10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 19, 2001 FRIDAY Focus Former B-School dean to step " in Colleagues label B. Joseph Wite as a born leader By Rachel Green Daily Staff Reporter News of today's expected appointment of former Busi- ness School Dean B. Joseph White as interim University president was met with overwhelming approval from alumni and his colleagues. "Joe is a natural as a university president," Business Prof. Eugene Anderson said. "He has been a tremendous leader and an extremely articulate spokesperson and he's really, I think, quite gifted in his ability to inspire people. 01 "Joe is a natural as a university president. He has been a tremendous leader" - Eugene Anderson Business School Professor He has a great love for the University and for its people." White, who currently serves as a professor, led the School of Business Administra- tion from 1991 AP PHOTO Former Business School Dean B. Joseph White looks on in May as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright speaks at the Business School. White, who is expected to become the University's interim president, helped bring Albright to Ann Arbor as a distinguished scholar in the William Davidson Institute. The University's interim president: Interim president may be a candidate for post B. Joseph White to 2001 and helped make it one of the premier business schools in the country, said Anderson, who arrived at the University in 1989 just as White was becoming interim dean. Anderson said White had a talent for connecting with everyone affiliated with the Business School. "He wasn't just the faculty's dean, he was everybody's dean," he said. "He cared for the faculty, the students and the alumni, and I'm sure he will bring a lot of that to the presidential post." Business Prof. Russell Lundholm said he heard about White's expected appointment yesterday afternoon and praised the former dean for his social skills, saying White represents the values of the University well. "He's a very polished speaker and he's good with alum- ni and donors. He's a great host," Lundholm said. "He represented the Business School well and I'm confident he will do the same for the University." Born in Detroit in 1947, White received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1969, a master's in business administration from Harvard University in 1971 and a doctoral degree from the Michigan Business School in 1975. He became an associate professor of organiza- tional behavior and industrial relations at Michigan in 1975 and joined the faculty of the University's Survey Research Center in 1980, before working for several tech- nology companies in the United States and abroad. He returned to Michigan as associate dean of the Busi- ness School in 1987. In his 10 years as dean, annual expenditures on scholar- ships for Business students doubled, the annual operating budget increased from less than $50 million to more than $100 million and the school's endowment rose from $40 million to $150 million. He served as president of the William Davidson Insti- tute, a leading center of expertise on business and in developing market economies which was created during his tenure as dean. He was instrumental in bringing for- mer U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the institute as a distinguished scholar beginning this semes- ter. White is a member of the Board of Directors of Georgetown University and the national board of the Uni- versity of Michigan's Center for Community Service Learning. He has published three books and several articles on human recourses in business journals. Business Prof. Michael Metzger, who joined the Uni- versity last year, said although he never worked directly with White, the positive affects of the former dean's pres- ence are still being felt in the school. "He's had a long tenure at the Business School and he was very instrumental in leading it to its current respectable status. University alum Mike Wallace, an anchor on CBS' "60 Minutes," said yesterday that he too was pleased with the regents' selection of White. "I think he's a first-rate man," Wallace said. 0 Age: 54; born in Detroit Family: Wife, Mary Decker White; son, Brian and daughter, Audrey Education: B.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 1969 MBA from Harvard School of Business, 1971 Ph.D. from University of Michigan Business School, 1975 Employment: 1975-1980: University of Michigan Business School associate professor 1981-1987: Vice president at Cummins Engine Company Inc. By Nick Bunkley Daily News Editor The last time B. Joseph White served in an interim capacity, he later received the job on a perma- nent basis. That was in 1991, when he was appointed as dean of the Universi- ty's School of Business Administra- tion. Today, a decade later and only a few months after stepping down as dean of the B-School, White is again about to take a job on a tem- porary basis. And again he is con- sidered a possible candidate to officially take over the post when the search process ends. It will be months before the Uni- versity announces whether White will become the permanent succes- sor to outgoing President Lee Bollinger, who will become the chief executive at New York City's Columbia University in July. And since the upcoming presi- dential search process is likely to be conducted in private until a deci- sion is imminent, it might be nearly as long until it becomes clear whether White emerges a finalist for the position. White himself has admitted that it's much more difficult for an interim president to be appointed permanently than it is for an acting dean. Shortly before the Board of Regents named physics Prof. Homer Neal to temporarily step in after President James Duderstadt resigned, White told The Michigan Daily that an interim administrator must avoid looking too far into the future. Now, he will need to take his own advice to heart as he prepares to lead the University through.the transition after Bollinger leaves. "(An interim's) job is to do the everyday blocking and tackling extremely well," White said in November 1995. "It's a job that is extremely focused in day-to-day matters. White was one of 302 candidates initially identified by the 1996 search committee that eventually selected Bollinger but was not included as a finalist that year. When White announced he would step down after a decade as dean of the Business School, faculty mem- bers, regents and Bollinger all expressed surprise and sadness at his departure. White never completely closed the door, however, on the chance that he would return to take on a higher position in the administra- tion, and it appears Bollinger's departure is giving him the oppor- tunity for him to do just that. "I think that it's possible I will finish my career as a faculty mem- ber here at Michigan," White told the Daily in March 2000, "or else some other sort of leadership job might come along and it might attract me." Students laud former dean as 'visionary' .' 9 1987-1990: Business associate dean School By Margaret Engoren Daily Staff Reporter 1990-1991: Business School interim dean 1991-2001: Business School dean 1992-2001: President of Business School's William Davidson Institute Present: Wilbur K. Pierpont Collegiate Professor Current board memberships: Georgetown University (since 1999) Gordon Food Services (since 1988) Kvrudnn Cnrnnratin ckinrp i1 qq)' Many University Business students praised the accomplishments and leadership of for- mer Dean B. Joseph White yesterday, sup- porting the Board of Regents' decision to appoint him as the University's interim presi- dent. "White is a dynamic leader, a visionary thinker and a passionate teacher," said Eliza- beth Fastiggi, a Business second-year gradu- ate student. "He is very in tune with the student body," she said. "White is the reason the B school is as respected as it is. As dean, he improved our school and polished its public image." Business second-year graduate student Chandus Jackson said White will likely improve the University during his tenure. "Looking at the improvements White made "White as the interim president is exactly the thing this University needs." - Elizabeth Fastiggi Second-year Business School graduate student sity administration. "White as the interim president is absolute- ly the thing the University needs. He is a remarkable leader; he is innovative, compas- sionate and has a real sense of where the B- School is headed," Fastiggi said. Richards thinks White's impact may affect more than just the students and faculty mem- bers on campus. 't' 1 .&.I