Topic: Miller College of Business

January 15, 2009

Ball State University has appointed Rajib Sanyal, an expert in industrial and labor relations, as dean of its Miller College of Business.

Sanyal, who has been the business college dean at Northern Michigan University in Marquette since 2005, will join Ball State on June 1. He was selected after a national search which brought three candidates to campus for interviews.

"We are pleased that Dr. Sanyal will be joining the Ball State family and the Muncie community," said Ball State Provost Terry King. "Dr. Sanyal brings with him solid administrative skills and unique national and international business experience. We believe he is the right person to join our team to assist the university in meeting the goals of its strategic plan. We look forward to his initiatives."

Sanyal will be responsible for leading the nationally recognized academic and research operations of the Miller College of Business, which is accredited by AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

"I am absolutely delighted to be given this chance to lead the Miller College of Business," Sanyal said. "The college and Ball State represent what a high-quality institution should be. I enthusiastically share Provost King and President Jo Ann M. Gora's bold vision of creating a nationally distinctive university with a vital emphasis on immersive learning. 

"Miller College and Ball State are well-respected on a national level, thanks to their entrepreneurial approach. I am glad to be part of the team participating in this exciting change and am looking forward to arriving on campus."

During his tenure at Northern Michigan, Sanyal developed and implemented a strategic plan for the business college, developed and implemented a fundraising plan, built a financial trading lab, created a student management investment fund and. established a new business venture competition.

He also facilitated an interdisciplinary student-run business, designed and implemented a support staff development program, successfully addressed midterm reaccreditation issues, and increased hiring of new faculty from underrepresented groups.

Prior to Northern Michigan, Sanyal was an American Council on Education Fellow during 2004-05 at George Mason University. Beginning in 1987, he was a faculty member at the business school of the College of New Jersey, formerly Trenton State College. He served as a division head (department chair) from 2000-04 as well as director of the nonprofit management certificate program.

He received his doctorate from Georgia State University and a master's from University of Wisconsin-Madison. His undergraduate degrees are from the University of Calcutta and University of Delhi.

Sanyal will succeed Interim Dean Rodney Davis, who has led the business college since 2007.

"We're grateful for Dr. Davis' service during the last few years," King said. "He not only managed the Miller College of Business, but he led its faculty, staff and students with foresight and integrity. Dr. Davis' relationship with the faculty and students and his knowledge of the university made him the ideal interim leader."