BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Ash Soni, who has served as interim dean of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business since July 2022, will continue as dean of the school for the next two years. He will lead in collaboration with Patrick E. Hopkins and Julie Manning Magid, who have been appointed as vice deans for the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses.
“Ash’s leadership has been instrumental in the school’s success and I’m confident he will continue to accelerate Kelley’s stature as one of the nation’s leading business schools,” said IU President Pamela Whitten. “His team of outstanding leaders will guide Kelley’s implementation of key elements of IU 2030, while also developing new programs and initiatives that reinforce Kelley’s national leadership in business education.”
Soni, who also is a professor of operations and decision technologies and the Sungkyunkwan Professor, succeeds Idalene “Idie” Kesner – the Kelley School’s first female dean – who stepped down and returned to teaching.
Previously, Soni has served the Kelley School as executive associate dean for academic programs, associate dean of information technology and chair of the operations and decision technologies department. He has been a member of the school’s faculty since 1981, after earning his doctorate and MBA degrees at Kelley.
“To say that I have deep affection for the Kelley School, its remarkable students and devoted faculty and staff would be an understatement,” said Soni. “I am honored that our university leadership has asked me to continue what has been a lifetime commitment to success at one of the best business schools in the world.”
Hopkins, who currently serves as executive associate dean for academic programs in Bloomington, and Manning Magid, who currently serves as executive associate dean in Indianapolis, will transition to the roles of vice deans for their respective campuses.
In these new roles, Hopkins and Manning Magid will assume significant responsibilities for operations at each campus, while developing new programs and enhancing collaborations between the two campuses. The appointments are subject to approval by the IU Board of Trustees.
Hopkins, also the Conrad Prebys Professor of accounting, joined IU faculty in 1995 and has earned dozens of research and teaching awards and has contributed remarkable service to the university and the field of accounting.
Manning Magid, a professor of business law, is also a Kelley Venture Fellow and the executive and academic director of the Randall L Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence. She has a history of recognized excellence in research, teaching, and service, as well as a clear aptitude for fostering dynamic collaborations.
Born and raised in Kenya, Soni also earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and a Master of Science degree from Strathclyde University in Scotland. His research expertise focuses on enterprise systems and applications, emerging technologies and analytical applications in supply chain management.
He has received many awards, honors and certificates, including the John W. Ryan Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Programs and Studies; Kelley Direct Teaching Program Excellence Award, which he won four times; and the MBA Teaching Excellence Award, for which he was honored 10 times.
The Kelley School of Business has been a leader in American business education since 1920, preparing students to lead organizations, start companies, develop new products and services, and shape business knowledge and policy.
With more than 127,000 living alumni and a total enrollment of nearly 14,500 students and 329 faculty members at IU Bloomington, IUPUI and online worldwide, the Kelley School is among the premier business schools in the country.
The school is frequently ranked among the top programs in the U.S. and globally. Its Kelley Direct online MBA program is consistently ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report, Poets & Quants and the Princeton Review. U.S. News also rates Kelley undergraduate programs among the best, ranking it eighth overall. Ten specialty programs are in the top 25 of their areas, with seven of in the top 10.
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