The University of Mississippi announced Rich Gentry as the new dean of the School of Business Administration on May 6, pending approval by the Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees. If approved, Gentry will begin in the role on July 1.
Gentry currently serves as chair and professor of management and is the FNC Founder’s Chair in Entrepreneurship. As co-director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Gentry has helped students navigate entrepreneurial pursuits and launch their own companies.
Noel Wilkin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Mississippi, cited Gentry’s “student-focused leadership, innovative teaching and track record of building programs” as reasons for his selection following a nationwide search.
According to the University of Mississippi’s press release, Gentry has significantly influenced the design and growth of the general business program, the entrepreneurship major and minor and the business school’s study-abroad programs.
Blake Dubinski, founder and CEO of menswear brand GenTeal, worked as Gentry’s teacher assistant and praised his leadership and guidance.
“If you look at what Rich has done with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, you can see the direct impact he has had on students,” Dubinski said in the press release. “He has helped create real opportunities for students to learn, explore ideas and grow, and I think that student-focused approach will carry over very well as the dean of the School of Business Administration.”
With Gentry’s help, the CIE has directly worked with over 1,000 student entrepreneurs, provided assistance to more than 80 student-led startup businesses and awarded over $607,000 in cash prizes and $137,000 in scholarships to students’ entrepreneurial endeavors.
Gentry has taught entrepreneurship worldwide, from Mississippi to Nigeria and Denmark. He has been repeatedly recognized by the university for his research and teaching approach.
Gentry received the prestigious Kauffman Fellowship for venture capitalists while earning his doctorate in business administration at the University of Florida. On the national level, he also served as the 2019 conference chair for the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Gentry plans to focus heavily on artificial intelligence within the School of Business Administration to prepare students for an industry that relies heavily on AI usage.
“AI changes the kind of work students will do, but it also raises the bar for what we should ask of them,” Gentry said in the press release. “If these tools can handle more of the routine work, then we need to push students toward harder thinking, stronger judgment and the kind of real-world learning that helps them stand out when they enter the workforce.”
