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October 2, 2002

Media Contact: Winifred Cox (858) 534-0363

International Entrepreneurism Expert Named
Founding Dean of UCSD Graduate Management School

Robert S. Sullivan, Ph.D., dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been appointed founding dean of the new Graduate Management School at the University of California, San Diego. Pending the approval of the University of California Board of Regents, his appointment will become effective Jan. 1, 2003.

Sullivan is an internationally acclaimed expert in entrepreneurship, knowledge management, and venture financing. He has served as Dean of the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University, and Director of the IC2 Institute and founder of the Texas Telecommunications Policy Institute at the University of Texas, Austin.

UCSD Chancellor Robert C. Dynes noted how well Sullivan’s expertise matches the university and the region. “As a campus renowned for its research in advanced telecommunications and biotechnology, and for preparing students in those disciplines, UCSD will benefit immensely from Dr. Sullivan’s appointment. His experiences, especially his work with entrepreneurs in the information and other high-tech industries, enhance not just UCSD but the entire community.”

At Chapel Hill, Sullivan helped to transform the Kenan-Flagler Business School, as it rose significantly in the national rankings. He initiated a Weekend Executive MBA Program that was ranked 5th in the world by Business Week magazine in 2001. He also launched the OneMBA Executive MBA program, the first truly global program delivered in partnership with four other top-tier international business schools. In Sullivan’s five years, Kenan-Flagler has risen impressively in international reputation.

As the J. Marion West Chair for Constructive Capitalism at the University of Texas, Sullivan created new executive programs in entrepreneurship and knowledge management and designed a new executive Master of Science Degree in Science and Technology Commercialization. At Carnegie Mellon, he established a Financial Analysis and Securities Trading program that was cited by the Smithsonian Institution as the most innovative application of information technology in education and academia. In addition, he established a Japan Sciences and Technology Management Program, an Institute for Strategic Development that sponsored joint initiatives in Mexico and Latin America, and a Science and Technology Commercialization Program for academic scientists and engineers.

Sullivan is the recipient of many professional awards and the author of numerous books, articles, and computer programs on a variety of aspects of business management. He received a Ph.D. in operations management from Pennsylvania State University, an M.B.A. in production management and quantitative methods from Cornell University, and a B.A. in mathematics from Boston College. He also served with the U.S. Peace Corps and as an Instructor at Haile Selassie University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Marsha A. Chandler, UCSD Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, remarked on the dean’s outstanding qualifications and record. “As a renowned scholar and business school dean, Dr. Sullivan brings to UCSD exactly the kind of expertise we were looking for. An award-winning teacher and highly successful innovator of business programs, he will provide precisely the leadership and vision we sought in the founding dean of the Management School.”

UCSD's Graduate Management School was established in response to the growing need for strong management skills in the technology-driven California economy. The school will leverage and build on the interdisciplinary strengths across UCSD. It will offer a variety of full- and part-time MBA programs, Executive Programs and a Ph.D. program. Its charter MBA class will enroll in fall 2004. In addition, joint degree programs will be offered with the Jacobs School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies.

Dr. Sullivan remarked about his appointment, “There is no better time, and no better place in the world to reconsider and to redefine graduate management education. The greater San Diego community is entrepreneurial, with new technology industries being created in many fields. I expect these forces to converge and leverage one another so that the new Management School will capitalize on the extraordinary strengths of UCSD and the San Diego community. I expect this new school to become recognized for excellence, innovation and impact on the communities it serves."