Frank Linnehan Named Permanent Dean of LeBow College

A message from President John A. Fry and Provost Mark L. Greenberg:

It is with great pride that we announce that Dr. Frank Linnehan has been named R. John Chapel Jr. Dean of Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. Through his service as interim dean, Frank has proven that he is the best person to lead LeBow College going forward. This is an exciting day for our business students, faculty and professional staff.

Frank may have accepted the title of interim dean in September 2012, but he stepped into a situation that called for transformational leadership, and he has provided it. LeBow College continues to build momentum and advance its teaching, research and service missions, thanks to Frank. He oversaw the completion and opening of Gerri C. LeBow Hall, the most important new academic building for business education in Philadelphia. LeBow College launched the School of Economics last fall, leveraging faculty strengths to focus on one of the nation’s most critical disciplines. This year’s full-time MBA students will be the first cohort to compete for Drexel C-Suite Co-ops, summer positions working alongside top executives at firms like Apple, Cisco, SAP, eBay and Urban Outfitters. And last month, LeBow College welcomed 30 Philadelphia governmental administrators to a new year-long leadership development program, Leading for Change, funded by the United Way.

Frank has been at Drexel since 1997, gaining a reputation as an innovative teacher and administrator as well as a productive researcher. Before joining the University, Frank spent 17 years in the private sector as an executive with national corporations including General Electric.

During the 18-month search for the next dean of LeBow College, ably chaired by Dean Roger Dennis of Drexel Law, we learned a lot about what it takes to lead a globally focused, industry-connected business school in today’s higher education environment. We came to the conclusion that we had the perfect candidate already in place, and we are pleased that Frank has accepted the position. LeBow College now has all the pieces in place to be a national leader in business education, and a local force for innovation in the business community.