FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana University Board of Trustees today (Aug. 18) confirmed James C. Wimbush, professor of business administration and chair of the IU Kelley School of Business' Department of Management, as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the University Graduate School.

Wimbush, a business professor since 1991, was recommended for the position by Interim Bloomington Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael A. McRobbie.

"James Wimbush will bring to bear the nation's best practices in graduate education," said McRobbie. "I am confident that he will represent the university's graduate programs to external audiences and funding sources in a way that will bring great benefit to our students and programs."

Wimbush said he was deeply honored to be selected for this key position in university administration, which he officially starts Sept. 1.

"I will miss being in the classroom with Kelley students," Wimbush said. "But I very much look forward to the challenges of serving IU's graduate student population and maintaining and enhancing the academic excellence of our graduate programs. This is a tremendous responsibility, and I will dedicate myself fully to successfully carrying it out."

The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Graduate</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> oversees master's and doctoral programs, excluding law and medicine, on all IU campuses. More than 13,000 students are enrolled in graduate programs, including 6,600 at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bloomington</st1:place></st1:city> and 4,800 at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The dean's responsibilities include monitoring academic quality, promoting diversity, advocating for graduate student interests and distributing university-wide graduate fellowships.

Wimbush will work out of offices in Kirkwood Hall in <st1:city w:st="on">Bloomington</st1:city> and at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Union</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Building</st1:placetype></st1:place> at IUPUI.

At the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Kelley</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">School</st1:placename></st1:place>, Wimbush taught courses in human resources and leadership, and published numerous research papers in those areas. He is an acknowledged national authority on business ethics as they relate to human resouce practices.

He also has been active in service and advisory roles at IU. Wimbush served on several academic search committees, including the one that recommend Dan Smith as dean of the Kelley School of Business last summer.

Wimbush chairs the Athletics Committee, which oversees the IU Athletic Department, and he participated in the selection process for football, men's basketball and women's basketball coaches.

For five years, Wimbush was IU's liaison to the Committee for Institutional Cooperation, a consortium of 12 research universities, including the 11 members of the Big Ten Conference and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Chicago</st1:placename></st1:place>. In this capacity he took part in the planning and implementation of the CIC Academic Leadership Fellowship Program, which was designed to prepare promising academic administrators from Big Ten schools for senior-level administrative roles.

Wimbush, 47, earned a master's degree and doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Blacksburg</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Va.</st1:state></st1:place> His doctorate is in business management and his master's degree is in human resources management and industrial and labor relations. He also holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from <st1:placename w:st="on">Averett</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">College</st1:placetype> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Danville</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Va.</st1:state></st1:place>

In his new position, Wimbush succeeds John Slattery, who left the position last September. Eugene Kintgen, a professor of English, has been serving as interim dean.