A new chapter in the Dean Bates story has unraveled today in a news article
reported by the Daily News, it was reported that Dean Paul Bates of the Degroote School of Business will be stepping down "as soon as an interim dean can be named". This comes with a lot of speculation and controversy following Dean Bates being
under fire from certain tenured faculty earlier this year.
A report was released (see attached).
Story via the Daily News:
A report recommending significant changes at the DeGroote School of Business has been received by Patrick Deane, President and Vice-chancellor of McMaster University. The President's Advisory Committee on the DeGroote School of Business was established last spring to determine the sources of the dysfunction in the school, to advise on the school's management and to recommend actions to establish a productive and collegial work environment at the business school.
Out of his desire to facilitate a resolution of difficulties within the school, Dean Paul Bates intends to move from his present position as soon as an interim dean can be named. Mr. Bates will then assume a role focused on strategy and development at the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington.
"I have indicated my support of the report's direction and the nature of the specific proposals," said Deane. "We have distributed the report widely today, and I look forward to the opportunity for open discussion of the report and its recommendations in the new year. I encourage all members of the business school and our University community to be actively engaged in this conversation."
He added that written comment on the report is invited and should be directed to the Office of the President, Gilmour Hall, or to [email protected].
The report (see attached) details certain problems that the President's Advisory Committee found with regards to Dean Bates and his performance. See below for some highlights:
Leadership of the school- "Our conversations revealed a consensus that the Dean’s vision for the School had not been widely accepted"
- "The evidence from our survey was overwhelming – even a significant number of those aligned with or not opposed to him felt that he could no longer lead effectively. Relatively few faculty
members could envision a future for the School with him at the helm." - "It is important to note that the Dean did have very substantial support from students and
from the external community, including business leaders." - "We therefore recommended to the President that the current Dean be replaced by an interim Dean for a transitional period."
QUESTION: Do you agree or disagree with the report about Dean Bates?
