A gift to this fund provides vital general support to the College of Business Administration, enabling the college to focus on areas, projects and programs of greatest need.
Gurpreet Dhillon, Ph.D., is a global citizen.
“I don’t really consider myself to be from one place,” Dhillon said. “I’ve felt the humidity and seen the cyclones of Hong Kong, the spitting rain in London and the November snow in Sweden.”
As the newly appointed John Becker Dean of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Business Administration (CBA), Dhillon brings more than two decades of international academic and leadership experience to the role.
He’s using that experience to lead the faculty, staff and students at CBA. So far, Dhillon said he’s experienced a sense of closeness in the college that can’t be found elsewhere.
“Our faculty really feel for our students, and they really help the students feel like they are part of a community,” Dhillon said. “Being able to replicate that family relationship is very hard to find.”
As Dhillon leads the college into the future, he said he has tasked himself to answer a central question: What will this college be known for?
“Colleges and universities are known for something,” Dhillon said. “We have to have that vision and create that [identity].”
Through donor support to the UNO Fund – College of Business Administration, Dhillon said he has the resources and support to accomplish this mission. The fund allows the college to focus on areas, projects and programs of greatest need.
For Dhillon, one potential use of donor support is to further incentivize faculty research and journal publication at CBA. In doing so, Dhillon said it could raise the bar for academia in the college.
“You really need to spend a lot of time and effort to get published in these journals, but the rewards are high,” he said. “If we have over 70 faculty here, in a given year one or two may get [published], but that’s a good investment.”
Dhillon believes that fostering a culture of academic excellence will create a positive ripple effect across all areas of CBA.
“That’s what we’re here for,” Dhillon said. “That’s what academia is for. It’s for doing good research, good teaching and making an impact.”
As Dhillon settles into his role and prepares for his first full academic year as CBA’s dean, he is thankful to have found such a strong community to work with each day.
“We have a very cohesive group of students and faculty who are here to have a relationship with the students,” he said. “It’s rare to find, and I think that it’s a strength. It needs to be cherished. It needs to be encouraged. It needs to be celebrated.”
