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Barry Posner, Dean at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business to Step Down

Posted on: Thursday, 15 May 2008, 12:00 CDT

Barry Z. Posner, Dean of Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, has announced he will step down as dean at the end of the 2008-09 academic year. Posner has served as dean since 1997. After a year-long sabbatical, Posner will return to SCU as a professor of leadership.

Posner's leadership has helped build the Leavey School of Business to one of the top-ranked institutions in the country.

The undergraduate program at the Leavey School of Business is ranked No. 27 in the United States, according to Businessweek Magazine -- third among the California schools listed, with University of California Berkeley and the University of Southern California.

The part-time MBA program at the Leavey School of Business has steadily moved up the US News & World Report national rankings over the past three years, from No. 15 in 2006, to No. 14 in 2007, and No. 13 in 2008. Santa Clara University has been listed in the top 20 MBA programs every year since the part-time rankings began in 1995. The magazine ranked SCU's executive MBA program, launched in 1999, as No. 19 in the nation.

"The Business School students and faculty are topnotch and I'm looking forward to being of service to them for another academic year," Posner said. "The support of our alumni and corporate colleagues has been extraordinary. Together we've been able to make exciting changes and enhance the value and values of the institution, and develop graduates who can provide leadership in these turbulent times."

In fall 2008, the Leavey School of Business will open a new building on the Mission Campus.

"Barry has been a fine dean for the Leavey School of Business," said Paul Locatelli, S.J. Santa Clara University President. "His exceptional expertise in leadership has greatly influenced our community and led to the professional and personal development of countless SCU graduates," Locatelli said.

A nationwide search for a new dean will be initiated in June, said SCU Provost Lucia Albino Gilbert. "Barry brought a clear and consistent focus on high standards for excellence in teaching and scholarship, which will continue to serve the School and Santa Clara well," said Gilbert.

Posner, 59, came to SCU in 1976 as an assistant professor of management. Over the years he has also served as associate dean of graduate programs and as managing partner of the Executive Development Center.

An internationally renowned scholar, Posner is the co-author of more than a dozen books on leadership, including the award-winning books, The Leadership Challenge, which has been described as a groundbreaking research study, and was translated into more than 17 foreign languages with more than 1.5 million copies in print. He was honored by the International Management Council's award as one of the nation's top management and leadership educators. He has also published more than 80 research and practitioner-oriented articles.

Recently listed among the top 50 leadership coaches in America, Posner is a sought-after conference speaker who has made presentations throughout the U.S. and around the world. He currently serves on the editorial review boards of the The International Journal of Servant-Leadership, Leadership and Organizational Development, and Leadership Review. He is on the on the Board of Trustees for the San Jose Repertory Theatre and EMQ Family & Children Services, and on the Board of Directors for Advanced Energy (NASDAQ: AEIS). He has previously served as a Public Director for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and on the boards of Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay, Public Allies (Silicon Valley), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Clara County, and The Center for Excellence in Nonprofits, in addition to several start-up company advisory councils.

"Barry Posner's leadership and commitment has enabled the business school to thrive and prosper to a new level of capability, which will provide the school with a firm foundation for future growth," said Joe Bronson, chair of the Business School Advisory Board. "It has been an honor and privilege for the board to have served during his successful tenure at the University."

Posner received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California Santa Barbara. He earned a master's degree in public administration from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior and administrative theory from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Posner is a resident of Monte Sereno, Calif. He and his wife Jackie (the interim managing director for the Haas Center for Public Service, at Stanford University) have one daughter, who is a program manager for After School Matters (Chicago).

Posner's replacement will be appointed by Provost Lucia Albino Gilbert, in consultation with the president. The provost will form a search committee of faculty and administrators to ensure a diverse and broad-based group and will invite applications from across the country. Following an extensive review of the background, strengths, talents, and relevant experience of each applicant, the search committee will submit its top candidates to Gilbert, who -- with the president -- will select the new business school dean.

"Barry has been a terrific dean for the Leavey School. Under his leadership, the school has built a new state of the art facility, started three new graduate programs, and raised the national reputation of the school," said David F. Caldwell, the Stephen and Patricia Schott Professor of Management at the Leavey School of Business. "Most important, he has worked with faculty and staff to dramatically improve the educational experience of both undergraduate and graduate students."

While on sabbatical, Posner will continue his study and understanding of global leadership by teaching and doing research in Asia, Africa, and South America. During this time he'll also be completing the fifth edition of The Leadership Challenge.

About the Leavey School of Business

The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business program is recognized as one of the best in California, and its MBA program is ranked among the top 15 in the country among part-time graduate programs for working professionals. Approximately 80 percent of its 1,100 MBA student body are working professionals in the Bay Area.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,685 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Source: Business Wire

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