DAN DALTON NAMED DEAN OF IU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Gerald L. Bepko, Indiana University vice president for long range planning and chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, announced today (May 16) the appointment of Dan R. Dalton as dean of the IU School of Business.

The appointment of Dalton, who has been serving as the school's interim dean since the beginning of this year, awaits approval by the Trustees of IU when they meet in June. Dalton replaces John Rau, who left IU at the end of 1996 to become president and chief executive officer of Chicago Title and Trust Co. and Chicago Title Insurance Co.

In announcing Dalton's appointment, Bepko said, "Dan's background as a business scholar, his experience as an academic executive, his knowledge of the school and university, and his formidable talents will make him an excellent dean to maintain and enhance the school's international standing."

"I am very pleased and flattered," Dalton said regarding his appointment. "The School of Business at Indiana University has a distinguished tradition and it's a privilege to become a steward of that tradition.

"I know that the vast majority of my efforts as we look at the next several years will be spent on external relationships, as partnerships with the business community, the university community and the community at large are absolutely fundamental to our success," he added.

Dalton's appointment comes at the end of a seven-month process. A 17-member search and screen committee recently submitted an unranked slate of five "exceptional" candidates for consideration, although one candidate later withdrew.

Trevor Brown, IU dean of journalism and chairman of the search committee, said the final candidates were selected from an impressive pool of candidates, noting that more than 60 accredited schools of business were seeking deans in 1996-97.

"IU competed in the search very well with both public and private business schools nationwide," Brown said. "There was a great deal of interest among strong candidates on a national basis. Various rankings continued to identify IU as a major business school in a very competitive environment. Despite the fact that we started later than most searches in the country, the committee was very pleased with the quality of the candidates."

More than 100 qualified individuals expressed an interest in the deanship. Faculty and friends of IU and the Business School nominated outside candidates, and a national search firm hired to help with the search brought a number of qualified candidates to the attention of the committee. Dalton ultimately was found to possess the skills and qualities needed for leading the school and maintaining its strong standing among the academic and business communities.

News of Dalton's appointment also was presented today to members of the Business School's Dean's Advisory Council, which consists of a number of prominent school alumni. Among those in attendance was Harold "Red" Poling, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Co. and a 1951 graduate of the school's Master of Business Administration program.

The Business School will greatly benefit from having had a dean from the financial world (Rau) succeeded by someone with the academic credentials of Dalton, Poling said. "It's an excellent blend, having someone from the business community to convey the ingredients for success in the business world with someone who can easily implement actions that are necessary to accomplish these goals with the faculty."

Dalton, a faculty member in the Business School since 1979, has held other important posts in the school, including associate dean for academic affairs and chair of doctoral programs, and the Samuel and Pauline Glaubinger professor of management.

He joined the IU faculty after teaching at several California institutions, including

the University of California at Los Angeles, Santa Ana College, and California State University at Long Beach. He also spent 13 years with General Telephone and Electronics, working in the areas of computer systems, systems interface analysis and planning systems.

Dalton is well known among students in the school. During the first half of the 1990s, he and the school's associate dean for academic affairs, Michael B. Metzger, taught every MBA student in IU's program. Their co-taught course, "Negotiation and Ethics," has been a requirement for all first-year MBA students.

He has served as editor of the influential Journal of Management and writes and researches extensively in the area of corporate governance, including CEO succession. He is author or co-author of four books and of numerous articles in business and psychology journals.

Dalton was co-principal investigator on a five-year study of personnel policy funded by the General Motors Foundation. Also at IU, he has chaired the Business School's doctoral programs.

From 1971 to 1973, Dalton owned and operated a retail business, Middle Earth, and a light manufacturing, warehousing and wholesale company, D&H Industries. He received a bachelor of arts degree and a master of science degree in 1975, both from California State University in 1970; and a doctorate in 1979 from the University of California at Irvine.

Since 1938, the IU School of Business has been both a leader and a pioneer in the education of many of Indiana and the nation's top corporate executives. It often has been at the forefront of curriculum innovation and its undergraduate and graduate programs traditionally rank among the best in the country. In 1996, U.S. News and World Report placed the undergraduate business program fifth in the nation and Business Week ranked IU's MBA program 15th.

For more information, contact George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846 or 812-855-3911, gvlahaki@indiana.edu