Richard White will step down as dean of LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business at the end of this academic year, with plans to retire in June.
“I have served well past the normal age for retirement and well beyond the average tenure as dean,” White said in an email sent to faculty and staff, as well as members of his advisory council, Tuesday afternoon. “The reason for my steadfastness is only because of my total commitment to LSU and our outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni.”
Under his seven years of leadership, the business college has seen significant growth through the additions of various programs—many of which are supported by the more than $42 million raised during White’s tenure.
Additionally, he oversaw the college’s introductions of a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship degree program—a paired degree that can be combined with any LSU undergraduate major—as well as a Master of Science in Analytics graduate program, where students use data-driven methods to contribute to organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, the college’s Professional Sales Institute was named one of the 2019 top professional sales programs by the Sales Education Foundation.
White also led the establishment of the Office of Business Student Success, an effort to ensure student achievement through core support programs. The college has also launched a one-year MBA program track, with a Master’s in Financial Economics pending approval for the fall of 2020.
But White’s retirement won’t signify the end of his relationship with LSU; pending university approval, he plans to serve in emeritus status. A Pulitzer-nominated political biographer who has written three books and published dozens of scholarly articles, White also plans to continue writing.
The planned transition date is June 30, 2020.
