Founded in 1850, the University of Rochester is one of the nation's leading research institutions and one of the top universities in the world for entrepreneurs. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and ranked 49th by U.S. News & World Report (2027) among national universities and 127th globally by Times of Higher Education . University faculty, scholars, artists, alumni, and students have revolutionized their fields, discovering ways to address the world's biggest…
challenges, earning notable recognitions including Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, Grammy Awards, and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships. The University's diverse community includes more than 3,900 full and part-time faculty members and nearly 12,000 students.
Founded in 1958, Simon Business School offers undergraduate, MBA, specialized master’s, executive, online, and doctoral education. Its academic identity is grounded in an economics-based, analytical approach to business and a longstanding commitment to rigorous research. Simon develops analytical and adaptive problem-solvers who lead ideas and industries forward. The School’s top-ranked programs combine quantitative depth with strategic responsiveness, preparing graduates to turn insight into value-driving action. With deep connections across sectors, its global community is transforming the future of business.
Simon today offers a broad portfolio of business education spanning the undergraduate through doctoral levels. Its graduate offerings include the Full-Time, Professional, and Executive MBA programs; specialized MS programs in Accountancy, Artificial Intelligence in Business, Business Analytics, Finance, Management, and Marketing Analytics; an MS in Medical Management; online programs; a PhD program and a Doctor of Business Administration. Simon recently forged partnerships with six colleges and universities, enabling students to earn a master’s degree in business in just one year after completing their undergraduate studies through the 4+1 Business Master’s Pathway program.
Simon is intentionally small and highly personalized. The Full-Time MBA class entering in fall 2026 numbered 84 students representing 21 countries, with an average of five years of professional experience. The School’s specialized master’s programs add a substantial and globally diverse student population. Simon’s alumni community numbers approximately 19,000 and includes senior leaders in business and industry around the world.
The School is entering an important new chapter with undergraduate business education now housed within Simon, thereby creating an opportunity to build a more integrated continuum of undergraduate and graduate business education and to deepen connections across the University of Rochester. Simon is particularly well positioned to leverage the University’s strengths in medicine and health care, engineering, data science and AI, entrepreneurship, the arts, and the growing innovation economy of Rochester and Western New York.
Research is deeply embedded in Simon’s history and culture. The School has made important contributions to the fields of finance, accounting, economics, marketing, and organizational decision-making, and its faculty continue to produce influential scholarship across business disciplines. Three leading academic journals — the Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Accounting & Economics, and Journal of Monetary Economics — were founded at the University of Rochester, reflecting the institution’s longstanding influence on modern economic and financial thought.
Simon combines the resources and intellectual ambition of a leading research university with the intimacy of a relatively small business school. Its close-knit community, accessible faculty, highly engaged alumni, and longstanding international orientation have been defining features of the Simon experience. As the School looks to its future, it does so from a position of distinctive academic strength and with an opportunity to reimagine how that heritage can serve the rapidly changing needs of students, employers, and the business sector.
Current rankings and outcomes include the following:
- #26 among U.S. business schools --- Bloomberg Businessweek, 2026
- #34 among U.S. business schools — S. News & World Report, 2026
- #29 among U.S. business schools — Financial Times, 2026
- #2 in the U.S. for salary growth — Financial Times, 2026
- #6 for ROI among top-35 U.S. business schools — Bloomberg Businessweek, 2025
- #21 among US business schools and #37 globally in Linked In’s 2026 Top MBA Programs
- URochester is ranked #49 in US News and World Report for 2026
- 88% of job-seeking Full-Time MBA Class of 2025 graduates accepted employment within three months of graduation
- $162K average starting compensation for the Full-Time MBA Class of 2025
The Simon Business School Dean reports to the Provost and Chief Academic Officer and is a member of the University Deans’ Council and the President’s University Cabinet.
The next Dean will have the opportunity to lead Simon’s next chapter, inheriting a distinguished research legacy, a strong faculty, an engaged alumni community, an expanded undergraduate mandate, and an opportunity to define a differentiated model for business education at a time of profound change in both higher education and the global economy.
Academic candidates will be expected to hold credentials for appointment at the level of full professor. Nontraditional candidates should demonstrate a high level of professional success and a deep appreciation of the academic research mission.
Nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest should be sent to: simon@russellreynolds.com.
At the University of Rochester, we are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving an inclusive and welcoming culture and are united by a strong commitment to be ever better—Meliora. It is an ideal that informs our shared mission to ensure all members of our community feel safe, respected, included, and valued.