Bruce Willison, dean of the Anderson School at UCLA, will step
down from his position next summer after serving a five-year stint
at the school.
Anderson School spokesman Philip Little said Willison decided
not to pursue a renewal of his deanship at Anderson partly due to
his age.
Willison, who will be turning 55 today, wants to pursue
opportunities in the professional realm, Little said. Many
corporations require their senior executives to retire at the age
of 65, he added.
“He’s not resigning. His term ends in 2004, and he
wants to pursue another professional venture in his career. …
Bruce sees this as an opportunity,” Little said of Willison,
who was not available for comment Wednesday.
Willison was appointed as the seventh dean of the Anderson
School in 1999 after working in the banking industry for 26 years.
He studied economics at UCLA as an undergraduate and earned his
master’s of business administration in finance at the
University of Southern California after serving in the U.S.
Navy.
He has served on the Anderson School’s Board of Visitors
since 1993.
Erik Mokover, associate dean and MBA program director at the
Anderson School, said Willison made important contributions in
“reenergizing” the school’s MBA program
curriculum.
During his deanship, Willison worked with an Anderson committee
to strengthen the school’s core curriculum. Among other
changes, the group created a four-credit course emphasizing
leadership.
In addition to adding more marketing and finance related courses
to the core curriculum, Willison also increased the flexibility
students have in filling a requirement in applied management
research, Mokover said.
“That’s just some that quickly come to mind ““
he’s done a lot,” Mokover said.
Rakesh Sarin, Anderson School chairman and senior associate
dean, said Willison led the school during a tough economic
period.
“He led the school through very turbulent times. The last
few years at most universities has been difficult. … What
(Willison) has done must be seen in the context of this
time,” Sarin said.
Sarin said one of Willison’s main contributions to the
Anderson School was his effort in reaching out to employers in
California and around the nation.
Willison met with about 100 employers in small groups to
establish relationships between the school and those employers
during a dean’s tour he took last year, Sarin said.
Sarin added that Willison is “socially sensitive,”
working to provide visibility and support for the school’s
minority population.
“He is sincerely interested in diversity. … He is a
wonderful, wonderful person in that regard,” Sarin said.
Willison’s deanship also oversaw the establishment of the
Center for Communication Policy and Entertainment Media, as well as
the establishment of the Center for Real Estate.