[August 13, 2014]

Santa Clara University Business School Dean Drew Starbird Announces Decision to Return to Faculty

Drew Starbird, dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, announced his decision today that he will not seek an additional term after completing his five-year term as dean in summer 2015.

Starbird, who served as interim dean of the business school in 2009-10, was appointed dean in fall 2010. He looks forward to returning to the classroom as professor of operations management and information systems after a sabbatical in the 2015-16 academic year. A member of the business school faculty since 1987, Starbird has served in many leadership capacities, including director of the Food and Agribusiness Institute, a multidisciplinary research program at Santa Clara University.

In a letter to faculty and staff, Starbird wrote, "It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with you over the last five years. We have accomplished a great deal during a challenging period, and we have opened up many new opportunities for the school and the University in the future."

Starbird further commented, "Through innovative teaching and scholarship, the Leavey School of Business creates new opportunities for our students and transforms the way we think about business and its role in our community. The school is in an excellent position to continue its missin of transforming people, ideas, and organizations to make the world a better place."

Starbird's many accomplishments as dean include:

• Overseeing the development of the business school's strategic plan
• Revising the core curriculum for both the undergraduate and graduate business programs
• Overseeing the reaccreditation of the business school by the premier professional accreditor for business schools, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB)
• Creating the California Program in Entrepreneurship (CAPE) which has facilitated the establishment of 80 new businesses
• Launching the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative to support economic development in disadvantaged communities
• Establishing a new minor in entrepreneurship for students from across campus
• Developing a new M.S. in finance degree and constituting a new finance advisory board
• Implementing the largest executive development program in University history
• Hiring more than 25 percent of the business school faculty
• Building relationships with other programs on campus including the School of Engineering and the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education.

"Drew Starbird has introduced many innovative programs within the Leavey School of Business that support young entrepreneurs aspiring to launch new enterprises," said Michael Engh, S.J., SCU president. "I am very grateful for Drew's leadership in strengthening the organizational structure of the business school and in extending its professional accreditation."

Provost Dennis Jacobs added, "As an alumnus, faculty member and dean, Drew embodies the spirit and values of Santa Clara University. With acuity and dedication, he has stimulated important curricular enhancements and expanded the reach of the Leavey School of Business." The provost will be working with faculty and staff in the business school to conduct a national search for a new dean.

Professor Starbird teaches operations management, statistics, and business analytics at the undergraduate, MBA, and executive MBA levels. He also conducts extensive research in quality control and management, supply chain management, food safety, and contracting. Starbird also serves the larger public, most notably as a longtime member of the board of directors of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

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