In our last issue of Chicago GSB, we highlighted the international
search for the GSB's next leader. In May, the quest was over.
After considering more than 200 potential candidates, the dean's
search committee unanimously recommended Edward A. Snyder, who
joined Chicago GSB as dean on July 1.
Snyder, who had served as dean of the Darden Graduate School
of Business Administration at the University of Virginia since
1998, is no stranger to the University of Chicago. He earned two
degrees from the university: a Ph.D. in economics in 1984 and
an M.A. in public policy in 1978. In 1991 and 1992, he was the
John M. Olin Visiting Associate Professor at the University of
Chicago's George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy
and the State.
"My own educational experience at Chicago, with its unrelenting
focus on truth and the power of ideas, was transformational,"
Snyder said. "I am delighted to return to Chicago and again
be a part of its special community."
When asked what he considers most important, Snyder said, "I
want to do all that I can to sustain and strengthen the GSB faculty,
who have a special role in setting the academic standards for
management education worldwide."
As dean at Darden, Snyder directed the first expansion of the
school's M.B.A. program in 23 years, increased the diversity of
the student body, led a successful fundraising drive that included
a record $60 million gift from a single donor, and significantly
increased the school's executive education revenue. But Snyder
is "not just a figurehead or money-raiser," according
to the 2001 edition of the Business Week Guide to the Best Business
Schools. The publication noted that Snyder likes to spend time
with students to gain feedback on programs and to get reactions
to changes he already has made.
Before becoming Darden's dean, Snyder was a faculty member at
the University of Michigan business school. There, he also served
as senior associate dean with direct responsibility for faculty
matters and professional degree programs. He also was the first
director of the Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan,
which focuses on such emerging markets as India, China, and central
Europe.
Look for Snyder's first Letter from the Dean in an upcoming issue.
