New Dean Will Lead Colorado State University’s College of Business Beginning July 1

Ajay Menon, associate dean for academic and executive programs at Colorado State University’s College of Business, was named today as the new dean for the college beginning July 1.

Directing the College of Business’ executive and academic programs for nearly three years, Menon forged partnerships with several influential Colorado companies. During his tenure as associate dean, IBM chose the College of Business to be its national technology hub. The company provided the college with the use of a sophisticated mainframe, valued at $21.6 million by IBM over the course of two years beginning in 2001. In 2000, the College of Business secured a gift of flagship e-commerce software from J.D. Edwards, valued at $4 million by the company.

"Ajay Menon has demonstrated a strong commitment to our university, and brings a wealth of experience to this new role," said Colorado State President Albert C. Yates. "His excellent reputation as an administrator, scholar and consultant, coupled with his history at Colorado State, makes him the right person to guide our business school to the next level of excellence."

Menon, as associate dean, also played an integral role in the college’s national academic success. U.S. News & World Report listed the College of Business in the top 100 programs in the nation and Kiplinger magazine named the college’s distance MBA program as one of the best in the country last year.

"Dr. Menon has been deeply involved in the College of Business’ rise in national stature," said Colorado State Provost Peter Nicholls. "He brings to this role dedication and energy that will benefit our students, the university and the community."

During the past five years, enrollment in the business administration major has grown 46 percent and is one of the most sought after majors at Colorado State. Currently, the college has approximately 2,400 undergraduate students and nearly 600 students in its graduate programs.

"The outstanding faculty and staff we have assembled, combined with our ability to draw excellent students from Colorado and elsewhere, afford us a unique opportunity to build a world-class College of Business here at Colorado State," said Menon. "It is my hope that we can build on our progress and strengths, learn from our experiences and continue on our journey of excellence with guidance and help from the business community, alumni and friends of the college."

Menon, who believes an important goal of the university is to "teach students the skills for learning," has taught international marketing, strategic market planning and new product development and management at Colorado State since 1991. He was named Professor of the Year in the College of Business for 1993-94.

His research papers have won awards from the American Marketing Association, and his work in product quality won a national award for best research paper in the "Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science."

Menon also has served as a consultant to private companies and public agencies in the areas of strategy formulation and implementation, new product development, product quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty, international business strategies and value-based marketing.

Menon received his bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Bombay in India in 1982, his master’s in business administration from the University of Texas in 1986 and his doctorate in marketing from the University of North Texas-Denton in 1991.