Eugene ‘Gene’ Anderson to Depart Syracuse, Tapped to Lead University of Pittsburgh’s Business School

Gene Anderson

Eugene “Gene” Anderson, dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management since 2017, today announced he will conclude his time at Syracuse University next month. After more than five years at the Whitman School, Anderson will return home to his native Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to become the Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration. Alexander McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship, will serve as interim dean, effective July 1, 2022.

“The Whitman School has made real progress—both in terms of academic excellence and student success—under Gene’s leadership,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Thanks to his vision and service, the Whitman School is stronger, more distinctive and better positioned for continued growth.”

Some of Anderson’s noteworthy accomplishments include:

• hiring 21 full-time faculty with research interests that include business analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, financial technology, machine learning and asset pricing, organizational diversity and inclusion, and sustainable investing;
• significantly expanding interdisciplinary initiatives, including proposing and leading the development of several new undergraduate dual degrees with the College of Arts and Sciences, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, School of Information Studies and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; new dual master’s degrees with the College of Arts and Sciences, Falk College and Maxwell School; an M.D./MBA with SUNY Upstate; a new joint master’s degree in sustainable organizations and policy with Maxwell; the University’s first online undergraduate business degree with the College of Professional Studies; the nation’s first online J.D./MBA; and a certificate program in technology, law and entrepreneurship;
• launching a new undergraduate major in business analytics and new courses in analytics, diversity and inclusion, globalization, innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship, along with expanding soft skills workshops and technical skill certification opportunities; and
• strengthening initiatives to increase faculty and student diversity, including hiring an executive director of institutional culture and implementing a wide range of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives to ensure equitable systems at Whitman and foster an environment that is welcoming to all.

“Gene has contributed so much to our community and strengthened the Whitman School in measurable ways,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter. “In his tenure at the helm, the Whitman faculty and programs have experienced outstanding success in advancing business education and research, and preparing the next generation of business professionals for a rapidly changing global marketplace that demands visionary, creative and innovative leadership.”

Anderson came to Syracuse from the University of Miami School of Business Administration, where he served as dean for five years. Prior to that, he had spent more than two decades at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Anderson earned a doctorate from the University of Chicago and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign.

“I have treasured every moment of my time here at Syracuse University,” says Anderson. “Perhaps most important are the opportunities our faculty and staff have created to equip students for success in this ever-changing world, and the tremendous expansion of those opportunities to women and underrepresented students. Nearly 90% of Whitman students find promising jobs within just a few months of graduation, and I have enjoyed watching them grow and expand the network of Orange alumni around the globe.”

When McKelvie assumes the interim dean role on July 1, he brings with him nearly 15 years of scholarship and leadership at Syracuse University. He chaired the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises at Whitman (2014-19) and his research is focused on innovation, new firm strategic management and growth, entrepreneurial decision making, and family business. McKelvie has helped design new courses and training programs for the University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veteran and Military Families, and continuously served on the CNBC Disruptor Advisory Council. He has received multiple teaching awards and was recently recognized with the George R. Burman Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership, presented to an outstanding individual—student, faculty or staff—who supports Whitman’s entrepreneurial initiatives. McKelvie grew up in Canada and lived in Sweden for eight years where he earned a Ph.D. from Jönköping International Business School (doctor of philosophy in business administration).

“Alex’s long track record as a leader, innovator, educator and researcher will serve the Whitman School well during this time of transition,” says Ritter. “I am grateful for his dedication to the school’s students, faculty and staff, and am confident he will provide strong leadership and stability as we endeavor to identify the next dean while maintaining the tremendous growth trajectory at Whitman.”

Details of a national search for the next Whitman dean will be forthcoming.