The Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University has named a new dean: Lance Nail, Ph.D. Nail was the previous dean of the business school at Texas Tech University as well as the business school at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has also served as the founding chairman of the board of advisors for the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub and Research Park.
“I believe in the vision of the Fowler College of Business and look forward to supporting our students, faculty and staff as we look to grow our programs and lead an already excellent business school to achieve even greater success,” said Nail. “I saw the passion for SDSU and the Fowler College of Business and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Throughout his career, Nail has had a profound impact. After earning his Ph.D. in finance at the University of Georgia and his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alabama, he went on to a prestigious career in education.
While at Texas Tech, Nail helped to increase the school’s annual philanthropic giving from $5.9 million per year to more than $16 million. And at Southern Miss, he contributed to raising $36 million for the college endowment—a growth rate more than 10 percent.
Outside of fundraising, Nail has also been successful at improving the national rankings of the undergraduate and graduate business programs where he has been dean. While at Texas Tech University and the Rawls College of Business, he helped the undergraduate program rank in the top 100 for both the U.S. News & World Report as well as the Bloomberg BusinessWeek. It was the first time for the college to make either ranking.
When talking about Nail’s appointment, Chukuka Enwemeka, the SDSU Provost and Senior Vice President, said in a press release: “Lance has an extraordinary record of success improving the national rankings and increasing philanthropic giving at the universities he has served.”
Nail’s first day as dean will be on August 3.