Berkeleyan

Tom Campbell to step down as Haas School dean
Former legislator to leave the highly ranked business school after a five-year stint

By Ute Frey, Haas School of Business | 29 August 2007

Tom Campbell, the Bank of America Dean of the Haas School of Business, will step down from his position next summer after completing his five-year appointment, he told faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the school on Monday, Aug. 27.

Tom Campbell

Campbell said he will make an announcement about his future plans after he leaves on July 15, 2008.

"Tom Campbell has shown exceptional leadership as dean of the Haas School by steadily increasing its reputation for excellence so that it clearly ranks among the top business schools nationally and internationally," said Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. "On the personal front, I greatly appreciate Tom's friendship and the sage advice Tom has given me on many complicated political issues."

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer will create a campus committee to conduct a national search for a new dean for the Haas School in the coming days.

"It is a tremendous honor to lead the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley," said Campbell, who became the school's 13th dean in August 2002. "I have been most positively impressed with the loyalty of the alumni, the excellence of the faculty, the tremendous energy and high quality of the staff, and, most of all, the students, who have made this job a joy."

Over the coming year, Campbell said, he will increase efforts to expand the permanent, full-time faculty so the school can improve its ratio of faculty to students and offer more and a wider variety of courses - a major goal of the school during his administration. Campbell also plans to solidify the school's emphasis on teaching about ethics in business.

Among the accomplishments of the Haas School under Campbell's leadership are these:

. The school has improved its showing in the major business-school rankings, such that its programs are regularly rated among the top ten.

. Fundraising has reached record levels, helping the school make progress toward its goal of financial self-sufficiency. Contributions to the Haas School annual fund have grown 75 percent during his administration, and the school's endowment has grown 87 percent to reach $194 million. Haas also received the largest single gift in the school's 108-year history - $25 million from an anonymous donor in August 2006.

. The undergraduate program increased its intake by 25 percent to accommodate the growing demographic bulge of students entering Berkeley; a new Master's in Accounting program received faculty approval and will be launched soon; and the school has increased and improved its wide array of
services for and outreach to students, alumni, and corporate recruiters.

. The school's initiatives in socially responsible business were transformed and expanded into a highly successful Center for Responsible Business that supports innovative teaching, research, experiential learning, and industry-sponsored partnerships.

. A new Center for Public and Nonprofit Management was launched this summer to build on the school's thriving program in this area.

. A regenerated focus on ethics in business education was reflected in a mandatory ethics course for students and regular guest lecturers on the subject, including appearances by federal and state prosecutors, convicted white-collar criminals, and prominent whistleblowers.

Campbell has also been overseeing the implementation of a new strategic plan for the Haas School that includes plans for a new building, new faculty hiring, additional fundraising for faculty research, increased student scholarships, and a new branding strategy centered around "Leading Through Innovation." The strategy was developed in 2005 by then-Acting Dean Richard Lyons, while Campbell was on leave. "Rich Lyons did a superb job in leading the school and in creating a far-sighted strategy that will guide the school successfully into the future," says Campbell.

Campbell's five-year appointment as dean of the Haas School was extended by one year, allowing him to take a one-year leave to serve as director of finance for the State of California in December 2004, an appointment made by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Prior to joining the Haas School in 2002, Campbell was a law professor at Stanford University Law School for 19 years, beginning in 1983. He was elected five times to represent Silicon Valley in the United States Congress. Campbell also was elected as a California state senator in 1993.