Forming the Questrom School of Business Dean Search Advisory Committee

From Dr. Gloria Waters, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer

I am writing to follow up on the announcement in January that Susan Fournier will be stepping down as dean of the Questrom School of Business at the end of the academic year.   

A national search is planned to identify the next dean of Questrom. The process for constituting a dean search advisory committee, outlined in the BU Faculty Handbook, applicable to full-time faculty, specifies that: “the advisory committee shall consist of three faculty members elected by the faculty of the school for which a dean is to be selected, two faculty members elected by the Faculty Council from other schools, and as many as three members designated by the provost.”  

The faculty members who are appointed to serve on the advisory committee will have responsibility for directing the search effort and should be among our most thoughtful, engaged, and committed scholars, teachers, and leaders. Potential committee members should demonstrate the capacity to proactively attract and recruit outstanding candidates for the Questrom deanship; the faculty most well-positioned to carry out this work will be actively engaged in significant ways in their professional communities and within their academic disciplines. Please note that no member of the advisory committee may be considered for the position of dean. Committee responsibilities over the summer months will be minimal, with limited meetings and only occasional, as-needed engagement.  

I am requesting that the faculty in Questrom organize internally to solicit nominations and to elect three faculty representatives to the search advisory committee. Faculty members well-positioned to serve in this capacity should be willing to coordinate with faculty not on the committee who have colleagues and networks likely to yield excellent candidates. Any individual who would have a role in overseeing the election within Questrom should neither wish to serve on the dean search advisory committee nor want to be a candidate for the dean’s position. Accordingly, I have asked Megan MacGarvie, associate professor of markets, public policy, and law, to organize the election to identify the Questrom representatives. 

Boston University’s Faculty Council will also be sending an email communication to all members of the faculty on both campuses requesting nominations of candidates external to Questrom to fill the two elected seats on the dean search advisory committee. Nominations or expressions of interest can be sent to the Faculty Council (fafc@bu.edu). Please note that membership on the Faculty Council itself is not an eligibility requirement for election to the search advisory committee by the Faculty Council. I request submission of the results of both of these elections no later than March 30. Following receipt, I will appoint additional members and announce the membership of the committee to the community.   

The Questrom School of Business Dean Search Advisory Committee will be charged with responsibility for: 

• Proposing refinements to the initial position description; 

• Actively soliciting nominations for candidates from appropriate sources within the University and nationally; 

• Actively recruiting outstanding candidates who have a record of administrative leadership and achievement and an academic profile suitable for appointment at the level of professor at Boston University; 

• Evaluating the qualifications and assessing the strength of nominees and applicants; 

• Consulting with the faculty of Questrom and other school and University stakeholders on finalists; and 

• Recommending the names of 3-5 qualified candidates, outlining the strengths and limitations of each, for final selection by President Gilliam and my successor, with approval by the Board of Trustees. 

The members of the Questrom School of Business Dean Search Advisory Committee should not vote as part of its process and deliberations. Rather, the work should be accomplished by discussion and consensus. Ideally, the committee will conclude its work and submit its recommendations by no later than November 2026.  

I appreciate your contributions to and support of the search effort. As we prepare for this transition, please join me in thanking Susan Fournier for her leadership at Boston University and at the Questrom School of Business.   

Forming the Questrom School of Business Dean Search Advisory Committee – 3.6.26