Saint Xavier University enters into the new decade with a new dean leading the Graham School of Management. Since January 6, Mark Rossenbaum has taken the reigns of the Graham School. Through word of mouth, Mark Rosenbaum learned about the dean search at Saint Xavier while still at his previous institution at the University of South Carolina. This was a great opportunity for Rossenbaum as he felt a call to return to his home state.
“I have an affinity for Illinois, my family is here. Illinois is home.”
He continued by saying.
“I never sold my home in Naperville thinking that someday I would come back.”
Mark Rossenbaum saw Saint Xavier as the place he would start his career as a university dean.
“Saint Xavier is the perfect school to really begin my career as a dean,” Rossenbaum remarked.
He reasoned that because of the unique size of the Saint Xavier, the institution required someone who had the spirit and ideas to create an impact. Rosenbaum said that
“Here, everyone can make a difference. Every decision has an immediate impact.”
His experience spans several years in the field of academics. Rosenbaum was an instructor for marketing research statistics at San Diego State as well as Operations Management At Cal State San Marcos. He then pursued a PhD at Arizona State in services marketing, which then led to him continuing his academic career at the University of Hawaii. Later he would become an assistant professor and then a full professor of retail marketing at Northern Illinois University. From here, he would eventually find his way as chair of the retail department at the University of South Carolina. His academic career also had an international aspect as well with Rosenbaum having courses and awards across the world. Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, and Uzbekistan to name a few. Through all of these changes, he continued to miss Chicago which ultimately led him to becoming the dean of the Graham School at Saint Xavier University.
When asked about his thoughts on Saint Xavier, he said.
“I think that SXU has a family feel. It’s a small community. There are some incredible programs.”
He continued on the programs found in the business school.
“I think that our undergraduate programs at the Graham School are very focused. We only have five programs: accounting, finance, management, hospitality, and digital marketing. It is very fine tuned. It is a very clear understanding of what you’ll learn at the Graham School.”
When asked about what he saw in the future of the Graham School of Management, Rossenbaum said that there would be increased specialization. He explains how the current size of Saint Xavier focuses on specialization rather than generalization.
“We want to have a specialized focus and be the best in that area.”
Rossenbaum was asked if would like to convey any messages to the students of the Graham School and the Saint Xavier community.
“Students need to understand the term cocreation of value,” he explains,” values are not simply a syllabus. The cocreation of value means that both the faculty member and the student work together to co create value.”
He promises that faculty will enter the classroom with the knowledge and desire to teach, but asks in return from the students to answer a single question for themselves.
“How will you obtain as much value as possible from the experience?”
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