Who Should Be Stanford’s New Dean? by: John A. Byrne on December 27, 2015 | | 4,255 Views December 27, 2015 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Potential candidates for the deanship at Stanford GSB WILL STANFORD PICK ONE OF THESE OUTSIDERS? More promising, perhaps, is a host of exceptional potential candidates from outside Stanford, though some may have little to no interest in the job. They include highly innovative leaders at other prominent business schools, including Harvard, Wharton, Yale, UC-Berkeley, and the University of Oxford. Haas Business School Dean Rich Lyons Among the most viable candidates would certainly be Rich Lyons, who has done a superb job in leading UC-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business during the past seven and one-half years. Lyons, whose name had surfaced previously when Stanford went inside with Saloner, is a proven dean with a great track record. He knows the Bay Area tech and entrepreneruial scene well and has a leadership style that is the polar opposite of Saloner’s. Former chief learning officer for Goldman Sachs, Lyons is a thoughtful leader, highly personable, beloved by students, and highly accessible to the school’s stakeholders. Under Lyons, Haas has thrived, even in the face of substantial cutbacks to the state university system. Youngme Moon, Harvard Business School Another very strong outsider is Youngme Moon, senior associate dean for strategy and innovation at Harvard Business School. An HBS marketing professor, Moon had been director of the school’s MBA program and led major curriculum changes that were more far reaching than Stanford’s earlier revamp. Moon also has been at the forefront of the school’s online learning initiative, deeply involved in the development of HBX, a proprietary online delivery platform, as well as HBX Live, the school’s leading-edge classroom for long distance learning. If interested in the job, Moon could be Stanford’s first female business school dean and would certainly bring a badly needed refresh to the top leadership post. POTENTIAL CANDIDATES AT WHARTON, YALE & OXFORD Wharton Vice Dean for Innovation Karl Ulrich Another viable candidate would be Wharton’s Karl Ulrich, vice dean of entrepreneurship and innovation. He led the school’s pioneering efforts to reach learners all over the world by becoming the leading business school in developing MOOC courses. Thought to have been a likely successor to Wharton Dean Tom Robertson, who stepped down last year, Ulrich is a highly accomplished administrator and professor of operations, information and decisions. As a holder of more than 20 patents, he would fit right into the entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley better than most academics. David Bach Yet another prized hire for the deanship would be David Bach, who has been on the senior leadership team that has brought the Yale School of Management new prominence and prestige. Senior associate dean for executive MBA and global programs, Bach has been an innovator and a key architect behind Yale’s global strategy. The former IE Business School professor leads SOM’s new master of advanced management degree program and spearheads SOM’s involvement with the Global Network for Advanced Management. An originarl thinker and idea generator, he would provide a much needed boost to Stanford’s global efforts. Said Business School Dean Peter Tufano And finally Peter Tufano, dean of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. He spent over three decades at Harvard University including a highly productive 22 years at Harvard Business School where he developed over 50 case studies and created three new MBA courses. Since crossing the pond to assume the deanship nearly four years ago, he has worked hard to tap into other parts of the wider university, helping to create an incubator on campus called OxfordLaunchpad, similar to Harvard’s iLab, which brings together students from across the university to work on new business ventures. Whoever takes the Stanford job will inherit a host of assets to leverage to turn around the school. To be sure, Stanford still boasts the most selective MBA program in the U.S., the highest average GMAT scores for its incoming class of students, and the most lucrative starting compensation packages awarded any MBA graduates. The school’s faculty is widely considered first rate, if lacking in the star power of its east coast rival Harvard Business School, and the school’s relatively new campus is world class. The missing ingredient is a leader who can inspire trust, motivate others, and restore the school’s reputation as a leading player in business education. DON’T MISS: STANFORD GSB STAFFERS CONDEMN SALONER or ANATOMY OF A REBELLION: INSIDE THE REVOLT AGAINST DEAN SALONER Previous PagePage 2 of 2 1 2 Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.