talent for critical thinking.

“As we move forward, our focus will be on individuals who are not only adept at the social and cultural challenges of the global marketplace, but who are also critical thinkers able to tackle the most complex financial, operational and strategic global business problems.”

Earley’s academic interests include cross-cultural and international aspects of organizations. He has held visiting professorships at universities in China, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic and Israel. He also has taught executives and consulted for companies in Europe and Asia, including Nestle, Cisco Systems Inc., Samsung, General Motors, Unilever, BAE Systems, Mercury Asset Management Corp., and Eli Lilly and Co.

“The search committee was fortunate to have been able to review an exceptionally talented pool of candidates for this position,” said Jeffrey Roberts, dean of Purdue’s College of Science and head of the search advisory committee. “Among the candidates, Dean Earley was notable for the vision he articulated for Krannert as a global leader in management and economics education and research, and for his strategy for raising the visibility and stature of Krannert locally, nationally and internationally.”

Earley fills the vacancy created when Richard Cosier stepped down as dean last summer. Jerry Lynch, professor of economics and academic director of Krannert’s master’s and executive education programs, has been serving as interim dean.