Office of University Communications
Dean of Missouri's largest business college to retire
Date: May 5, 2008
Contact: Dr. Ronald Bottin
(417) 836-5646
SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Ronald R. Bottin, dean of Missouri State University’s College of Business Administration (COBA), has announced his plans to retire in January 2009. He has headed the state’s largest business school since 1990.
Under his leadership, COBA and the School of Accountancy attained accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in 1992. This was only the second time in AACSB’s history that initial accreditation of a business school and an initial separate accreditation of an accounting program was granted in the same year. Reaffirmation of accreditation for both programs was attained in 1997 and most recently in October 2007. AACSB reports that there are 10,265 schools world-wide offering business programs with only 169 (1.6 percent) earning business and accounting accreditation.
“It indeed has been my privilege and honor to work with a group of outstanding administrators, faculty, staff and students,” Bottin said. “The College of Business has made significant strides since 1990 and I thank everyone for allowing me to be a part of this outstanding team. I would also like to say a special thank you to all of our alums, corporate supporters and friends who continue to invest in the College of Business, as we could not have built a quality program without their assistance.”
During Bottin’s tenure, total enrollment in COBA increased by 47 percent since 1995 to approximately 4,600 students. The MBA program also grew from 166 students in 1995 to approximately 400 students in 2007, which includes 102 international students from 36 countries.
“Ron Bottin has been a highly successful dean for our university,” said Missouri State President Michael T. Nietzel. “His accomplishments are many in number and outstanding in quality. The university has been wonderfully served by his leadership, and we are extremely grateful to Ron for all that he has done for the institution and the business community.”
Bottin has placed a strong emphasis on international education. He led a curricular change for a six credit globalization requirement for all COBA majors, and spearheaded efforts to establish linkages and partnerships with 14 European and Asian business programs, including a “twinning agreement” in India and an agreement with the number one ranked university in Beijing, China, (Tsinghau University) to offer an Executive MBA degree.
In recognition of his contributions to global education, Bottin received the Messenger of International Peace award from the Center of Research and Cooperation, La Paz, Bolivia, in 1996. He was also recognized by the Academy of Business Administration with the International Leadership Service Award in Athens, Greece, the same year.
COBA achieved several notable marks of distinction in the computer information systems department under Bottin’s leadership. In 2007, IBM and the university announced the first Bachelor of Science in IT service management in the United States. This degree was created as the result of a partnership with IBM whereby the CIS department was provided with hardware, software and service resources valued at more than $5 million. In addition, the master’s degree in computer information systems (MSCIS), designed to meet the needs of full-time working professionals, was ranked in the top 10 by Computerworld magazine.
“Ron has been an outstanding leader for the College of Business Administration, attracting strong faculty, generating significant student demand and working effectively with corporate and individual donors to grow the size and quality of our business school,” said Provost Belinda McCarthy. “His shoes will be very hard to fill.”
Endowments with the Missouri State Foundation supporting the College of Business increased from less than $500,000 when Bottin began to approximately $14 million at present. Included in that total is funding raised for student scholarships, five endowed chairs and 16 endowed or annually-funded professorships.
Bottin, who has held the David D. Glass Distinguished Leadership Chair since 1998, came to Missouri State from the University of Wisconsin-La Cross, where he held the positions of department head of accountancy, associate dean and dean from 1976-90. Prior to that, he served on the faculties at Western Illinois University and Iowa State University.
Bottin earned his doctorate from the University of Missouri in 1974. He also holds an MBA from the University of South Dakota and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business from Buena Vista University.
Bottin indicates he is looking forward to spending quality time with family and friends, traveling and considering several other part-time professional opportunities.
The search for a replacement has begun, with an expected starting date between January and July 2009.