Update: This version contains information about Burrus' professional achievements and includes the names of the two other finalists for the position of dean.
Robert Burrus, who has served as interim dean of the Cameron School of Business at University of North Carolina Wilmington, was tapped for the permanent position, the university announced Wednesday morning. He will assume his new role July 1.
Burrus has been interim dean for the past year, after the departure of former dean Larry Clark, who left UNCW to become chancellor of Louisiana State University-Shreveport.
The selection of Burrus followed a national search.
“We had an excellent pool of candidates, thanks to the reputation of the Cameron School of Business and UNCW,” Charles Hardy, search committee chair and dean of UNCW’s College of Health and Human Services, said in a news release. “Rob is a proven leader who is dedicated to our students and has great vision for Cameron. His outstanding academic credentials and experience as a faculty member and administrator will help the school reach new heights in our community and beyond.”
Provost Denise Battles, in an email message to the UNCW community, highlighted a major achievement that Burrus led this past year.
"As interim, Rob oversaw the Cameron School of Business's reaccreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world's business programs."
Asked about his goals for the Cameron School, Burrus said he wants to increase fundraising efforts and raise the school's profile.
"I'd really like to make an impact in fundraising," he said Wednesday afternoon. "We've had some success in scholarships, with a $100,000 scholarship in recognition of [accounting professor] Fara Elikai and we have a $25,000 diversity scholarship. We have a $100,000, five-year commitment from CastleBranch to sponsor WITX and entrepreneurship and a $30,000, three-year commitment from Live Oak Bank to sponsor Business Week.
"We're working closely with advancement, and would like to establish some professorships and continue our fundraising momentum," he said.
Incoming chancellor Zito Sartarelli is "all about fundraising," Burrus said, noting that he has already conferred with the new UNCW leader about plans for the future of the Cameron School.
"While his vision for the school remains to be seen, he brings fresh, good, common-sense ideas that will allow us to move forward," Burrus said of the new chancellor.
Burrus joined the UNCW faculty in 1998, according to his online profile. Prior to serving as interim dean, he was a professor, associate dean of undergraduate studies and the chair of the Department of Economics and Finance. Burrus earned a Ph.D. and a M.A. in economics from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in mathematical economics from Wake Forest University.
The other two finalists for the position of dean were Joyendu "Joy" Bhadury, professor in the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management at University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Bryan School of Business and Economics; and Marianne Lewis, professor of management and associate dean of undergraduate programs at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati.
