Philip Kitchen

The announcement on Monday, Dec. 19 that Philip Kitchen is stepping down as Dean of Business effective Jan. 1, due to personal family reasons, will result in some minor adjustments to roles and responsibilities within the Faculty of Business.

Danny Cho, the Faculty’s Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, will serve as Acting Dean of Business until mid-January, at which time an Interim Dean will be appointed.

Deborah Zinni, the Faculty’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, will maintain responsibility for preparing for the Faculty’s upcoming re-accreditation process for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), recognized as the world’s most respected accrediting body for business schools.

Murray Knuttila, the University’s Provost and Vice-President Academic, said this week that the University will now engage the standard processes used in the search for a new dean. Early in 2012 the Senate Governance Committee will be asked to establish a search committee. The process will begin in earnest shortly after that.

Knuttila said there will be a meeting of the Faculty of Business on Jan. 4 at 10:30 a.m. in the Sankey Chamber to discuss the next steps and the upcoming decanal search.