Earl F. Gibbons Jr. Brings International Experience to School of Business and Economics

Earl F. Gibbons Jr., Ph.D., will be dean of the Longwood School of Business and Economics as of August 13, 2001. He comes to Longwood from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, in Glendale, Arizona. Thunderbird is recognized as one of the leading graduate schools of business in the world.

During Gibbons' tenure as associate vice president for overseas programs at Thunderbird, the programs doubled enrollment and revenue and launched a pilot program in Japan. Gibbons helped secure funding for program expansion in France and helped launch summer schools in Prague and Frankfurt/Oder. As academic director of various programs, he designed curricula and hired faculty and staff in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sweden, Taiwan, Poland and Russia.

Gibbons says he is impressed with the Longwood School of Business AACSB accreditation, high tech Hiner Building, internship program and the strong support of Corporate and Alumni advisory board members. Looking to the future, he hopes to continue an emphasis on technology and to examine appropriate ways to enter the graduate education market. He adds, "The number one mission for the School of Business and Economics is to make it more visible throughout Virginia and beyond." He finds the enthusiasm of those associated with the school "contagious" and says, "Together, we can do something special here with the School of Business and Economics."

Gibbons earned Ph.D. and master's degrees at the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor of science degree from State University of New York, Buffalo. He replaces as dean Dr. Berkwood M. Farmer who is now Dean of the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.