Officials at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) didn’t have to go far to find a new dean for the Edwards School of Business.
Interim dean Keith Willoughby will become the new dean on July 1, 2017.
“I have long seen the potential of this school, and am thrilled to be selected to lead Edwards faculty, staff and students as dean,” Willoughby said in a statement.
“It is a vibrant, engaged school that is creating the next generation of business professionals that are second to none and in high demand after graduation.”
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Willoughby first joined the school in 1997 as an assistant professor.
He then moved to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. for a faculty position before returning to the Edwards School of Business where he was named associate dean in 2011.
He had been serving as interim dean since July 2016 when he replaced Daphne Taras, who had served as dean for six years.
Michael Atkinson, the interim provost and vice-president academic at the U of S, said Willoughby’s background will help the school move forward.
“In Keith, we have found an individual who not only has deep connections to the university, but also combines the academic, research, teaching and administrative pedigree that will help the school take its rightful place among the most distinguished business programs in the country,” Atkinson said.
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Willoughby has extensive experience in health-care process improvement research and previously worked for the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council as a senior operations research specialist.
He has also pursued research into public transit systems, logistics and sports analytics.