Dr. Sue Lehrman, founding dean, looks forward to
"creating a unified culture" in the new School of Business.

If 100 days is all the president of the United States needs to measure early accomplishments and prepare for the future, the founding dean of the College's new School of Business believes that should be enough time for her to gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Over the past couple of months, Dr. Sue Lehrman has been traveling back and forth from Union Graduate College in Schenectady, N.Y., where she was the founding president and dean of the faculty, to PC for meetings with members of the College community. 

However, after weeks of long hours on the road and juggling many responsibilities for two institutions, Lehrman has finally settled in full time and says she's ready to go to work. Officially, she began her duties on January 1.

"I'm very excited to get going here," said Lehrman, who was announced as dean by College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. in October. "Any time you start a new organization and bring together existing components there are always unique challenges, but creating a unified culture will be an important part of this job early on and it's something I look forward to."

The School of Business was founded on July 1, 2007. Its predecessor, the Division of Business Administration (DBA), was headed by a director but the College Corporation approved the organizational change to a business school that would be directed by a dean. Dr. Francine Newth, assistant professor of management, served as DBA director and acted as dean of the School of Business prior to Lehrman's appointment.

Among her initial priorities, Lehrman said the aforementioned focus on team-building is the main aspect of her self-styled 100-day plan. "There is so much energy when people coalesce around a unified vision. That's what I liked about the newness of this opportunity because it gives us the chance to do that," she said.

Aside from internal meetings, Lehrman said an immediate goal is to guide the school through the accreditation process, which was also one of her duties while at Union Graduate College.

Reaching out
She added that acclimating herself with the state business community, along with students and alumni, and delivering on the idea that the fledgling program will be a major asset to both the College and the business world are other chief priorities.

"There's a unique niche that we're filling and continuing," she said. "This is a high-quality business program that turns out alums who are well-rounded leaders with a strong professional ethic. Those are the types of students who have and will continue to graduate from here."

Lehrman holds a doctoral degree from the University of California at Berkeley's Program in Health Services Administration and Policy Analysis, as well as a master of public health degree from the same institution. Her bachelor of science degree was earned at Oregon State University. Prior to her position at Union Graduate College, Lehrman served as dean of graduate education and director of MBA programs at Union College from 1998 to 2002.

Before her appointment at Union College, she held various management positions during 13 years of service with a San Francisco-based hospital system, Seton Health Systems (now Ascension Health). She has done extensive research, publishing, and consulting in the areas of HIV/AIDS case management and assessing and managing organizational outcomes.

"I'm looking forward to creating a family for myself on campus," Lehrman said. "Not only will that benefit me personally, but I think it's an important part of getting the job done. The more we're integrated, the stronger we'll be."