Wharton mourns fmr. dean

Donald Carroll, a former dean of the Wharton School, passed away February 24 after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 67. Carroll, whose tenure as the ninth dean of the school lasted from 1972 to 1983, is credited with transforming Wharton from a lackluster school specializing in finance and commerce to the top-rated institution that it is today. In a memo sent to all Wharton faculty members last week, Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity praised Carroll for leaving "a legacy of outstanding leadership and commitment" to the school. Wharton Deputy Dean Janice Bellace explained that after World War II, the school fell behind other business institutions because it failed to emphasize the importance of research. Carroll, who earned his MBA and doctorate in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, created a "research culture" at Wharton by implementing a host of new academic initiatives, Bellace said. Under his leadership, for example, Wharton implemented the Management and Technology program for undergraduates. Students accepted into the highly competitive program enroll in both the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science and receive two bachelor's degrees. The M&T; program is considered among the foremost business programs in the country. William Hamilton, the founder and director of the M&T; program, praised Carroll for being an "entrepreneur who encouraged his faculty colleagues to identify and pursue innovative new programs." During his tenure, Carroll established the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and the Snyder Entrepreneurial Center. He also added a new Decision Sciences Department, which is known today as the Operations and Information Management Department. Although Carroll left the school 15 years ago, his legacy lives on through Gerrity, with whom he shared a special connection. Carroll taught Gerrity at MIT and chaired his doctoral committee. Like Carroll, Gerrity has implemented numerous interdisciplinary programs, including the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business. IS&B; students earn bachelor degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences and Wharton. Carroll was also responsible for radically changing Wharton's facilities. He conducted a major renovation of then-Dietrich Hall -- which became Steinberg-Dietrich Hall -- because its archaic appearance was a "severe negative in attracting faculty," Bellace said. A Chapel Hill, N.C., native, Carroll was not the first in his family to head a business school. His father served as the dean of the business school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Carroll's remains were sent there to be buried last week. Carroll is survived by his wife, Carol Gassert Carroll, the former director of the Executive MBA program at Wharton. In addition, he left behind a brother, a sister, three children and three grandchildren. The Wharton School will hold a memorial service on campus for him later this spring.