vol. XVII no. 2

				Page 1 2 3 Dean Sidney E. Harris sat down recently with The State of Business to discuss his seven-year term as dean of the Robinson College and how he helped make the College one of the nation's foremost business schools. He also talked about trends in business education and his plans for the future. Following are the highlights of that interview. Career Reflections THE STATE OF BUSINESS: You have placed great emphasis on rankings success and, as a result, the College has been consistently among the best. What drove this emphasis on rankings? SIDNEY E. HARRIS: In my seven years as dean, I have tried to introduce more innovation into our course offerings and increase the key indicators of quality - student selectivity, strength of faculty and business linkages, among others. While managing these, it was also important to make sure that the College remained flexible and responded to the changing business climate. By becoming innovative and responding to market needs, we became recognized as a leader in the business school marketplace. Stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, alumni, the business community, etc.) want evidence that things are working. Rankings success is simply one measure that you are on track and doing something right. I might add that the numeric rankings are not as precise as some students and alumni want to believe. Being in the top echelon stamps you as a leader, and that is what is most important to me. STATE: Under your leadership, the College had made great strides in raising funds. The number of professorships has more than tripled and, of course, we received Mr. Robinson's naming grant. What opportunities have these gifts made possible? SH: Gifts are an affirmation that the College has the right leadership strategy. They also show there is a belief in the aspirations and vision of the school. The type of gifts will vary depending upon where a school is in its cycle of needs. During my seven years, maintaining the quality of the faculty was our biggest need. Thanks to the generosity of individuals and corporations, we were able to provide professorships to recruit and retain some of the top senior and junior faculty in the world. STATE: You led the move to articulate Robinson's core values and clarify the College's mission statement. While you are leaving the development of the new plan to your successor, why did you consider these first steps important? SH: Self-awareness is as important for an organization as it is for an individual. Every organization needs to be aware of its culture - those few values that it considers the most important. They are the attributes that hold an organization together and give it strength. They make it distinctive. They also let you know if the organization is in sync - if what the College is really doing supports its basic beliefs. Once that level of awareness is created, you can build a system of rewards to reinforce those values. I felt the timing was right to begin the core values exercise and was very gratified with the support of faculty and staff, who spent numerous hours helping to define who we are as a College. What we came out with was a very solid set of values: excellence, defined as striving to be the best in everything we do; integrity, being truthful, fair and accountable at all times; collegiality and diversity, respecting diverse perspectives and people in a collegial environment; innovation, encouraging and supporting new ideas; and partnership, engaging our stakeholders in mutually beneficial ways. STATE: The Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship was established under your leadership. Can you discuss the importance of the center in preparing students for today's marketplace? SH: It is more important than ever. Recent polls show Atlanta has a terrific climate for the growth and development of small to medium-size businesses. Because of that, the Herman J. Russell Center connects with that very important segment and shows how the College is relevant to the dynamics of this city and the marketplace. The Center has blossomed under Ben Oviatt, and it has been nice to see him grow and develop as a leader. Top | Next Page

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