Deans Counsel

Hosted by David Ikenberry / James Ellis / Ken Kring

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Aug 2026

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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.”

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September 18, 202636 min

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

September 4, 202635 min

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

August 21, 202640 min

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

August 7, 202637 min

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

July 24, 202637 min

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

July 11, 202636 min

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

June 12, 202637 min

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

May 29, 202643 min

89: Joyce Russell (Villanova / AACSB) on Negotiating Compensation

In today’s episode, we hear from Joyce Russell, the Helen and William O'Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business (VSB) from 2016 to 2023. Under her leadership, her college strengthened faculty research output, enhanced student programs, upgraded facilities, and established programs aligned with Villanova's Augustinian mission. She expanded alumni efforts and employer connections with the college, while driving fundraising and celebrating the school's centennial year. Today, Joyce has rejoined Villanova’s faculty as Dean Emeritus and serves as a Professor of Management and Operations. Joyce is also a Licensed Industrial & Organizational Psychologist and Executive Coach. For over three decades, Joyce served as an executive coach in the c-suite. More interestingly though, she has extended her practice over the last decade to also spend time coaching business school deans and provosts. In addition, Joyce has also set up a new program in collaboration with AACSB called “The Dean’s Journey” which we will hear about in this episode – a program intended to help deans as they start new deanships. Joyce lends her expertise on several subjects, including: - internal vs external salary negotiation - the right time to negotiate - the renewal process - the importance of getting it in writing Learn more about Joyce Russell . 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

May 15, 202624 min

88: Stanley Ikenberry (Illinois / ACE) Reflects on a Lifetime of Academic Leadership

In this rare and truly special edition of Deans Counsel, we are joined by the legendary Dr. Stanley Ikenberry. This posthumous publication was recorded earlier last season, just one week before his passing following a long and remarkable life. During the interview, as Jim Ellis and Ken Kring sit with an historic leader in American higher education, our co- host, Dave Ikenberry, is off mic quietly encouraging his dad to go easy on his humble moderators. We explore highlights of a career of service with lessons learned and shared from a few of the many initiatives that Stan Ikenberry led. You will hear how his lifetime of service, which included leadership roles formally culminating as the President of the American Council on Education, became a key contributor to Golden Era of higher education in the U.S. and the world. At 44, as the youngest and over time the longest serving president of the University of Illinois, he stepped up to lead the university through its most robust period of growth and development in what became the modern University of Illinois. But you will also hear stories and anecdotes that reflect the character, humanity and ultimate accountability that guided him through good times and challenging ones. Stan reflects on years of service through leadership, offering timeless advice and insights, such as: - The role of today's president - How a meeting's setting makes a difference - Leading by walking around - "Bringing people along" Learn more about Stanley Ikenberry . 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

May 1, 202638 min

87: Francois Ortalo-Magne (London Business School) on Business Research

On this episode of Deans Counsel, hosts Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry welcome back to the podcast François Ortalo-Magné, Executive Dean (External Relations) and Professor of Management Practice in Economics and Strategy & Entrepreneurship at London Business School. He served as the School's ninth Dean from 2017 to 2024, leading it through the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical upheaval, and the sustained pressures facing global higher education. Before that, he was Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, leading the school and university through a period of significant institutional innovation. Across sixteen years in senior leadership and sixteen years as a professor of economics, he has developed a distinctive perspective: rigorous academic research combined with operational accountability under pressure. That combination now shapes his work with students, senior executives, and boards. François helps leaders make better decisions under pressure — not through generic frameworks, but by bringing academic research in economics, psychology, and the humanities to bear on the specific, high-stakes problems they face. His approach is grounded in three questions: How do we frame this decision clearly? How do we strengthen the decision process? How do we live with the consequences — including the need for healing and repair? Francois addresses those questions, as well as such topics as: - The linkage between research and brand value - The different aspects of scholarship - Linking teaching to research funding - Addressing the headwinds of stakeholders - Sage advice to deans Learn more about François Ortalo-Magné . 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