George Washington University School of Business Dean Linda Livingstone was named Tuesday as president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Dr. Livingstone will leave GW after the end of the spring 2017 semester.
Dr. Livingstone will be the first female president of Baylor, the largest Baptist university in the world. She is returning to the institution where she began her academic career in 1991, first as an assistant professor then associate professor and associate dean for graduate programs—all in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.
Dr. Livingstone came to GW in fall 2014. She presides over a school with more than 3,600 students enrolled: about 1,600 undergraduates, 1,000 MBA students and 1,050 in specialized master’s and doctoral degree programs.
“I want to thank the Board of Trustees and President Knapp for the tremendous opportunity to serve as dean of the School of Business,” she said. “It was an honor to be a part of the GW community, and I will carry it with me always.
“I would also like to thank the School of Business faculty, staff, students and alumni for an amazing experience leading such committed and passionate educators,” Dr. Livingstone said.
George Washington President Steven Knapp called Dr. Livingstone “a stellar dean and an excellent colleague.”
“I am sure that our entire GW community joins me in wishing her all success in her important new role,” Dr. Knapp said.
After arriving at GWSB, Dr. Livingstone embarked on a collaborative effort to identify and develop the school’s strategic plan. Titled “Engaging the World from the Nation's Capital,” the plan incorporated the feedback and priorities of faculty, staff and members of the school’s board of advisors.
The plan broadly called for the GWSB to leverage its location in Washington, D.C., to enhance its global focus and encourage prosperity globally by building on the school’s significant global reputation and to serve as a catalyst for multidisciplinary opportunities across GW.
As a result, GWSB initiated new and innovative programs like the Capital Markets Certificate with the International Finance Corporation and Milken Institute; a health care master’s of business administration in partnership with the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences; 15 graduate certificate programs; a bachelor’s of business administration (BBA) curriculum requiring a minor outside of the business school; BBA concentrations in business analytics, innovation and entrepreneurship, and real estate; a bachelor’s of science in finance requiring a major outside of the business school; and more.
Under her leadership, GWSB expanded career services to enhance support for international students. With the generous support of alumni, Dr. Livingstone led the effort to improve and renovate student study and communal areas in Duques Hall.
GWSB also introduced several new research initiatives under her guidance, including the Korean Management Institute and the recruitment of top research faculty including the Avram S. Tucker Professor of Leadership and Strategy.
She oversaw the recruitment and hiring of several notable research faculty and a 24 percent increase in the number of faculty publications in top academic journals. Doctoral program funding during her tenure increased by more than 22 percent. A fund was created to support faculty presenting at top academic conferences.
Provost Forrest Maltzman said that an interim dean will be appointed, and information about a search will be forthcoming. He said Dr. Livingstone “has been a great partner and will be missed.”
"As a participant on the search committee that selected Dean Livingstone, I knew we had found the right person to move the School of Business forward,” Dr. Maltzman said.
Dr. Livingstone noted GWSB’s history of attracting leaders from academia, government and business and that those leaders’ entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to success and contributions to the global community inspired her work as dean.
“For 75 years, we’ve stood on the cutting edge of bold new ideas,” she said. “Today, that’s where you’ll find us, still creating and building for a better world.”
