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Cornell Has a New Dean

The Cornell SC Johnson College of Business has drawn from within the university’s ranks in its search for a permanent dean, announcing the appointment of Kevin Hallock, who will start as dean of the business school in December.

Hallock is currently dean of Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He’s also an economist  whose research focuses on labor markets and compensation.

Cornell’s provost, Michael Kotlikoff, described Hallock as “an accomplished economist, scholar and administrator” who will provide the SC Johnson College of Business with “the leadership to maximize its enormous potential.”

Kotlikoff also noted that Hallock’s knowledge of Cornell’s inner machinations would be useful in his tenure as dean. “His thorough familiarity with Cornell’s administrative workings is a significant asset,” Kotlikoff stated.

Indeed, Cornell’s business school finds itself in a somewhat unusual position. Formerly the SC Johnson Graduate School of Management, it was reconstituted in 2016 as the SC Johnson College of Business when it merged with Cornell’s schools of hotel administration and applied economics.

Soumitra Dutta, the dean when the new SC Johnson College of Business was founded, then left in February 2018 in what Poets & Quants calls an “abrupt and mysterious” fashion.

Subsequently, L. Joseph Thomas served as interim dean for seven months before the announcement of Hallock’s appointment. In the announcement, Kotlikoff noted that “Cornell owes Joe a great debt for his steady hand at the college’s helm.”

In Cornell’s ongoing game of administrative musical chairs, the search for a dean now shifts to the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. The school plans to begin looking for a new dean immediately.

Hallock reminisced on his time at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, saying that he saw it “on a clear trajectory to continue to enhance its important initiatives as the world leader in the study and practice of work, workers and workplace issues.”

During his time at the school, Hallock spearheaded a strategic planning process, oversaw the move of the school’s New York City office, invested new resources in both faculty and staff, and launched an initiative to give the school an “annual theme.” This year’s theme was “Technology and the Evolution of Work.”

Now, Hallock looks to bring new direction to a school that has faced uncertainty recently. At this point, you might be wondering whether Cornell’s MBA program is a good fit for you. We can help with that question: ask us for a free MBA application assessment!