When Dr. Robert Dooley was an undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the early ’80s, he didn’t know he’d someday become the dean of the school’s business college. As a Philosophy and Religion major, he literally never stepped foot on the side of the campus over which Fletcher Hall, which houses the business college, presides. He was more concerned about developing critical thinking skills than learning about business.
“I majored in religion and philosophy out of passion for the topic, not because I was interested in a certain career. I knew I wanted to go to graduate school, so I was looking for solid grounding in liberal arts,” Dooley says. Upon earning his Bachelor of Arts, Dooley took his critical thinking skills to the loading dock at Crescent Hosiery Mill in Niota, Tenn., where he worked for two years.
“The economy wasn’t in the best shape, and while my philosophy degree provided me with a good foundation, it wasn’t marketable in the business world,” Dooley says. Through a fortuitous connection, Dooley secured a job at Westvaco, a Fortune 500 pulp and paper company. He quickly realized he needed the training a business school could provide, and returned to UTC to earn a Master of Business Administration degree. While at UTC, Dooley became friends with Dr. Steve White, a management professor at the school. The two men published a paper together, and White became Dooley’s mentor. Through that relationship, he encouraged Dooley to consider teaching.
“When I thought about being able to teach young people and publish papers, I said, ‘This is it. This is what fits me,’” Dooley says. Dooley went on to receive a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He then spent 15 years at Oklahoma State University, where he served for eight years as associate dean for graduate programs and research at the Spears School of Business. He was also director of the school’s MBA program.
While associate dean, Dooley developed an impressive resume that included leading the strategic planning for a new department of entrepreneurialship. His efforts resulted a sizable donation to establish the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises. The program is ranked among the top 10 worldwide. Under Dooley’s leadership, the Spears School also developed the first executive Ph.D. in business offered by a school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. He also expanded partnerships across the OSU campus and internationally to create multidisciplinary programs.
Throughout his academic career, Dooley has taught, conducted research and consulted in the areas of strategic decision-making and competitive strategy. During his years at OSU, Dooley received numerous teaching awards, and his research appeared in top management journals, including California Management Review, Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Management Journal. Dooley’s passion for international business education opened doors around the world. He served as a visiting instructor at the China European International Business School in Shanghai, and developed an international consulting class in partnership with companies in Vietnam.
Dooley also advises international universities on program and curriculum development. In this capacity, he served as an accreditation advisor to the Ministry of Education in the UAE, and is currently helping a startup university in Oman develop its curriculum and academic standards. Recently, Dooley developed a program with Moi University in Kenya to assist with increasing the number of faculty the school can support. In early 2011, the gears of the process that would bring Dooley back to his alma mater started turning.
“I learned my previous dean, Dr. (Richard) Casavant, was retiring. But I wasn’t looking for a dean’s position. I was happy where I was. We had a lot of interesting things going on at the university, and it was home. Then someone nominated me for the position,” Dooley says.
Dooley began talking with UTC, and the more he learned about the university and its business college, the more excited he grew about becoming dean. He accepted the school’s offer, and he and his wife, Kim, packed their things and moved. Although Oklahoma was home, Dooley is enjoying autumn in Chattanooga. “I missed the falls here. They’re amazing. I don’t know if this is a good or a bad year for color, but for me, it’s great to be able to see some color. Oklahoma has two seasons: summer and winter.
“There aren’t any hills, either, so I’m enjoying coming over the ridge each morning on my way to work and seeing the valley and the mountains. They’re beautiful,” he says. The new dean is also taking pleasure in re-establishing the connections he lost while he was in Oklahoma, and in seeing what UTC accomplished during his absence. As business dean, Dooley must establish a presence in the local community. To that end, he’s already agreed to sit on the board for the grant The Company Lab received from Gov. Haslam. The governor recently tapped nine regions throughout the state as entrepreneurial accelerators, including Chattanooga. “I’m happy to be involved in that effort to spur economic development,” Dooley says.
Being a businessman, Dooley understands the concept of limited resources, so he makes the most of his free time. He likes to travel and play golf, but generally is only able to take walks with his border collie. He and his wife normally have two collies, so they’re in the market for another one. A commonly repeated truism claims, “Those who can’t do, teach.” One only needs to cast the statement in the light of Dooley’s career to prove its falsity. Dooley clearly would make a successful businessman, but his first passion is education. His career is not about running a company, but about providing the opportunities that will allow his students to become the business leaders of their generation. It’s a long way from his days as a Philosophy and Religion major, but it’s what fits him.
For more on Dooley, read the interview with him on page 12 about his plans for the UTC College of Business.