Phelps Named Dean of Penn State’s Smeal College of Business
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Corey Phelps, dean, Fred E. Brown Chair of Business, and professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at the University of Oklahoma’s Michael F. Price College of Business, has been named the new John and Karen Arnold Dean of Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, effective July 15.
Phelps was selected following a national search and will succeed Charles Whiteman, who will retire at the end of June.
As dean, Phelps will be the principal academic and administrative officer of the Smeal College of Business, which is experiencing significant growth with its highly ranked and in-demand programs. The college houses six academic departments and a robust portfolio of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as many graduate certificates and executive education programs. Its more than 350 full-time faculty and staff support over 5,800 undergraduate and 1,910 graduate students.
As a member of the Academic Leadership Council and the Council of Academic Deans at Penn State, Phelps will be an institutional leader in advancing university-wide goals, including those related to implementing Penn State’s new budget model, which has shifted greater financial responsibility to individual academic units; building relationships across University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses to promote and expand interdisciplinary education and research; and developing, leading and supporting the college’s alumni and donor relations efforts.
“I am extremely excited to take the handoff from Chuck Whiteman and build on the momentum and foundation he’s helped create at the Smeal College,” Phelps says. “Smeal stood out for me in every way possible — it has an incredibly strong foundation of programs, centers, facilities, relationships and reputation. There is substantial momentum on multiple fronts and an energy to excel.”
Phelps has led the Price College of Business, the second-largest and fastest-growing college at the University of Oklahoma, since 2020. Under his leadership, in fiscal 2023, the college generated $61 million in revenue and nearly $6 million in surplus, and it had an endowment of $192 million. Other notable accomplishments during Phelps’ tenure include leading the creation of a five-year strategic plan, realizing a 23% increase in unduplicated total student enrollments between fall 2020 and 2023; and developing and launching 21 new programs.
Prior to OU, Phelps served as associate dean of executive education and associate professor of strategy and organization at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Montreal. Before McGill, he served on the faculties of HEC Paris and the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. He earned doctorate and master’s degrees in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and he holds master of business administration and bachelor of arts degrees from San Diego State University.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
