Dear Willamette faculty and staff,
I write to let you know that Mike Hand has informed us that after serving as dean of the Atkinson School for three years, he intends to return to the faculty after this academic year, and has asked that we begin a search for the next dean of AGSM.
With the successful AACSB accreditation visit, a significant improvement in this year’s MBA enrollments, the promising launch of the MS in Data Science degree, the terrific response to the new Management minor, and now the launch of the BS in Business Management degree and the first phase of its associated faculty hiring, Mike has led the Atkinson School to a very exciting place in a short period of time. Mike is passionate about teaching so it is a testament to his dedication to AGSM that he was willing to step away from the classroom to serve as dean when Willamette needed a calm and steady hand at the helm (pun intended).
Mike intends to take a deferred and well-earned sabbatical next year before rejoining the faculty in the fall of 2022. In the weeks ahead, you will hear more about the AGSM dean search, which is being chaired by College of Law dean Brian Gallini. The goal is to have a new AGSM dean in place by July, 2021. With all the work that Dean Hand and the AGSM faculty and staff have done over the last few years, we think it will be a very attractive position, and look forward to engaging the community in selecting an excellent dean to lead the Northwest’s best private management school.
Sincerely,
Carol Long