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Greg Carnes
Greg Carnes

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News Release

Contact: Joe King, Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-4299

December 20, 2005

Carnes leaves NIU for dean’s post at Lipscomb

DeKALB, Ill. -- Greg Carnes, chair of the NIU Department of Accountancy, is leaving Northern Illinois University to accept a position as dean of the College of Business at Lipscomb University, in Nashville, Tenn.

Carnes arrived at NIU in 1994 and was promoted to chair of the business schools highly regarded accountancy program in 1999. Under his leadership, the program underwent a major transformation as many long-time faculty reached retirement age. The average length of service for a professor in the department was 18 years when Carnes arrived, compared to seven years today.

Despite that shift, Carnes was able to maintain the historical excellence of the program. In fact, in various national rankings the stature of the program improved. The department’s undergraduate program is currently ranked 25 th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report magazine and 11 th in the nation by the Public Accounting Report.

Carnes, an alumnus of Lipscomb, will take over the leadership of a business school that recently added an MBA program and which is looking to become an increasingly vital player in the fast-growing Nashville business community. Administrators at Lipscomb say they are confident that Carnes, who begins his new job Jan. 1, 2006, is just the person to accomplish that task.

“Greg Carnes will be a great asset to Lipscomb University’s College of Business as we seek to grow our program in the future. NIU’s programs are nationally recognized for excellence and his experience leading those programs will help strengthen Lipscomb’s already solid business program,” said Lipscomb President Randy Lowry.

Deciding to leave his post at NIU was a difficult decision, says Carnes, but he looks forward to the challenges ahead.

“NIU Accountancy is a very special place,” he explains. “There is a rich heritage; the program is very highly regarded by many different constituencies; we have great faculty and some of the best students on campus. You put all of that together and it’s very difficult to leave. However, I am very excited to have the unique opportunity to return to my alma mater and help raise that program to a new level.”

Carnes will be succeeded at NIU by Professor Jim Young.

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