Stratton steps down as ISU College of Business dean

William Stratton, PhD, has stepped down as dean of the Idaho State University College of Business, announced Robert Wharton, PhD, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“It is a reasonable step to take at this point in my career,” said Stratton, who has been at the college’s helm for the last 11 years and who has worked at ISU since 1974. “The college has made a lot of progress on a number of fronts during the last decade.”

 “Under the leadership of Dr. Stratton, the college’s undergraduate and graduate programs have provided quality educational experiences that are strong in both conceptual foundations and current leading practices,” Wharton said, “and the college has become a significant force influencing local and regional economic development.”

In December, the college received an exemplary accreditation review from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, according to Wharton. Among approximately 1,500 business programs in the United States, 663 are affiliated with AACSB and that body accredits only 435. ISU is one of only 168 schools to be accredited in both business and accounting among a total of 1,021 schools world-wide that are AACSB members. Both the ISU College of Business bachelor and master degree programs achieved accreditation.

During Stratton’s tenure as dean, the college’s administration and faculty has continued to advance the quality of its programs. It has continued to attract and hire an excellent faculty, an ongoing strength of the college. It moved to a cohort program in which groups of 30 students take 11 courses together for a three-semester sequence that allows for more interaction among students across business disciplines. Four one-credit courses that focus on developing writing, presentation and critical thinking skills were added to the curriculum. In addition, all junior-level students are now required to have laptop computers and the use of technology has increased throughout the curriculum.

“The key success factors for the college have been the culture of excellence we’ve developed here, high faculty involvement and the collegial atmosphere,” Stratton said. “I thank all of our faculty members for their tremendous support during my tenure. I’m grateful for all the support I received from the ISU administration as well.”

Fundraising for the college has increased, as has the amount of faculty research. The college has also participated in additional community outreach programs.

Stratton’s last day as the dean is Aug 18. He will remain at ISU as a full professor of management. Kenneth Smith, PhD, the current associate dean of the college, will assume the post of interim dean. Smith is a longtime faculty member and former chair of the accounting department. ISU will implement a national search to select a new dean.

“Dr. Smith has a wealth of experience at all levels of teaching, research and administration at ISU and will provide continuing leadership to the College during the coming transition,” Wharton said.