Harker appoints Schmittlein as new deputy dean

Newly appointed Wharton Dean Patrick Harker announced yesterday that David Schmittlein will take over as the school's deputy dean. In his new position, effective March 1, Schmittlein -- the Ira A. Lipman professor of Marketing and chairman of the Marketing Department -- will serve as Wharton's chief academic officer and second-in-command. "I've been at Wharton for 20 years? and there's no place I'd rather be," Schmittlein said. "The opportunity to work with a great faculty is something that just doesn't seem right to turn down." According to Harker, who held the deputy dean position until being appointed dean of Wharton on February 8, Schmittlein has proved to be a strong academic administrator. "He's a very effective department chair in attracting and recruiting faculty," Harker said. Schmittlein played a role in developing the electronic commerce MBA program, which was approved last November. Before becoming chairman of the Marketing Department in 1994, he served as vice dean and director of Wharton's doctoral programs, and before that as co-director at the Center for Marketing Strategy Research. Schmittlein said faculty recruitment will be a top priority for him in his new role, noting that keeping the faculty at the forefront of technological innovations and fundamental changes in the learning environment is an ongoing challenge. Schmittlein and Harker agreed that Wharton classes will have an emphasis on information technology. Harker praised Schmittlein's efforts in the development of the MBA program in electronic commerce. Schmittlein said he will focus on maintaining solid relationships between Wharton and various companies -- whether they be consulting firms or e-commerce corporations -- and bringing their expertise into the classroom. "I want to make sure that the work we do here? gets the visibility it deserves," Schmittlein added. Schmittlein serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Interactive Marketing, Marketing Letters and the Journal of Marketing Research. In 1993 he won the Wharton Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Award. Schmittlein received his doctoral degree and master's degree in philosophy from Columbia University and his bachelor of arts degree from Brown University. Schmittlein is currently working on research projects involving customer purchase patterns, the assessment of future sales potential and direct marketing.

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