Joseph Thomas to resume teaching at conclusion of five-year term as dean of Johnson

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Joseph Thomas to resume teaching at conclusion of five-year term as dean of Johnson


Joseph Thomas, the award-winning faculty member who led the efforts at the Johnson to create the Emerging Markets Institute and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute, will return to teaching and research June 30, 2012 at the conclusion of his five-year term as dean.

“My term as dean of Johnson has awarded me some of the greatest gifts of my career,” said Thomas. “I have seen this school become perfectly positioned to be a leader in global graduate business education. I greatly look forward to continuing my outreach throughout the coming year, and I am excited that I have been able to play a role in the growth of such an incredible institution.”

In addition to leading the Johnson School in the creation of the Emerging Markets and Entrepreneurship institutes, Thomas launched the school’s long-term strategic plan. Thomas’ goals for his final year as the 10th dean of the Johnson School include extending the school’s global footprint through partnerships with businesses, educational institutions and alumni – and laying a solid groundwork for his successor.

“Joe Thomas’ leadership solidified the legacy of excellence at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management through several program and research initiatives, including the launch of a long-term strategic plan and the creation of the institutes for emerging markets and entrepreneurism,” said Cornell University Provost Kent Fuchs.

Thomas remains very popular with generations of alumni who have taken his classes, and he has traveled extensively to connect with them during his tenure as dean.  Thomas intends to maintain his outreach through the coming year and beyond.”

I am passionate about this place and want to assure its stakeholders that I plan to leave its deanship in good hands,” said Thomas. “Johnson is a top notch school, and uniquely flexible and small enough to offer a fertile ground for a dean who is a true innovator and strategic thinker. I am excited to welcome my successor and assist him or her in developing and furthering a modern, collaborative and global vision for the school.”

Cornell University has retained the search firm of Spencer Stuart to assist in identifying a new dean for July 1, 2012.