Mark P. Rice, PhD, has been named WPI's first Dean of the School of Business.
Rice takes the helm during an exciting time in WPI history as the former Department of Management has been elevated to a School of Business. With full AACSB accreditation, WPI's business programs have gained significant stature. Its MBA program was recently recognized by BusinessWeek as the best part-time MBA program in the nation, and by Enterpreneur.com as a top 10 program with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
As Dean, Rice is responsible for creating opportunities that link the School of Business more closely with other parts of the Institution, generating occasions where business will intersect with engineering, science, and technology.
Rice comes to WPI from Babson College, where he served for six years as the Murata Dean of the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business and held an appointment as the Frederic C. Hamilton Professor for Free Enterprise. Prior to joining Babson, Rice was a member of the leadership team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's School of Management and Technology. During his career, Rice has led initiatives to dramatically expand the scope of entrepreneurship to include technological, social, franchising, female, family, and global entrepreneurship and innovation.