Columbia Appoints Costis Maglaras as Dean

In a new press release, Columbia Business School has announced that it is entering “a new era of teaching, scholarly research and curricular innovations.” Ushering in that new era will be Costis Maglaras, a professor of decision, risk and operations.

Maglaras, who received a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford, has been on Columbia’s faculty for over two decades. So what makes Maglaras the candidate to lead Columbia into the future?

That would be his extensive experience in data science and analytics, according to the school. Maglaras’s work focuses on operations research, and he is on the executive committee of the university’s Data Science Institute.

In the same vein, Maglaras received teaching awards for designing the business school’s analytics curriculum and for his Managerial Statistics course. He was also involved in designing the Master’s of Science in Business Analytics, a joint degree between the business school and Columbia Engineering.

These qualifications, the search committee believed, make Maglaras the ideal candidate to move the school forward in a time where data science and technology are increasingly central to graduate business education.

Columbia University’s president, Lee Bollinger, lauded Maglaras’s work on bringing “data-focused scholarship more fully into Columbia’s business education” and on “supporting related initiatives at the University-level.”

For his part, Maglaras seems set to continue his emphasis on integrating analytics and technology into Columbia’s approach.

He emphasized that “the proliferation of data and advancement in technology will continue to disrupt business for the foreseeable future.” Accordingly, he anticipated that “Columbia Business School will be the preeminent institution to prepare our students for lifelong career success in the digital future.”

In their press release, Columbia framed Maglaras’s tenure, which begins on July 1, as a moment of historical importance for the school. As Maglaras takes over, the school is preparing to move into its new campus, comprising two buildings designed to spur “collaboration across disciplines.”

For all the change in the air, it’s worth noting that the school turned to a longtime professor as its new dean. Maglaras has chaired his department and been director of the doctoral program, so his appointment as dean also indicates continuity.

But the school does seem to be doubling down on an orientation toward data science and tech. Applicants can expect that these areas will be a focal point for Columbia going forward.

Of course, these are popular topics among MBA students in recent years. Gaining admission to a top B-school like Columbia with an interest in these topics requires putting together an application that stands out and highlights your unique personal brand.

We’re happy to review your profile and give you feedback on how to do this. Just contact us for a free MBA application assessment!