With changes come new challenges.  It takes an effective leader to recognize the opportunities these changes can bring about.  Recently appointed Dean Robert Forsythe took the leadership reigns July 1^st, and already sees great possibilities for his new school.  “When I was first approached by USF to consider the dean’s position, I didn’t know much about the College of Business Administration,” said Forsythe.  “After my first visit, I came away with a clear sense that this is a university on the move, and a college with incredible potential.”
 

Plans include finding and honing the college's “competitive advantages” to ensure it reaches its full potential.  To accomplish this, Dean Forsythe plans to identify and emphasize areas of excellence within the college, a task that shouldn’t prove too difficult. “We must do this for everyone who cares about the College and understands what it takes to be a differentiated, appealing public school of business,” said Forsythe.  “This is a necessary first step toward developing a national and international image.”
 

Dean Forsythe is no stranger to effective leadership.  Before coming to USF, he was the senior associate dean at the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa where he also held the Leonard A. Hadley Chair in Leadership. He has served as associate editor of the Journal of Experimental Economics and on the board of editors of the Review of Accounting Studies.  He is a past president of the Economic Science Association and a former associate editor of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 
 

Forsythe is the recipient of a number of professional honors and awards, particularly for his involvement with Iowa Electronics Market (IEM), which he co-founded. Designed as a futures market for trading in contracts on political and economic events over the Internet, IEM has attracted national attention and has been featured in such media vehicles as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, and Good Morning America, among others.  IEM has been studied by many research institutions, including professors in the College.  
 

He has authored over 40 published articles on finance, economics, and accounting, and is a current member of the Econometric Society, the American Economic Association and the American Accounting Association. “I think he has a vision for high academic standards for the College,” said Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics, Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong.  “He understands how to get it done, and he is willing to work with faculty to achieve this objective.  Bob is easy to talk to, a very good listener, a faculty member first and an action-oriented administrator second.”  
 

Though any new position has its challenges, Dean Forsythe is confident that his goals will be accomplished with the help of students, faculty and staff, and the Tampa business community. “This is a very good college of business at a university that is clearly on the rise.  The central administration of USF is very supportive.  The business community in the region wants and deserves an excellent College of Business, and I intend to make every effort to work with the faculty, staff, and students of the College of Business Administration to move it to the next level.”