MSU College of Business dean to step down; interim dean named

Montana State University officials announced last week that Richard Semenik is stepping down as dean of MSU’s College of Business, effective Aug. 1. He will be replaced by College of Business associate professor of management Dan Moshavi, who has been named interim dean.

By Anne Pettinger
MSU News Service

Semenik, who was appointed dean in July 2000, decided to leave his position because the timing was right, he said.

"When I came here eight years ago, I thought a lot of things could happen here that were closely aligned with my skill set, and those things have been accomplished," Semenik said. "It’s a new era. There is a need now for new and different ideas."

MSU Provost David Dooley praised Semenik’s work and accomplishments.

"One of the great rewards of being provost has been the honor and privilege to work with Rich Semenik. He has provided extraordinary leadership, in every capacity to the College of Business and MSU," Dooley said. "I will miss him greatly in his role as dean, but that is tempered by the fact that Rich will remain on the faculty, and that Dan Moshavi, who I am very confident will also provide superb leadership, has agreed to serve."

Semenik said he is particularly proud of several programs that were established at MSU’s College of Business while he was dean, including the Bracken Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Business Education, the Alderson Program in Entrepreneurship and the Center for Entrepreneurship in the New West.

Semenik also highlighted the hiring, over the last eight years, of 15 new faculty members. Those professors reflect the strength of the College of Business, he said, not only because they hold the highest degrees possible in their field from first-rate institutions, but also because they "are completely dedicated to student success and achievement."

Semenik pointed to student performance as an indication of the strength of the College of Business’s programs and the quality of its faculty.

"I am very proud that our faculty and programs are producing students who score in the 90th percentile on business knowledge and skills tests compared to 555 other business programs nationwide," Semenik said.

Semenik will join the faculty of the College of Business and plans to teach marketing courses during the spring semester of each year. He also plans to do consulting work in branding and advertising strategy, which will require some traveling. He plans to continue to live in Livingston.

Moshavi, who has been on the MSU faculty since Aug. 2000, has been the recipient of several prestigious university-wide awards, including the Cox Award in 2007 and the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006. In 2003 and 2007, College of Business students voted to award Moshavi the Gary Bracken Student Choice Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching. Moshavi earned a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and has focused his research on service provider-customer relationships, with a recent emphasis on physician-patient interactions. He has also been an active organizational consultant for a number of companies and organizations, including Nike and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana.

Moshavi said he is looking forward to his new role as dean.

"Rich has done an extraordinary job of setting a clear vision for the college and of really helping us achieve excellence, in undergraduate business education in particular," Moshavi said.

Moshavi plans to build on Semenik’s vision and accomplishments to "enhance the reputation of the college in the state, regionally and nationally," he added.

According to Dooley, Moshavi is well-respected by the College of Business faculty.

"Dan was recommended with tremendous enthusiasm by his colleagues in the College of Business," Dooley said. "They clearly have great confidence in his abilities as a leader and manager, and so do I."

Moshavi’s appointment is for two years.

This story is available on the Web at:
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=5898

Carol Flaherty
MSU News Service, 416 Culbertson Hall
PO Box 172220
Bozeman, MT 59717
(406) 994-5136