Norean Sharpe Named Dean of St. John’s Tobin College of Business

St. John’s University in New York City has selected Senior Associate Dean Norean R. Sharpe to become the next Dean of the Peter J. Tobin College of Business, effective July 1, 2016.

As Dean of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, Sharpe will oversee multiple undergraduate programs with enrollment of approximately 2,700 students and graduate programs, including six M.S. degrees, a full-time MBA degree, and a part-time MBA degree, with approximately 140 faculty and staff supporting these programs. The university offers business degree programs at three New York City locations (Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island) and in Rome, Italy. The university also has a growing global presence in Paris, France, and Seville, Spain. St. John’s is a Catholic and Vincentian university that prepares students for ethical leadership in today’s global society.

“I am thankful to Norean for all she has done to elevate and innovate our Undergraduate Program,” said David A. Thomas, dean of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. “Her drive and dedication since arriving on the Hilltop will leave a lasting impact on our school and the thousands of students who have studied business under her leadership.”

During the seven years Sharpe has led McDonough’s Undergraduate Program, it has risen in prominence and rankings. Sharpe has expanded the school’s global public and private partnerships to increase opportunities for students through programs like the undergraduate summer custom study abroad offerings (in Barcelona, Hong Kong, and Nicaragua), the Global Business Experience elective, the joint Global Business Fellows program with the School of Foreign Service, and the Global Social Internship Program in Latin America. In addition, she has expanded research and scholarship opportunities through the new Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows program.

Through the First Year Seminar on International Business, Public Policy, and Society she created with faculty, Sharpe has deepened the connection of business education to the liberal arts. Students across the campus also have greater opportunities to study business through both the Business Minor and the Entrepreneurship Fellows Program she collaborated on with the College.

Additionally, Sharpe has overseen the launch of two diversity programs to increase recruitment and retention of a more diverse population — SmartStart and BUILD, which provide increased opportunities for these students to be mentored by faculty and staff. Most recently, Sharpe, in collaboration with generous alumni and parents, created the Undergraduate Office of Professional Development to enhance the mentoring and guidance provided to undergraduates in obtaining both internships and full-time positions in more diverse industries.

As a result of her work, the Georgetown McDonough Undergraduate Program has been attracting record numbers of high-quality applicants.

Associate Dean Patricia Grant will serve as interim senior associate dean for the Undergraduate Program as the school organizes a formal search process to name Sharpe’s successor.