“It just seemed like it had my name written all over it,” Lehrman said of the advertisement for the position.

Lehrman was appointed founding dean of the school last month following a national search that drew more than 80 applicants. Scheduled to begin at PC on January 1, 2008, she is currently the founding president and dean of the faculty at Union Graduate College—an independent affiliate of Union College—in Schenectady, N.Y. She has been affiliated with either Union College or Union Graduate College since 1993.

At Union Graduate College, Lehrman has overseen initial institutional chartering and a $5.5 million operating budget, and she has developed three new degree programs, among many other accomplishments.

“I started Union Graduate College here and I saw this [position as the founding dean] as an opportunity to use some of the skills I have developed,” said Lehrman, who earned a doctoral degree from the University of California at Berkeley’s Program in Health Services Administration and Policy Analysis.

Before her time at Union Graduate College, Lehrman served as dean of graduate education and director of MBA programs at Union College from 1998 to 2002. She has also taught courses in management, marketing, strategic planning, and health care management since 1993, attaining the rank of full professor in 2003.
 
Currently, PC is seeking accreditation for its business programs from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB). One of Lehrman’s duties while at the Graduate College included spearheading accreditation processes.
 
Lehrman said she is excited to get going in her new role and is looking forward to helping the School of Business, which was founded this past July, reach its lofty goals.

“I think the School of Business has many strengths and I look forward to working with the faculty and staff to heighten those strengths,” she said.