University Park, Pa. -- Judy Olian, dean of The Smeal College of Business, has been named as the eighth dean of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2006, pending approval by the University of California Board of Regents.
"Dr. Olian is a respected scholar and innovative leader with a deep commitment to the type of interdisciplinary education that is a priority at the UCLA Anderson School of Management," said UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale. "She brings many assets that will serve the school well as it continues its growth among the nation's leading business schools."
Olian has been dean and professor of management at Smeal since 2000.
"The Smeal College of Business has grown impressively under the leadership of Judy Olian," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "During her tenure here, the college's undergraduate, MBA and Ph.D. programs have grown in stature. Smeal students have access to resources such as the Trading Room and world-class research centers that give them the education they need to meet the needs of today's business world upon graduation."
In addition to the opening of the Trading Room, one of only a few such technologically-advanced learning laboratories in the nation, Olian also oversaw the launch of the e-Incubator Lab, the Auctions Market Lab and the Philadelphia-based Executive MBA program. Earlier this year, the college launched the Nittany Lion Fund LLC, a student-managed investment fund. Currently investors have placed more than $2.5 million under the fund's management.
This fall, the University also celebrated the opening of a new, 210,000-square-foot business building, which Olian envisioned when she first arrived in 2000.
"It is largely due to Dean Olian's ambitious efforts that we have our landmark new business building. She has done much to drive increased national and international recognition for one of the largest business schools in the nation, and she certainly will be missed," said Spanier.
Also during her tenure, the college raised more than $55 million from private donors and foundations, Smeal's Board of Visitors grew from nine to 42 top executive members, rankings increased in all programs, and national and international recognition blossomed. She oversaw the hiring of more than 50 new faculty members, including the recruitment of several prominent chaired professors. She also was instrumental in forging closer relationships between Smeal College and other Penn State colleges.
Olian has been widely published in journals on human resource management and business alignment of management systems, wrote a weekly nationally syndicated newspaper column and hosted a monthly television show on current topics in business. She is a sought-after speaker and consultant for major corporations. Her honors include the American Council on Education Fellowship and the Maryland Association for Higher Education Award for Innovation. She also has chaired two industry-wide commissions addressing the future of management education and the looming crisis of shortages in business doctoral graduates. Stemming from these commissions, she was the lead author of two influential white papers published by AACSB, the premier international accrediting body among business schools.
A native of Australia, Olian holds master's and doctoral degrees in industrial relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an undergraduate degree in psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Prior to her tenure at Smeal, she served as senior associate dean and professor of management and organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, where she developed an award-winning business engineering undergraduate program.
"Scholarship that addresses important business questions is essential to the mission of leading business schools," Olian said. "The Anderson faculty is among the best in the world at conducting scholarship that is important and has impact, and in bringing such scholarship into the classroom. That is among the many distinctions of the UCLA Anderson School that so attracted me to this opportunity."
Carnesale announced the formation of an eight-person advisory group in February this year to assist him in identifying potential candidates for the position.
"Judy Olian will bring the perfect blend of leadership and innovation to one of the world's best management schools," said Peter Mullin, chairman and CEO of Mullin Consulting Inc., chair of the school's Board of Visitors and member of the advisory group. "She deeply impressed the board with her outstanding credentials and track record, and we are delighted she has agreed to accept this appointment."
"She is very smart and energetic," said Antonio Bernardo, associate professor of finance at UCLA Anderson who served on the advisory group. "She's a distinguished scholar, a successful organization builder and a proven fund-raiser. The faculty will be looking forward to the fresh dynamic her enthusiasm and leadership will provide."
Rakesh Sarin, professor, faculty chair and senior associate dean at UCLA Anderson, who also served on the search advisory group, said, "We all look forward to helping Dr. Olian continue sharpening UCLA Anderson's focus on the education and services it provides to attract the world's best students and faculty and to keep us competitive in all facets of our operations."
Olian succeeds Dean Bruce Willison, under whose leadership since 1999 UCLA Anderson's reputation and global rankings continued to rise, including its recent acknowledgements for faculty research and student selectivity that were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by Business Week and U.S. News & World Report, respectively. He also is leading the school toward the successful completion of its $100 million fundraising campaign.
Established in 1935, the UCLA Anderson School of Management today has 120 faculty members who serve more than 1,400 students enrolled in full-time, fully employed, and executive M.B.A. and doctoral programs.
"I am very excited about this appointment," said Steve Green, president of the UCLA Anderson Alumni Association, who also served on the search advisory group. "She really understands the importance of alumni in the school's future, and we look forward to her joining the UCLA Anderson family."