After 10 years at the helm of the SCSU School of Business, Dean Ellen Durnin has announced that she will retire effective January 1, 2021. Over the past decade, Durnin has led the School’s move into a fully renovated and vastly improved building, and the School now awaits the groundbreaking for a new net-zero facility.
During her tenure, Durnin has been responsible for recruiting 65 percent of the current faculty and has brought the school to the verge of AACSB accreditation, with a mock visit scheduled for fall 2021. She gathered corporate leaders to form the School’s Business Advisory Council, has been pivotal in ensuring a strong and modern curriculum, and was the stimulus in developing the Women’s Leadership Program.
Durnin’s work with the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, strong ties with the business community, external fund raising success, and creation of the Business Success Center are a few of the many efforts that have strengthened the standing and competitive stature of the School of Business. Both as dean and during her stint as Interim Provost, Durnin has brought her business savvy approach to the fore, along with a student-centered passion for ensuring high quality programs that provide excellent career opportunities for business graduates.
Provost Robert Prezant said, “I thank Dean Durnin for her remarkable work ethic, insight, and dedication. Personally, I thank her for sharing her time and guidance upon my arrival at Southern. During her tenure, she has clearly had a transformational effect on our institution and has built a wonderful legacy.”
Details about School leadership for the spring semester and a search for a full-time replacement for Durnin will be forthcoming.
Durnin said, “I am proud to have served as Dean of the School of Business for the past decade. With the support of the university, my colleagues in the School and I have been able to grow programs and enrollments, hire new faculty and staff, move toward the final steps of initial AACSB accreditation, build strong relationships with the business community and engage in significant fundraising. The future of the School of Business is indeed bright, and I wish my colleagues the best.”
