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Deans Counsel

Deans Counsel

By: David Ikenberry / James Ellis / Ken Kring
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Being a Dean in today’s modern university is without a doubt one of the most challenging jobs in higher education. With ever changing tensions and pressures from conflicting constituencies, the job can be both overwhelming yet intensely invigorating at the same time. However, by design, it’s also one of the most lonely jobs in the Academy. Where can one turn for confidential advice? In this podcast we interview Business School Deans peer-to-peer to hear their perspective on a wide variety of pressing issues. Please join your panelists Ken Kring, Senior Client Partner in the Philadelphia office for the search firm Korn Ferry and Co- Managing Director of their Global Education Practice, Jim Ellis, former dean of the Marshal School at the University of Southern California and Dave Ikenberry, former dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder for this latest edition of ….. “Deans Counsel.”Copyright 2023 Deans Counsel Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • 62: Marianne Lewis (Cincinatti) on Maximizing Societal Impact
    May 9 2025

    On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Dave Ikenberry welcome Marianne Lewis, Dean of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and Professor of Management at the University of Cincinnati. She knows the College extremely well, having started there as an assistant professor in management in 1997. From there, Marianne steadily rose through the ranks, becoming associate dean for undergraduate programs in 2009, a job she held for five years. After one year on a Fulbright in the UK, she accepted her first deanship, at Bayes Business School at City University of London, formerly known at the Cass Business School. Four years later, in 2019, Marianne returned to Lindner as its dean.

    In this episode, we hear some remarkable, creative ideas and suggestions regarding so many aspects of what can bring out the best in business schools and the impact they can have on society. Topics addressed include:

    •how universities must modernize their curriculum

    •the great skills gap and teaching soft skills

    •reflections on issues faced by higher education

    Learn more about Marianne Lewis

    Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

    Thanks for listening.

    -

    Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

    --

    DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

    James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

    David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

    Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

    DeansCounsel.com

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    38 mins
  • 61: Jason Wingard (The Education Board) on Soft Skills & Society’s Shifting Expectations
    Apr 25 2025

    On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Ken Kring speak with Jason Wingard, Executive Chairman of The Education Board, Inc. and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard. Dr. Wingard is a globally renowned executive, with deep experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, specializing in the future of learning and work. He recently served as the 12th President of Temple University and Professor of Management and Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies.

    Dr. Wingard previously served as Dean of the School of Professional Studies and Professor of Human Capital Management at Columbia University. Prior to Columbia, he was Managing Director and Chief Learning Officer at Goldman Sachs.

    Dean's Counsel was excited to have this opportunity to pick the brain of someone with such vast experience and success as Jason. Unsurprisingly, this conversation covers many topics, including:

    •Shifting employer expectations and the Great Skills Gap

    •Disruption in higher education and the need for universities to revise their curriculum

    •the essential importance of teaching Soft Skills

    •trending devaluation of the college degree

    Learn more about Jason Wingard.

    Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

    Thanks for listening.

    -

    Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

    --

    DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

    James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

    David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

    Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

    DeansCounsel.com

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • 60: Tim Westerbeck (Eduvantis) on The Demanding Times We Live In
    Apr 11 2025

    On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Jim Ellis and Dave Ikenberry speak with Tim Westerbeck, President of Eduvantis, a leading agency offering strategic advisor to higher education institutions around the world. Tim's work focuses on helping institutions grow amidst significant disruption, by defining strategies and new business models aligned with the future. He has served as a colum­nist for Busi­nessweek and is a fre­quent com­men­ta­tor in The Wall Street Jour­nal, The New York Times, and other global media. Tim is also a reg­u­lar pre­sen­ter at global indus­try forums, such as the Indian Man­age­ment Con­clave, AACSB Inter­na­tional, The Euro­pean Foun­da­tion for Man­age­ment Devel­op­ment, and oth­ers.

    Considering the current upheaval and confusion at the highest levels of academia, largely due to the abrupt change in the political climate, Tim's appearance on the podcast couldn't be better timed. His conversation with Jim and Dave offers an interesting and high-level perspective of what's happening today. Tim talks about:

    • the sense of "doom and gloom" hanging over the recent AACSB meetings
    • the many ways higher education is under attack
    • a stagnation in MBA programs
    • innovation being the way forward - The Age of Real Innovation is Upon Us
    • the emerging concept of Micro-credentials

    Learn more about Tim Westerbeck

    Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note.

    Thanks for listening.

    -

    Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts

    --

    DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.

    James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)

    David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)

    Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry

    DeansCounsel.com

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins

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