Gilbert accepts School of Business dean’s position

Faye W. Gilbert, associate dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of Mississippi, has accepted the position of dean in the J. Whitney Bunting School of Business at Georgia College & State University.

Gilbert said she was impressed with the energy of the leadership and the remarkable changes GC&SU has undergone in the last few years, the quality of the students, the open friendliness of the people and the business community.

“With the small class sizes, the faculty can really reach out to individual students as opposed to lecture to crowds of a hundred,” she said.

Gilbert, 47, will succeed retiring dean, Jo Ann Jones, July 1. Jones has held the dean’s position since 1986 and has been associated with GC&SU since 1976. Gilbert was impressed by the quality that’s already been developed by the current dean of the School of Business.
President Rosemary DePaolo said Gilbert will bring experience, knowledge, energy and an understanding of how to work with faculty and others.

“Although she has much to learn still about GC&SU, she’s clearly up to the challenge,” DePaolo said.

Gilbert, is originally from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. At Ole Miss, she serves as the associate dean of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with additional responsibilities for public relations and career placement. She has risen through the academic ranks.

“The accomplishments that mean the most to me relate to people and developments,” she said.

She has strengthened the joint degree program with pharmacy administration, journalism and engineering, assisted with the increase in placement rates and helped to create the Council for Women’s Philanthropy.

Her interest in the dean’s position was sparked when two faculty members from the School of Business spoke to her at an academic conference.

“This led to further investigation, and I liked everything I saw,” said Gilbert.

According to Dr. Michael Whitfield, management department chair in the School of Business and search committee chair, Gilbert has excellent academic credentials.

“She has experience with the AACSB (the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business) and the accreditation process which she has been through two times at Ole Miss,” he said. “She was the first female who attained full professor in the School of Business at Ole Miss.
She was one of the few tenured female professors there. She was chair of the faculty senate, so she has excellent governing experience. She was the president of the Southern Marketing Association, which gives her excellent professional credentials. She has also participated in a wide variety of fund raising, which normally deans don’t have.”

Gilbert helped raise close to three million dollars for scholarships.

The search committee was comprised of faculty from each of the School of Business departments, an untenured faculty member, a staff member, a student, and a member of university foundation. Whitfield said they were very impressed with her people skills.

Gilbert’s predisposition has been toward service. She has chaired numerous committees, worked with student groups and raised funds while also teaching and publishing.

“I guess that by working hard to achieve the rank of professor, to help place students in jobs and have tried to continue to improve education. I have reached a place in life where I want to use what I’ve learned to benefit others,” she said.

She also enjoys walking her dog, dabbling with creating stained glass panels, water skiing, gardening and visiting her six-year-old niece.

“I look forward to working with the team(s) – within the school, university and community, trying to continue the tradition of excellence,”
she said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 18 2003. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry