Deans Counsel

David Ikenberry / James Ellis / Ken Kring
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Management
  • Updated Biweekly

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.”

  1. Oct 2

    96: Jeff Brown (Dean Emeritus, Illinois) on Key Issues Facing Higher Education

    It was about three and a half years ago (May 2023, Episode 12) when we first interviewed Jeff Brown from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. At the time, we discussed leading a college through remarkable transformation, something Jeff is well-versed in, due in part to the extraordinary innovation he led the Gies faculty through when they introduced the Illinois’ iMBA, an internet-based mba degree program that now serves thousands of students around the globe each year.   About a year-and-a-half after our interview, in the summer of 2024, Jeff stepped down from the deanship and back onto the Illinois faculty. Since then, he has re-engaged in his research but also has had the time to reflect on business schools and higher education much more broadly and ponder the big challenges facing the academy and its business model.  Perhaps not surprisingly, Jeff feels the need for innovation in Higher Ed is more compelling now than ever. Please join us as we get reacquainted with Jeff Brown and hear his insights into what he sees as the key issues future deans should anticipate confronting in the years ahead and why innovation on this scale is so difficult.   In this fascinating confab featuring our trio of hosts, Jim, Ken, and Dave, Jeff lends his insight to the challenges and opportunities facing higher ed, including: • The demographic challenges will force innovation • Teaching students how to think, instead of what they already know • The important initiatives that are shaping the future of learning • Experimenting with 3-year degrees • Changing the mold on developing leadership talent Learn more about Jeff Brown. 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

  2. Sep 18

    95: Jim Ellis (USC) on His Journey of Insights

    Our guest today is Jim Ellis, Dean Emeritus at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. You may know him better as one third of our triumvirate of Deans Counsel hosts. Jim took a somewhat unusual path into higher education. Before joining USC, he spent nearly three decades in business as an entrepreneur and business leader, including serving as President and CEO of Porsche Design’s U.S. operations. He later joined the faculty at USC, where he became a highly regarded professor of marketing, served as Vice Provost for Globalization, and ultimately spent twelve years, from 2007 to 2019, as Dean of the Marshall School, transforming that business school in so many ways. His impact was profound and today, he continues to lend his advice both to USC and to Marshall.  That experience is at the heart of his new book, A Journey of Insights: Lessons in Leadership and Legacy, which brings together lessons gathered over more than five decades in business and higher education. A central idea in the book is deceptively simple: some of the most important lessons in leadership come not from talking, but from carefully and thoughtfully listening.   In our conversation, Jim reflects on his 12 years of service in higher education, and lends his insights into the skills and techniques that helped him chart a positive course for USC, including: • The art of active listening  • The importance of emotional awareness  • Making decisions, often while operating with imperfect information  • His approach to philanthropy  • Building a story to deliver a key message Learn more about Jim Ellis. Jim's book, A Journey of Insights: Lessons in Leadership and Legacy, is published by Simon & Schuster and available now. 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

  3. Sep 4

    94: Rajiv Ranjan (Chandigarh University) on Starting a Business School in India

    Our guest today is Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs at Chandigarh University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, a position he took on in March 2026. Prior to that, he served as Dean of Integral Business School, also in Lucknow, where his impactful leadership resulted in positive gains in most areas under his purview. Prior to moving into academia in 2024, Rajiv was a Principal Consultant and Associate Partner at Ernst & Young in India, where he  specialized on initiatives and partnerships involving education. In this fascinating conversation focused on his brief-but-effective tenure at IBS, Rajiv shares with us what he's learned in his career transition from consulting to academia, and how he turned that into a successful business school. Topics discussed include: • Starting a new business school  • Managing risk  • Leveraging the corporate community   • Developing an AI philosophy  • Fostering new idea generation • Nurturing leadership talent Learn more about Rajiv Ranjan. 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

  4. Aug 21

    51 [DC REWIND]: Bob Bruner (Virginia) on The Key Attributes of a Dean's Temperament

    On this previously-published episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Bob Bruner, University Emeritus Professor, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Business Administration and Dean Emeritus of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Bob is a giant in the field of deaning, and we're honored to have him on the show.  As the former longtime Dean of one of the top business schools in the country, Bob has the experience to speak with authority about the temperament that the position demands. A dean must be tough when needed, but also possess strong emotional intelligence -- qualities that are difficult to evaluate in the search process. In this conversation, Bob brings to bear the depth of his knowledge on this tricky intangible, as he addresses: • The essential importance of clarity of purpose • The many ways to evaluate temperament • Mentorship and professional development • The art of balancing anger and leadership Learn more about Bob Bruner. 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

  5. Aug 7

    93: Anne-Marie Croteau (Concordia) on Succession Planning

    Our guest today is Anne-Marie Croteau, Dean of the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. She is the first woman to serve in this position.  She has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and research, as a full professor and researcher specializing in strategic management of information technology. Her highly cited work has been published in renowned international scientific journals and has been the recipient of numerous awards. For seven consecutive years, she was named one of Concordia's most popular professors by Maclean magazine. In this illuminating conversation focused on bringing experienced academics into academic leadership roles, Anne-Marie brings her considerable experience to bear on such topics as: • Succession planning • Intentionally preparing faculty for academic leadership • Leadership development and practices • Building a team of associate deans Learn more about Anne-Marie Croteau. 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

  6. Jul 24

    92: Vickie Antolini (Korn Ferry) on The Dean's Job Market

    Our guest today is Vickie Antolini, Senior Client Partner, Global Education Practice at Korn Ferry, a major consultancy specializing in Academic Leadership Search. Vickie specializes in the recruitment of Presidents, Provosts, Deans of professional schools, with an emphasis in business education, as well as senior level functional administrators in finance, operations, human resources, and compliance. Vickie has completed leadership engagements for such prestigious institutions as Johns Hopkins, Penn, Columbia, UCLA, Duke, Cornell and many others. With a professional and personal interest in the promotion and advancement of female leaders, Victoria was a panelist and featured speaker for the 2020 Johns Hopkins University Mary Elizabeth Garrett Executive Leadership for Women Faculty seminar. In this timely discussion, Vickie brings us up to speed on current trends in academic executive search, touching upon many topics including: • Getting into the search process  • Interviewing tips  • Working with a search consultant  • Understanding search committees  • Changing expectations   • Why you, why now, and when them?   • Standard interview questions a prospective dean may encounter Learn more about Vickie Antolini. 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

  7. Jul 11

    91: Lily Bi (AACSB) on The Past, Present and Future of AACSB

    Our guest today is Lily Bi, the President and CEO of AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International, the world’s largest business school association and global accreditor; she's been in the role for nearly three years.  With more than 30 years of experience in strategy, global growth, internal audit, and technology innovation, Lily has held senior executive roles with organizations such as The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Internal Audit Foundation, and Kirin Holding Company across the United States, Japan, Singapore, and China. Lily is a proponent of lifelong learning. After earning her bachelor’s degree in China, she returned to school to earn her MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. A decade later, she again returned to school and earned her Ph.D in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.   Today, Lily shares with us the evolution of AACSB over its 110-year lifespan. Historically, AACSB has been thought of as an organization with a primary focus on accreditation. However, we’ll learn in this episode that this was not always the case, and with Lily’s leadership AACSB's mission will continue to evolve.  In this illuminating discussion, we glean Lily's thoughts on a number of topics, including: • Teaching students to leverage AI • The need to solve the research gap with practice   • Understanding corporate hiring needs  • The major trends she sees affecting business education • The issues deans should be addressing as they lead their respective organizations • Questioning the b-school’s traditional reliance on discipline-oriented structures Learn more about Lily Bi. 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

  8. Jun 12

    90: Bill Hardgrave (Memphis) on Building Relationships and Teams

    Our guest today, Bill Hardgrave, has had a remarkable career. After graduating with his PhD from Oklahoma State in Information Systems, he moved to the University of Arkansas where he developed a passion for Radio Frequency Identification, perhaps better known as RFID. After spending 17 years with this intense research focus, Bill’s career shifted into academic leadership as he was tapped to become Dean of what is now known as the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at the Auburn University.   This was an abrupt shift for Bill as he had little of the traditional academic leadership background that we often think precedes these key administrative appointments. During his 7 and half year tenure, Bill was quite successful, and in January of 2018 Auburn tapped him to become Provost, a role he filled admirably during those stressful COVID years.  As of April 2026, Bill will have completed four years as President of the University of Memphis.   Over the years, Bill has developed a distinct leadership philosophy, and shares several insights with us today, among them:  - his journey from an Arkansas lab to the Dean’s desk - the importance of relationships to successful leadership - messaging to a shifting population - the importance of team building and how to form effective teams - maintaining vs building Learn more about Bill Hardgrave. 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

See All (98)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

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.”

Information

  • Creator
    David Ikenberry / James Ellis / Ken Kring
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 Deans Counsel
  • Show Website
    Deans Counsel

You Might Also Like