WKU News

Jeff Katz, Dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business, will step down from his post June 30 to return to a faculty position in the Department of Management.

“The highlight of my career has been serving as dean during the past seven years,” Katz said. “We have consistently advanced our College to national recognition as a student-focused, applied College of Business where students are prepared for life-long career success by world-class faculty and staff.”

Katz came to the GFCB in 2011 from Kansas State University, where he served as Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Professor of Management.

During his tenure as Dean, Katz led the College to successfully re-affirm its accreditation with AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). He ensured the student-focused nature of the College was sustained through the hiring of staff focused on career services and internships; the creation of a Student Success Tutoring Center; the remodeling of several specialized classrooms; and the endowment of numerous scholarships.

“Jeff is an outstanding business dean,” said WKU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs David Lee. “Through his approachable and collaborate leadership style, he has worked with the faculty and staff in Gordon Ford to provide its students with truly remarkable educational opportunities. He has made Gordon Ford a rising star among business colleges across the country.”

He currently serves as one of 12 corporate and academic representatives worldwide on the Board of Governors for Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society for business and is past president of both the MidAmerican Business Deans Association and the Midwest Academy of Management. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany.