Appointment of Dean of Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick

April 19, 2007

Members of the Rutgers Community:

Provost Steven Diner and I are pleased to announce that Michael R. Cooper, Ph.D., a distinguished business leader with academic leadership experience, has been appointed as Dean of Rutgers Business School—Newark and New Brunswick, effective June 1, 2007.

Dr. Cooper has a strong record of success in the business world. He served for 10 years as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Opinion Research Corporation, which he took public on the NASDAQ. He also served for a decade as president of Hay Research for Management and as senior partner of The Hay Group. Since 1999, he has been chairman and managing partner of Cooper Interests LLC, which he founded to provide private equity investments and business strategy counsel in early and mid-stage companies.

From 2002 to 2004, Dr. Cooper served as founding dean of the Executive Leadership Institute and associate dean of the Howe School of Technology Management at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He also taught earlier in his career at Suffolk University Graduate School of Business.

Michael Cooper holds a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Hofstra University. He also completed executive education at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Cooper has authored articles and book chapters on organizational psychology, management, business strategy, market research and marketing services, and other topics. He serves on several corporate boards including Patient Passport, where he is chairman of the board.

Our thanks go to the members of the search committee, ably chaired by Marc Holzer, Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration. Their diligence and thoughtful deliberation resulted in a strong pool of candidates for this vital position. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Professor Rosa Oppenheim, who has served with distinction as acting dean since last July and who will remain at RBS as professor and Associate Dean for Faculty and Research.

Michael Cooper will be an outstanding dean. His leadership will help us to capitalize on the enormous potential of the Rutgers Business School to reach new heights of academic excellence and to play a leading role in promoting the continued economic vitality of New Jersey. I know you will join us in welcoming Dean Cooper to Rutgers.

For more information, please see the news release at http://urwebsrv.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=5732.

Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey