Update on Leadership of the College of Business

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Kwangsoo Park, Associate Dean and Director of the White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, will begin serving as Interim Dean of the College of Business at Purdue University Northwest, effective July 4, 2025.

His appointment follows the resignation of Dean Rachel Clapp Smith, who has accepted the position as Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia.

Dean Smith’s last day at PNW is July 3, 2025, after having served the college and university for 16 years in various roles. We greatly appreciate her service over the years, especially her work advancing the College of Business internally and externally during the past 3.5 years as Dean (2.5 years) and before then, Interim Dean (one year). We wish her well as she moves into this next phase of her journey.

I am confident that the transition from Dean Smith to Interim Dean Park will be seamless as we begin to search for the permanent Dean. I am currently forming the College of Business Dean Search Committee, which will include at least one faculty member from each department in the college, with different faculty ranks represented. I will also ask the Faculty Senate for a faculty representative of the senate.

I expect to give this committee its official charge later this month, and the job announcement should be finalized later this summer. Ideally, the campus interviews with the finalists would occur early in the Fall 2025 semester, and the new Dean would be selected shortly thereafter. Given the timing with academic calendars, the expected starting date for the new Dean would be January 1, 2026.

I will continue to provide updates on this important search as we continue to move through the process.

Sincerely,

Marie T. Mora, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs