Alison Davis-Blake, senior associate dean for academic affairs at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, has been named dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. When she begins her term at the Carlson School in July 2006, Davis-Blake will be the school’s first female dean, as well as the highest-ranking female dean at any business school in the United States.
Davis-Blake says that her fifteen years at McCombs were full of valuable experiences. “During my time here, I have benefited enormously from my associations with the outstanding faculty, staff, and students at the McCombs School,” she says. “I am a better scholar, educator, and administrator because of the counsel and example of the people I have met here.”
Davis-Blake says her main focus is to carry out initiatives already underway, including a large undergraduate expansion. Enrollment at the Carlson School is currently 1,600 students with an 8 percent acceptance rate. Within the next three to four years, the school intends to accommodate more than 2,500 students. A second building to house the larger body of business students is expected to be completed in 2007.
Davis-Blake also faces the task of recruiting a larger group of faculty. “We’ll be expanding in the number of students and at the same time we may be losing many faculty members to retirement. We have a lot to do, and I’m very excited to play a role,” she says.
After conducting an intensive search, Thomas Sullivan, Minnesota’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, says Davis-Blake was the obvious choice. “We felt that Dean Davis-Blake brought the right kind of experience, leadership, and organizational skills we were looking for,” Sullivan explains. “She came through early as the leading candidate and was selected unanimously. It was very clear from our references what a real star she is. We are absolutely delighted to have her with us, and we have full confidence she will be a very dynamic and successful dean.”
As a native of the Twin Cities and already flying back and forth between universities, Davis-Blake expects the transition to dean will be a smooth one. And to further ensure an easy move, she signed a consulting agreement under which she will temporarily work with the interim co-deans on major initiatives.
Since graduating from BYU with an MOB in 1982 and earning a PhD in 1986, Davis-Blake has built a reputation as a solid educator. “The most important part is maintaining a strong moral center,” she says. “All of your actions must be consistent with that.”
