Dean, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University

Inaugural Dean, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University

Purdue University seeks a bold, innovative executive to serve as the inaugural leader of its reimagined and redefined Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business. Holding a crucial place within a STEM-focused university that consistently ranks among the 10 Most Innovative US universities in the United States, the Daniels School of Business will prepare business leaders and entrepreneurs who understand key scientific and technological fields while being well-grounded in the principles of management. The School will produce graduates who are strongly grounded in the history, philosophy and theory of free market capitalism and have an informed sense of the nobility of their chosen profession when pursued with integrity.

Purdue University is a top public research institution focusing on excellence at scale and the development of practical solutions to today’s toughest global challenges across a wide array of disciplines. The university has earned investment and collaborative partnerships with leading national and global companies, including Boeing, Cummins, Eli Lilly, Microsoft, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon, and Rolls Royce.  Transforming the Daniels School of Business is the university’s next Big Move in a decade-long series of major strategic initiatives and investments in faculty, capital projects, and student success.  Substantial university investment and a fundraising campaign totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars will support a large number of additional faculty positions, enrollment growth, reimagined curricula, and a significant expansion of physical facilities.

Metrics of success for the new Daniels School of Business include:

• •    Preparing business leaders to succeed in the most technologically complex fields and emerging corporate digital ecosystems, where business is the key to unlocking the value of scientific and technological progress;
  •    Delivering undergraduate and graduate degrees steeped in data-informed strategic decision-making, critical thinking, the commercialization of emerging scientific and technological breakthroughs, and the optimization of stakeholder value; 
  •    Building on Purdue’s renowned Cornerstone program with the integration of Cornerstone for Business into the undergraduate curriculum.  In addition to honing students’ writing and speaking and providing a solid grounding in the liberal arts, the program will ensure graduates understand the philosophy, economics and history that undergird free-market capitalism as a driver of common social good;
  •    Hiring exceptional faculty who are aligned with the School’s new focus and who bridge the disciplines of business, engineering and technology, the sciences and the liberal arts.  Incentivizing teaching excellence, interdisciplinary research collaboration and commercialization;
  •    Supporting fully the research, teaching and engagement of the School’s current faculty;
  •    Expanding undergraduate student enrollment substantially over time, along with graduate enrollment;  
  •    Building a dramatically enhanced global profile and reputation for the Daniels School of Business, and elevating its undergraduate and graduate programs to top rankings nationally; 
  •    Creating strong partnerships with leadings businesses nationally and internationally for the benefit of student and faculty engagement. 

The new leader of the Daniels School of Business will be charged with the strategy, design, development, and execution of this new enterprise.  The successful candidate will be a highly strategic, innovative, and creative leader willing to challenge the status quo to reimagine and redefine the preparation of future business leaders.  The leader must possess a strong track record of building and executing successful strategies to enhance the reputation and growth of an institution (corporate, non-profit or educational), including the ability to raise and deploy strategically significant resources.  Achieving success requires the presence and character to be the ambassador for this initiative both within the university and externally.  The new leader must be committed to responding effectively and with agility to creating expanded and evolving opportunities for students and researchers in a highly complex global business and economic environment.

Additional details about the Dean Search and the Daniels School of Business are available on the Search Website.

Purdue University has retained Education Executives, a global executive search and leadership advisory firm, to assist in this important recruitment. All applications, inquiries, and nominations will be held in confidence and may be directed to Purdue.Business@edexsearch.com.

Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and fees for over a decade, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.  Purdue was the only university selected by Fast Company as a “Brand That Matters,” joining well-known businesses like Ford, McDonald’s, Nike and 3M, and was recently named America’s No. 4 most trusted public university by Morning Consult and a Top Ten Public University by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education.