Gene Anderson Named New Dean of Pitt Business

The University of Pittsburgh announced May 26, 2022, that Gene Anderson has been named the eighth Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean to lead the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, effective August 1, 2022. He succeeds Arjang Assad, who announced in September 2021 he was stepping down as dean after seven years to return to the faculty, effective June 30, 2022. Here is the full announcement:

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, after serving as dean of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration since 2015, Arjang Assad announced last September his intention to return to the faculty. We subsequently conducted a national search to identify his successor. 

Today, I am delighted to announce that Eugene “Gene” Anderson has been named the new Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, effective August 1, 2022. He will also join the faculty as a full professor in the Katz School. 

Gene’s outstanding and broad higher education administrative experience uniquely positions him to lead Katz and the College of Business Administration forward. Gene has served as dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University since 2017. Prior to that assignment, he served for five years as Dean of the University of Miami Business School. Gene began his academic career at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, moving up the academic ranks and serving in a series of leadership roles including senior associate dean for academic affairs, associate dean for degree programs, and academic director for the Executive MBA program.

At Michigan, Gene gained a deep understanding of what it means to be a world-class business school at a great public research university in the 21st century. Dean roles at Syracuse University and the University of Miami provided Gene with the experience of leading a community in pursuit of a vision; building a culture of research, teaching and operational excellence; igniting innovation in educational and research programs; increasing resources and fundraising results; enhancing diversity and inclusion; and improving reputation and rankings.

Gene has shared with me—and with the search committee—his passion for student and alumni success; high-impact research and education; diversity and inclusion; and the potential for business schools to advance the economic, social and overall health of communities worldwide. In his administrative roles, he has collaborated with faculty and staff to launch more than three dozen new degree programs—a majority of which are interdisciplinary or online/hybrid; revised existing programs to be more global, experiential and relevant; and significantly enhanced enrollments, diversity, placement, research support, fundraising, revenue and rankings.

Gene is a highly respected scholar. His research on customer satisfaction and business performance has been published in all four premier academic marketing journals and he has served on their respective editorial boards. In a recent study, three of his papers ranked among the Top 50 most impactful articles on research and practice. One is the second most cited article in Marketing Science. Overall, his work has received more than 5,000 Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) citations and over 43,000 Google Scholar citations.

Gene’s strong strategic leadership and commitment to serving and advocating for students, faculty, and the broader community make him an excellent fit for our University and for Katz and the College of Business Administration. 

Gene earned his PhD in marketing from the University of Chicago, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign.

I deeply appreciate the work of the search committee—chaired by Amanda Godley, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies. The search was truly comprehensive, and I am grateful for everyone’s commitment and efforts.

I also thank Associate Dean Sara Moeller for agreeing to serve as acting dean for the month of July as we work through this transition.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Gene to the University and back home to his native Pittsburgh.

Best,
Ann E. Cudd
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor

Professor of Philosophy
University of Pittsburgh