Sandy Wayne named interim dean of the College of Business Administration

Dear faculty, staff, and students,

I write today with the bittersweet news that Michael Mikhail, dean of the College of Business Administration for the last 10 years, will return to the faculty after completing two five-year terms as dean on August 15.

Over the course of the last decade, Dean Mikhail has worked tirelessly to elevate the national and regional profile of the college. For more than nine years, the College of Business Administration has consistently ranked among the best business programs for undergraduate students in the Chicagoland area by U.S. News & World Report and among the top programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Dean Mikhail’s efforts have been central to the expansion of the College of Business Administration. These include establishing the Mikhail Professorship through a significant gift of his own to the college this January and the creation of the Stuart Handler Department of Real Estate in 2020, made possible by a sizable donation stewarded by Dean Mikhail, among numerous others. Under his direction, the college also experienced massive growth in student enrollment and faculty hiring. Since 2012, Dean Mikhail has not only hired sixty-five percent of the college’s tenure track faculty, student enrollment numbers have also increased more than 60%, culminating in a record-breaking enrollment of more than 4,700 students this fall. I look forward to Dean Mikhail’s continued contributions to the College of Business Administration as a valuable member of the faculty.

In turn, I am very happy to announce that Professor Sandy Wayne, PhD, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Business Administration beginning August 16, pending approval from the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Professor Wayne currently serves as associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Business Administration, has been member of the business faculty since 1987, the faculty director for UIC Business Scholars and is the co-director of the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development. Her career is one of continuous success and although her time as interim dean will only span one year, I know that Professor Wayne will not only keep the college running smoothly, she will also be a successful leader who will continue to fuel the college’s years-long upward trajectory.

A national search will soon be launched to find a new dean of the college, with the objective of concluding the search by August 2023. The College of Business Administration has been and continues to be a national leader in business education and this search will garner additional attention from business school leaders locally and nationally.

Please join me in thanking Dean Mikhail for a decade of tremendous service to the College of Business Administration, as well as in congratulating and welcoming Professor Wayne as interim dean beginning this fall.

Sincerely,

Javier Reyes
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs