Tanuja Singh
by Joe King
Sometimes opportunity comes knocking when you least expect it.
Such was the case for Tanuja Singh, chair of the Department of Marketing in the NIU College of Business, who is heading south to become dean of the Bill Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.
“I was not in the market for a new job, but when they contacted me I was very intrigued,” says Singh. “The school puts a great deal of focus on global business, ethical leadership, professional orientation for students and technical excellence – all things that I am passionate about. It was clear that this would be a good fit and a wonderful opportunity.”
At the Greehey School of Business, which has an enrollment of about 1,000 students between undergraduate and MBA students, Singh will lead a faculty of about 30 who teach in 10 different areas, including accountancy, human resources, finance, marketing and international business.
It was the last topic in particular that drew Singh’s attention.
An enthusiastic advocate for globalizing education, she is proud of the progress the NIU College of Business has made on that front. She points to last year’s semester-long, MBA-style program for executives from China and study abroad programs in many countries as examples of that growth.
In her own department, the Professional Sales Program added a class in international selling and is co-hosting a conference in France this summer. Half of the faculty in marketing also now boast some sort of international experience.
“The college is much more global today than when I arrived. We have things happening at every level – for faculty, for students and as part of our outreach efforts,” says Singh, who served on the Campus International Programs Advisory Council, was a member of the NIU Multicultural Task Force and in 2002 was named the NIU International Educator of the Year.
She won’t have to start her globalization efforts at St. Mary’s from scratch.
The business school there already has partnerships in Europe, China and South America, which Singh hopes to build upon and expand. Other goals include raising the profile of the business school and growing its small, but very strong, MBA program. She also will devote time and effort to strengthening the outreach and alumni efforts of the college.
“The school has a strong foundation, and I want to take them to the next level,” says Singh.
Officials at the school are eagerly awaiting her July 1 arrival.
“Dr. Singh’s background and expertise will not only elevate St. Mary’s national stature, but will also help fulfill the university’s mission of providing the absolute best liberal arts education for our students so that they are well prepared and equipped when they enter the global marketplace,” says Charles L. Cotrell, president of St. Mary’s University.
While she is excited to get started, Singh says it will be difficult to leave NIU behind after 13 years in DeKalb.
“I think NIU is a great university, and I have had many great friends and mentors,” she says. “Your colleagues, your friends and your bosses at NIU all want you to succeed. In particular, Denise Schoenbachler, dean of the college, was very supportive in helping me find ways to lead. Associate Dean Paul Prabhakar has also been a wonderful mentor to me in the short time that he has been here. In my heart, I will always be a Huskie.”
Colleagues she leaves behind say that they will miss both her scholarship and her friendship.
“The entire college is very proud that St. Mary’s recognized Tanuja’s talent and leadership ability, and I am certain that she will be successful there,” Schoenbachler says. “On a personal level, however, things won’t be the same without her around.”
Singh is the latest in a growing line of NIU business faculty who have become deans in recent years.
In 2006, Schoenbachler, who had chaired the Department of Marketing, became dean of the college; former chair of accountancy Greg Carnes left to become dean of the Lipscomb School of Business; and Bill Talon, former chair of OMIS, became dean of the business school at Western Kentucky.