On Jan. 29, the University of Maine announced that Dr. Fay Gilbert would serve as the next chair of the Undergraduate School of Business starting March 3 of this year. Gilbert is a professor of marketing and received her doctorate in the subject from the University of North Texas. Since 2013, she has served as the dean of the College of Business at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“It is an exciting time to join the team at The University of Maine and in the Maine Business School (MBS),” Gilbert said.
Gilbert visited UMaine in late November of last year when the four finalists for the position of dean of the Maine Business School — Erin Steffes, Faye Gilbert, Catherine McCabe and Michael Johnson-Cramer — came to the university to meet with students and faculty, give presentations and learn more about UMaine.
“I am impressed with the campus, the students I’ve met thus far, and with the faculty and staff,” Gilbert said. “Working together, we can continue to have an impact on the future of the state, region and the world and I am very honored to be a part of that progress.”
According to the Maine Business School’s website, the search for the new dean had been underway since September of 2018. Students and faculty had the opportunity to submit feedback on the finalists until Dec. 3 through a form on the school’s website.
In a Maine Business School news release, Provost Jeffrey Hecker said that Gilbert’s focus on “student engagement,” “research” and “consultative leadership” will be a benefit to business programs.
Gilbert’s resume includes substantial academic and administrative experience. In addition to the University of Southern Mississippi, she also served as the dean of business schools at Georgia College and Radford University, according to her online profile.
In 2016, Gilbert was the recipient of the “Dean of the Year” award from Beta Gamma Sigma, a national honors program for students of business. Additionally, she was recognized for two awards in outstanding professorship at the University of Mississippi in the early 2000s.
Business programs at UMaine are divided between the graduate school and the undergraduate school, each with its own respective dean. While Gilbert moves to fill the position currently occupied by Interim Dean of the Undergraduate Maine School of Business Niclas Erhardt, the dean of the graduate school, J. Michael Weber, will remain.
According to the statistics provided by the UMaine Office of Institutional Research, the Business school has more than 1,200 undergraduate students and more than 90 graduate students.
“The Maine Business School engages highly qualified faculty committed to providing excellent undergraduate and graduate business education, advancing business knowledge, and serving the business community,” according to the school’s website. “We prepare students for successful careers by challenging them to discover their potential, develop business skills, and act responsibly.”
For more information on the school’s programs, you can visit https://umaine.edu/business/.
