UNLV’s business school gets new dean

Brent Hathaway, dean of the University of Wyoming College of Business since 2004, will take the reins as dean of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Lee Business School on Oct. 1, the university announced Wednesday.

He will succeed Paul Jarley, who served as dean of the school from 2007 to 2012, and Percy Poon, who served as interim dean since 2012.

Hathaway, who previously was also chair of the Wyoming business college’s department of management and marketing, will earn a base salary of $339, 000, according to Afsha Bawany, a UNLV spokeswoman.

“I bring a couple of things to the table,” Hathaway said during a telephone interview from Wyoming. “A blended background in both private industry as well as higher education.”

Before starting a career in academia, Hathaway served in different leadership roles for various private companies, such as vice president of marketing and sales for aerospace services at Honeywell International.

He said that he hopes to build stronger connections with the Las Vegas business community, position the school to better prepare students, and strengthen partnerships with outside entities and other schools and colleges at UNLV.

Hathaway said that he wants to move the school in a direction that will make it “a stronger asset” for UNLV and the local business community.

“Every organization needs to be moving forward and making progress,” said Hathaway, who was also named the Ted and Doris Lee Professor of Business at Lee Business School.

UNLV President Neal Smatresk said that given his background, Hathaway “is kind of a rare individual.” Smatresk said that the business deanship at every institution is an important position and that Hathaway has what it takes to be successful in that role.

“We need someone who can connect with the business community.” Smatresk said.

Hathaway is among several new deans named at UNLV in the last couple of months, and more searches are planned for later this year to replace other interim positions.

Searches to fill the dean’s positions for the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering will be launched later this year, Smatresk said.

A lot of the turnover is because people took other positions and interim positions piled up during a period of financial cutbacks, he said. Now that budget cuts are over, Smatresk said, it’s time to replace interim positions with permanent ones.

UNLV sometimes contracts with firms to conduct national searches, which can cost from $60, 000 to $80,000. A firm was used for the Lee Business School after a previous search had been unsuccessful in attracting enough qualified candidates, Smatresk said.

New leaders on campus create a positive opportunity for the university, the president added: “UNLV aspires to be a leading state institution on a national level, and we need leaders to help us get there.”

Contact reporter Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.