Chairman of MBA progam steps down

Dan Smith, chairman of the Kelley School of Business MBA program, will reach the end of his three-year term in August. Although he has the option to apply for another three years, he said he won't.\n"At this stage, the program is in pretty good shape, and I think it would be good to get fresh blood and fresh insight in here," he said. "Someone new can continue this trajectory."\nSmith joined the Business School faculty in 1996. After serving two years as a professor, the dean asked him to head the masters in business administration program. Now, Smith said, he wants to return to teaching. He said he made his decision in December because he is pursuing several research projects, course development work and a book on which he would like to spend more time.\n"I want to pick up these other projects that have been sitting on the back shelf," he said. "I can feel some burnout setting in, and I feel it is better to step down before you become seriously burned out."\nSmith said his directorship took up about 60 to 80 hours a week, seven days a week, which left him with little time for other interests.\nDean of the Kelley School of Business Dan Dalton, whom Smith said was instrumental in his deparment's success, said Smith has had an extraordinary influence on the program.\n"Professor Smith did an exceptional job as chairperson of the MBA program," Dalton said. "I think all of us would be delighted if he got elected to serve another term. That said, Dan Smith is easily among our best instructors and has a distinguished research record as well, so to have him return to research is real plus for the Kelley School."\nAs Smith wraps up his term, he said there are several issues that need to be examined by the next director, including improving integration of international students, reviewing the first-year curriculum and developing the program's alumni network.\nAlthough Smith reviewed the first-year program when he first started his directorship, he said the review needs to be undertaken every few years.\n"In a competitive MBA market, you need to revise your first-year core every couple of years," he said. "Someone with new energy could probably do that more effectively than me at the moment. It is very time consuming."\nHe also said getting alumni more involved in the program would benefit students by helping with recruitment and acting as mentors for current students.\nBut Smith said he thinks his best accomplishment is reworking the philosophy of the department.\n"I think I had an effect on the culture of the program," he said. "We had a culture here that was 'student as customer' and I think I helped move that toward 'student as partner'. \nIn that vein, Smith spent a good deal of time working with the MBA program's Graduate Career Services Office.\nDick McCracken, the center's director, said Smith established a strong relationship with all of the MBA constituents including his office.\n"Dan is very good at building relationships," he said. "He supported us everyday. As much as anything else, he was helpful to me in supporting our own initiatives. He has been a very good advocate, we will miss Dan's support."\nRecruiting students is a large part of the MBA program, and McCracken said Smith was effective at this by being aggressive and personalizing the process.\nDalton said the search process for a new director began several weeks ago, and he expects a decision by the end of the month.\nMcCraken said the department needs someone who embodies many of the same characteristics as Smith.\n"The next director needs to be somebody who is not afraid to take a stand and lead," he said. "Someone who can work well with faculty. Paying attention to all the constituents will be very important for the next director"