IIT graduate appointed Dean of Stony Brook’s College of Business in New York

- ADVERTISEMENT -

An Indian American has been selected to head Stony Brook University’s College of Business. Haresh Gurnani takes over effective July 2023, according to a press release from the University.

According to Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis, the College of Business is a destination of choice for high-achieving students and leading employers competing to recruit them. “Haresh’s vision for elevating educational excellence will leverage the interdisciplinary opportunities that a flagship institution uniquely offers to prepare students to succeed in a dynamic global economy,” McInnis is quoted saying in the press release.

Gurnani will join Stony Brook from Wake Forest University, where he holds multiple high-level leadership positions. He currently serves as area chair of Business Analytics, Operations Management, Marketing and Economics areas in the School of Business. He is Thomas H. Davis Chair in the school, program director of the Mathematical Business Program (joint program between the School of Business and Wake Forest College), and serves on the university’s committee on Network for Inclusive Leadership and Engagement.

“I am delighted to join Stony Brook University as dean of the College of Business at a pivotal time in its history,” Gurnani is quoted saying. The recent AACSB accreditation for the College and flagship designation for the university provides a tremendous platform to further elevate the learning, scholarship, and development mission of Stony Brook,” Gurnani added.

Carl Lejuez, provost and executive vice president, who made the announcement in an email to the Stony Brook University community March 20, described Gurnani as “ideally suited” to serve in the next phase of development of the College.

“Business education plays a key role in providing valuable opportunities for socio-economic mobility and entrepreneurial growth for students,” Gurnani noted, adding that he looked forward to building new partnerships and programs in his new position.

As area chair in the School of Business at Wake Forest, Gurnani has overseen strategic planning, new program development, faculty recruitment and development, research strategy, and accreditation review, the press release said.

Gurnani is credited with growing the enrollment in the Mathematical Business Program at Wake Forest by 80 percent and developing new partnerships with industry to identify company projects.

Prior to that, at University of Miami, Gurnani served as chair of the Department of Management (then, the largest department) in the School of Business. He held other university service roles at Miami, including the University Research Council and University Graduate Council, and served as board member in the Center for Advanced Supply Chain Management, School of Engineering, and Center for Health Sector Management and Policy.

The Indian American business professor’s research interests are in operations and supply chain analytics, retail distribution channel design and marketing, healthcare operations and marketing, sharing economy, and sustainability. In addition, Gurnani led the Center for Retail Innovation at Wake Forest, which raised more than $5 million.

He currently serves as founding department editor of the journal  Production and Operations Management, and also holds editorial positions for a number of other premier journals in his field.

A graduate in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology with a master’s and doctorate in operations research from Carnegie Mellon University, Gurnani has also held faculty positions at University of Miami and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.