Duke admins stay quiet on Fuqua dean search

Two months into the search for the next dean of the Fuqua School of Business, University leaders are keeping quiet on the details of the search.

A 17-person search committee will submit an unranked list of candidates to President Richard Brodhead and Provost Peter Lange by the end of January. Lange appointed finance professor David Robinson as chair of the committee. Current Fuqua Dean William Boulding, who is being considered for the position, will complete his two-year term in August 2013.

“The individual has to be the right person for the moment and time we find ourselves in,” Robinson said. “They need to understand Fuqua and have a clear sense of its possibilities going forward.”

Robinson declined to comment on the number of candidates considered by the committee thus far.

Committee members declined to comment on the dean search.

Lange, who along with Brodhead will ultimately choose from the list of candidates, also declined to comment.

The search committee is comprised of representatives from the Fuqua faculty and staff, students, the Board of Visitors and the larger University community. The committee selected the executive search consulting firm Spencer Stuart to assist in the international search, Robinson said. Advertisements in higher education media outlets and nominations from members of the Fuqua community have also generated applications, he noted.

After former Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard left his position in early August 2011, Boulding assumed the role for a shortened two-year term with the understanding that University would conduct an international dean search in his second year. Boulding declined to comment about his experience as Fuqua dean and his thoughts on what the role entails.