Bobby Gempesaw to step down as dean of Lerner College
Bobby Gempesaw

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4:17 p.m., Sept. 8, 2010----Conrado (Bobby) Gempesaw, dean of the University of Delaware's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and a member of the University's faculty since 1985, has announced that he will complete his five-year term as dean, effective June 30, 2011, and not seek a second term. Gempesaw will return to the faculty as professor of economics with a joint appointment as professor of food and resource economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

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A national search for the next dean will begin this academic year.

UD President Pat Harker said, “Under Dean Gempesaw's leadership the Lerner College has grown in size and stature. Not only has undergraduate and graduate enrollment increased, but the College is literally a 'Talent Magnet,' attracting the best and brightest.”

“I was very much humbled and honored by the trust and confidence of the faculty when I was selected as dean in 2006,” said Gempesaw. “Looking back over the past four years, I remain humble in the thought that the college's pursuit of excellence could not have been achieved without the outstanding contributions of the faculty and staff in teaching, research and service.

“The Lerner College is now recognized as one of the nation's best business schools with outstanding undergraduate and graduate programs,” said Gempesaw. “I believe that first and foremost we need to ensure the success of our students, and I am immensely proud of what our faculty and staff have achieved by working together.”

Of Gempesaw's service, University Provost Tom Apple said, “In a short time, Bobby has enhanced the educational experience of business and other students at UD through the recruitment of talented faculty and the creation of unique student services and initiatives that many other business colleges do not have.”

“It's amazing what Bobby has accomplished during his short tenure as dean,” said Scott Somerville, a 1976 Lerner College graduate, tax partner at Ernst & Young LLP and chair of the Lerner College Advisory Board. “Bobby reached out to the business community as a valuable resource to help him accomplish his objectives. From the Exelon Trading Center, enhanced mentoring and internship opportunities for Lerner students, a more vigorous fund-raising program and an active and engaged group of business leaders providing input on the advisory board, Bobby has sought and received unrelenting support from the business community, all in a successful effort to enhance the educational experience of his students.”

“Dean Gempesaw has had such a positive impact on the students, faculty and alumni,” wrote David Elkins, a 1991 Lerner College graduate, chief financial officer and executive vice president of Becton Dickinson and member of the advisory board. “He has made the college a better place, and as a result, the University a better school.”

Michael Geltzeiler, a 1980 Lerner College graduate, group executive vice president and chief financial officer of NYSE Euronext, Inc., and member of the advisory board, echoed that sentiment. “Under Dean Gempesaw's leadership, the Lerner College has made tremendous progress over the past five years,” wrote Geltzeiler. “He will be missed on a personal and professional level.”

“Bobby is an excellent leader and will be difficult to replace,” said Ken Jones, a 1981 Lerner College graduate, vice president, Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management Group and president of the Lerner College Alumni Board. “He set the bar high and achieved even more. Thanks to his efforts the Lerner College is no longer a well-kept secret.”

Conrado (Bobby) Gempesaw

During Gempesaw's five-year tenure as dean, the Lerner College has grown in selectivity and reputation. The college has witnessed unprecedented growth in undergraduate student demand, with over 5,300 incoming applications for the freshman class this fall and a freshman enrollment of approximately 10 percent of the applicant pool.

The quality of students has also improved, with the average SAT score for admitted freshman remaining consistently above 1200 (math and verbal) for the past five years, with this year's class average at 1224. Applications to Lerner College graduate programs have also increased, from 500 applications in 2006 to over 1,500 applications this fall and an entering class of about 12 percent of the applicant pool. Undergraduate enrollment has grown from approximately 2,200 students in 2006 to over 2,800 in 2010, while graduate enrollment has increased from 454 in 2006 to 620 in 2009.

One of Gempesaw's goals as dean was for the Lerner College to be recognized as one of the best business schools in the nation. The Lerner College first broke into the national rankings in 2007 and continues to gain momentum in surveys of the nation's top business schools. The Bloomberg BusinessWeek review of the top undergraduate business programs ranked the Lerner College 25th among the nation's top 53 public university programs, marking the fourth consecutive year that the college has been recognized among the best business schools in the country. In addition, the part-time MBA program was ranked at the national level for the first time in the history of the college, and in its 2009 part-time Master of Business Administration rankings, Bloomberg BusinessWeek placed the program 6th in the Mid-Atlantic region and 38th nationally.

Gempesaw's tenure has been marked by such initiatives as the establishment of the Exelon Trading Center, which provides students first-hand discovery learning experiences with the latest technology and data in financial and commodities trading; the Venture Development Center, which supports the entrepreneurial programs of the University; the Center for Applied Business and Economic Research, which provides timely responses to the business and community needs for economic and business policy analysis using state-of-the-art methods and tools; and the Lerner College satellite Career Services Center, which offers an expanded internship program, enhanced employment services and programs like the Executive Mentors Scholars Program.

Before becoming dean, Gempesaw was interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (2004-2005), and vice provost for academic and international programs (1999-2006). He served as chairperson of the Department of Food and Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources from 1993 to 1999, and received an outstanding teaching award from the college in 1992. In 1995, he was given a joint appointment as professor in the Department of Economics.

Formerly editor of Agricultural and Resource Economics Review and president of the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (NAREA), Gempesaw received the NAREA distinguished member award in 1996 and 2000. He was a visiting professor at the Polish-American Summer School in Economics in Poznan, Poland in 1997 and at Ateneo de Davao University in 1998. He also received the outstanding alumni award from Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences in 2008. Gempesaw was named a senior fellow in the School of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University in 2009. He is currently a member of several non-profit and corporate boards.

Gempesaw earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines. He earned a master's degree from West Virginia University and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University, both in agricultural economics. Gempesaw's research interests where he has also published extensively include financial simulation analysis and modeling, higher education administration, agribusiness economics, marketing and international trade.

Article by Kathryn A. Marrone

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