UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 34, Page 1
June 6, 1996
Dana J. Johnson named College of B&E dean

     Dana J. Johnson, dean of the Wayne Calloway School of Business
and Accountancy at Wake Forest University since 1992, will become the
first woman dean of the University of Delaware's College of Business
and Economics, effective July 15.
     She will replace Kenneth R. Biederman, dean since 1990 who will
return to classroom teaching after a sabbatical leave. Johnson was
selected after a nationwide search that included 130 applications and
nominations.
     "We are pleased to be able to attract someone of Dr. Johnson's
stature to the College of Business and Economics," Provost Mel
Schiavelli said in announcing her appointment. "Her demonstrated
leadership, knowledge and enthusiasm augur well for the college in the
years to come."
     Stuart L. Cooper, H. Rodney Sharp Professor of Chemical
Engineering and dean of the College of Engineering, who chaired the
search, said members of his committee were "impressed by Dr. Johnson's
demonstrated skills as a business school dean and in fund raising, as
well as her firm grasp of the importance of computer literacy for
students seeking future careers in business."
     At Wake Forest, Johnson was instrumental in the business school
being named for Calloway, who is chairman of PepsiCo's board of
directors and a Wake Forest alumnus. In U.S. News & World Report's
most recent rankings, the Calloway School is ranked the 25th best
undergraduate business program in the country.
     Also during her tenure, Johnson conducted a sweeping study of the
business school's faculty, students, alumni, administration, corporate
recruiters and others to determine its strengths, weaknesses and
opportunities, using the results to chart its future.
     According to Wake Forest Provost David G. Brown, Johnson
maintained a "focus upon the student and the student's needs while
insisting upon the highest academic standards."
     At the same time, he said, she preserved "a sense of family and
community within the faculty."
     Before joining Wake Forest, Johnson was a professor of finance at
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where she also
directed the master's program in business administration. During the
1991-92 academic year, she was a visiting professor of business
administration at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School
of Business.
     Johnson received her bachelor's degree in business
administration, her master's degree in economics and her doctorate in
business administration, with a finance major and economics minor, all
from Kent State University.
     Her research interests range from insider trading and primary
equity offerings to management buyouts and antitakeover amendments.
     She is the author of two textbooks, Key Concepts and Problems in
Finance: A Study Guide to Accompany Maurice Joy's Introduction to
Financial Management and Study Guide and Instructor's Manual to
Accompany C.F. Lee and J. Finnerty's Corporate Finance.
     A well-loved teacher, she was the recipient of many teaching
awards while at Virginia Tech, including an MBA teaching excellence
award in 1985; the University Certificate of Teaching Excellence, the
College of Business Teaching Award and the Department of Finance
Teaching Award in 1990; and the Financial Management Association
student chapter's Outstanding Professor Award in 1991.
     Johnson also has designed and presented numerous business
seminars on topics that range from capital markets and corporate
finance to financial analysis and problem solving.
     In addition, she is an active volunteer, serving on the boards of
the Winston-Salem Center for Business and Technology, the North
Carolina Easter Seal Society and Junior Achievement.
     During Biederman's tenure as dean, the college has begun
construction of a new business and economics building-MBNA America
Hall-and renovation of its existing home, Purnell Hall; expanded its
on-campus MBA program; initiated an Executive MBA Program as well as
on-site MBA programs at the DuPont Co. and MBNA; began a Ph.D. program
in economics; secured funding from area financial institutions for
establishment of the FORTUNE 2000 Program to assist minority students;
established a dean's undergraduate scholarship fund and honors
programs in all undergraduate majors; adopted and implemented a
strategic plan for the college; established four named professorships;
increased the role of the college's alumni board and associations; and
established a college Visiting Committee of top corporate leaders.
     Before coming to Delaware in 1990, Biederman was chairman and CEO
of Westchester Financial Services Corp., which was acquired by Marine
Midland Bank. Among his other positions, he worked as a staff
economist for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and the U.S. Treasury
Department, and he was chief economist of the Federal Home Loan Bank
Board in Washington. He was senior vice president and chief economist,
and later executive vice president and chief financial officer, of
City Federal Savings in New Jersey, prior to becoming treasurer of the
state of New Jersey. Before his various positions in the private and
government sectors, Biederman was an assistant professor of economics
at Georgetown University.
     He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Miami
University of Ohio and his master's and doctoral degrees in economics
from Purdue University.