Andy Policano, is one of those truly rare, gifted, academic leaders: a master of the craft. Andy is a three-time dean having served as dean of social sciences at Stonybrook in the late 1980s and later as a business school dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison starting in 1991. In 2004, Andy assumed his third deanship at the University of California-Irvine – today known as the Paul Merage School of Business, with a naming gift Andy helped acquire.

Serving no less than a decade at each of those business schools, he transformed both Colleges in profoundly fundamental ways. Since stepping down as Dean of UC Irvine in 2013, Andy has been actively teaching and coaching new deans and soon-to-be-deans on the realities of academic leadership.

With such an accomplished and seasoned background, it goes without saying that Andy is well-qualified to speak on a remarkably wide range of key issues deans face today. For this episode, we’ve invited him to focus on the topic of financial strategy and how that weaves its way into budgeting and effectively leading a school forward.

This episode is packed with both high-level overview as well as granular, practical advice punctuated with great examples. We believe you’ll find Andy's insight exceptional.

Speaking with Dave and Ken, Andy shares the key points of integrating financial strategy into an overall approach, such as:

• The need for clear vision on strong mission/values statement

• Planning that allows for dreams to become reality

• Setting priorities with faculty input

• A deep understanding of budget

• Philanthropy and fundraising

Learn more about Andy Policano..

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

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Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

It was about three and a half years ago (May 2023, Episode 12) when we first interviewed Jeff Brown from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. At the time, we discussed leading a college through remarkable transformation, something Jeff is well-versed in, due in part to the extraordinary innovation he led the Gies faculty through when they introduced the Illinois’ iMBA, an internet-based mba degree program that now serves thousands of students around the globe each year.

About a year-and-a-half after our interview, in the summer of 2024, Jeff stepped down from the deanship and back onto the Illinois faculty. Since then, he has re-engaged in his research but also has had the time to reflect on business schools and higher education much more broadly and ponder the big challenges facing the academy and its business model.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Jeff feels the need for innovation in Higher Ed is more compelling now than ever. Please join us as we get reacquainted with Jeff Brown and hear his insights into what he sees as the key issues future deans should anticipate confronting in the years ahead and why innovation on this scale is so difficult.

In this fascinating confab featuring our trio of hosts, Jim, Ken, and Dave, Jeff lends his insight to the challenges and opportunities facing higher ed, including:

• The demographic challenges will force innovation

• Teaching students how to think, instead of what they already know

• The important initiatives that are shaping the future of learning

• Experimenting with 3-year degrees

• Changing the mold on developing leadership talent

Learn more about Jeff Brown.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

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Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

Our guest today is Jim Ellis, Dean Emeritus at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. You may know him better as one third of our triumvirate of Deans Counsel hosts.

Jim took a somewhat unusual path into higher education. Before joining USC, he spent nearly three decades in business as an entrepreneur and business leader, including serving as President and CEO of Porsche Design’s U.S. operations. He later joined the faculty at USC, where he became a highly regarded professor of marketing, served as Vice Provost for Globalization, and ultimately spent twelve years, from 2007 to 2019, as Dean of the Marshall School, transforming that business school in so many ways. His impact was profound and today, he continues to lend his advice both to USC and to Marshall.

That experience is at the heart of his new book, A Journey of Insights: Lessons in Leadership and Legacy, which brings together lessons gathered over more than five decades in business and higher education. A central idea in the book is deceptively simple: some of the most important lessons in leadership come not from talking, but from carefully and thoughtfully listening.

In our conversation, Jim reflects on his 12 years of service in higher education, and lends his insights into the skills and techniques that helped him chart a positive course for USC, including:

• The art of active listening

• The importance of emotional awareness

• Making decisions, often while operating with imperfect information

• His approach to philanthropy

• Building a story to deliver a key message

Learn more about Jim Ellis.

Jim's book, A Journey of Insights: Lessons in Leadership and Legacy, is published by Simon & Schuster and available now.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

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Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

Our guest today is Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs at Chandigarh University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, a position he took on in March 2026. Prior to that, he served as Dean of Integral Business School, also in Lucknow, where his impactful leadership resulted in positive gains in most areas under his purview. Prior to moving into academia in 2024, Rajiv was a Principal Consultant and Associate Partner at Ernst & Young in India, where he specialized on initiatives and partnerships involving education.

In this fascinating conversation focused on his brief-but-effective tenure at IBS, Rajiv shares with us what he's learned in his career transition from consulting to academia, and how he turned that into a successful business school. Topics discussed include:

• Starting a new business school

• Managing risk

• Leveraging the corporate community

• Developing an AI philosophy

• Fostering new idea generation

• Nurturing leadership talent

Learn more about Rajiv Ranjan.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

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Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

On this previously-published episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Bob Bruner, University Emeritus Professor, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Business Administration and Dean Emeritus of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Bob is a giant in the field of deaning, and we're honored to have him on the show.

As the former longtime Dean of one of the top business schools in the country, Bob has the experience to speak with authority about the temperament that the position demands. A dean must be tough when needed, but also possess strong emotional intelligence -- qualities that are difficult to evaluate in the search process. In this conversation, Bob brings to bear the depth of his knowledge on this tricky intangible, as he addresses:

• The essential importance of clarity of purpose

• The many ways to evaluate temperament

• Mentorship and professional development

• The art of balancing anger and leadership

Learn more about Bob Bruner.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

-

Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

Our guest today is Anne-Marie Croteau, Dean of the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. She is the first woman to serve in this position.

She has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and research, as a full professor and researcher specializing in strategic management of information technology. Her highly cited work has been published in renowned international scientific journals and has been the recipient of numerous awards. For seven consecutive years, she was named one of Concordia's most popular professors by Maclean magazine.

In this illuminating conversation focused on bringing experienced academics into academic leadership roles, Anne-Marie brings her considerable experience to bear on such topics as:

• Succession planning

• Intentionally preparing faculty for academic leadership

• Leadership development and practices

• Building a team of associate deans

Learn more about Anne-Marie Croteau.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

-

Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

Our guest today is Vickie Antolini, Senior Client Partner, Global Education Practice at Korn Ferry, a major consultancy specializing in Academic Leadership Search. Vickie specializes in the recruitment of Presidents, Provosts, Deans of professional schools, with an emphasis in business education, as well as senior level functional administrators in finance, operations, human resources, and compliance.

Vickie has completed leadership engagements for such prestigious institutions as Johns Hopkins, Penn, Columbia, UCLA, Duke, Cornell and many others. With a professional and personal interest in the promotion and advancement of female leaders, Victoria was a panelist and featured speaker for the 2020 Johns Hopkins University Mary Elizabeth Garrett Executive Leadership for Women Faculty seminar.

In this timely discussion, Vickie brings us up to speed on current trends in academic executive search, touching upon many topics including:

• Getting into the search process

• Interviewing tips

• Working with a search consultant

• Understanding search committees

• Changing expectations

• Why you, why now, and when them?

• Standard interview questions a prospective dean may encounter

Learn more about Vickie Antolini.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

-

Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com

Our guest today is Lily Bi, the President and CEO of AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International, the world’s largest business school association and global accreditor; she's been in the role for nearly three years.

With more than 30 years of experience in strategy, global growth, internal audit, and technology innovation, Lily has held senior executive roles with organizations such as The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Internal Audit Foundation, and Kirin Holding Company across the United States, Japan, Singapore, and China.

Lily is a proponent of lifelong learning. After earning her bachelor’s degree in China, she returned to school to earn her MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. A decade later, she again returned to school and earned her Ph.D in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.

Today, Lily shares with us the evolution of AACSB over its 110-year lifespan. Historically, AACSB has been thought of as an organization with a primary focus on accreditation. However, we’ll learn in this episode that this was not always the case, and with Lily’s leadership AACSB's mission will continue to evolve.

In this illuminating discussion, we glean Lily's thoughts on a number of topics, including:

• Teaching students to leverage AI

• The need to solve the research gap with practice

• Understanding corporate hiring needs

• The major trends she sees affecting business education

• The issues deans should be addressing as they lead their respective organizations

• Questioning the b-school’s traditional reliance on discipline-oriented structures

Learn more about Lily Bi.

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

Thanks for listening.

-

Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

DeansCounsel.com