Abby Derkson/Winonan

Since James William Murphy’s dismissal for sexual misconduct in September of 2012, the College of Business worked to transition to a permanent new dean.

Earlier this month, Hamid Akbari, a professor from Northeastern Illinois University, was named Winona State University’s next dean of the College of Business.

Effective June 1,  Akbari will begin his tenure as the new dean. In the meantime, Professor JoEll Bjorke is serving as interim dean. She assumed the position following Dr. Tom Bremer’s service in the fall of 2013.

While Bjorke did not comment on Dr. Murphy’s termination and its impact on the College of Business, she did recognize that the future of the College of Business is moving in the right direction.

“Our students are now successfully competing in regional, national and international competitions,” Bjorke said.

“I am proud of the quality of education our faculty provide and the accomplishments of our students.”

Bjorke described the success of the college’s students as the program’s number one priority.

“The faculty in the college work closely with our students to ensure that they are well prepared to enter the workforce as highly educated professionals,” Bjorke said.

This semester was not Bjorke’s first as interim dean. Previously, Bjorke worked in the College of Business for over 30 years and served as a chairperson of the business administration department for half of that time.

Having served as interim dean twice before, Bjorke said the transition process from Bremer to herself was familiar and she “was fortunate to work with experienced administrators when [she] began.”

Bjorke was grateful for her tenure as interim dean.

“I work with the administration, faculty, staff and students to foster an engaging and supportive learning environment,” she said.

“Its programs and courses prepare students to communicate effectively, think critically, work collaboratively and to act responsibly to meet the challenges of a global community.”

Bjorke said, “The dean represents the interests of the college.”

As dean, Bjorke said, she did not work alone.

The position involved collaboration with faculty and staff.

Bjorke credited her successful transition to the help of the previous and new provost and vice president for academic affairs, dean’s office manager Jan Tollefson and chairperson of the faculty committee Mark Young.

She also said that her fellow faculty members in the College of Business were helpful in providing her a smooth transition into her position.

When Dr. Akbari joins the university at the end of the fiscal year, Bjorke promised to assist his transition into his new role as smoothly as she could.

“I am excited for the college to begin a new era under his leadership,” Bjorke said.

Contact Abby at [email protected]