Hensler brings business, academic experience to WSU's Barton School
Wichita Business Journal - by Josh Heck
Doug Hensler set himself apart from the other candidates for the dean's position at Wichita State University's business school with a unique blend of academic and private sector experience, those involved with the search process say.
"What we liked about Dr. Hensler is that he has a background that is not centric in one discipline," says Steve Feilmeier, search committee member and chief financial officer at Koch Industries. "We think we got the best guy. He's going to be terrific."
WSU on Tuesday announced Hensler would be the new dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business, bringing to a close a nearly year-long search. Soon after, Hensler announced his resignation from his post as the dean of the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno, where he served since 2005. His resignation is effective June 16.
Hensler, 60, will assume his duties as dean of WSU's Barton School sometime in late July. He was not available for comment for this story.
Those who have worked with Hensler say he will be missed.
Cal State, Fresno Provost Jeri Echeverria says under Hensler's leadership the past three years the faculty and staff of the Craig School of Business have accomplished a great deal.
"Initiatives like the Professor-in-Residence program, Craig School Career Pathways, and the Dr. Arnold and Dianne Gazarian Real Estate Center will have lasting contributions to businesses and economic development in the Central Valley," Echeverria says.
Hensler also was willing to participate in campus and community activities, says Shirley Melikian Armbruster, interim assistant vice president of Cal State, Fresno's office of university communications.
"He's been a speaker at a variety of events and local media regularly call to provide expert commentary on a variety of business topics," Armbruster says.
One of Hensler's duties as dean will be to find a replacement for Janet Harrah, an economics expert who last week announced that she is leaving Wichita State to rejoin former Barton Dean John Beehler at Northern Kentucky University.
Gary Miller, WSU's provost and vice president of academic affairs and research, says Hensler was the best fit for the job because of his experience in academia and the private business sector.
"He's a really good fit," Miller says.
Hensler holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Washington, an MBA from the University of Portland and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Princeton University. Prior to becoming dean at Cal State Fresno, he was the W. Edwards Deming Distinguished Professor of Management at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Hensler has published in the areas of value creation, valuation of intellectual capital, finance theory, quality, engineering economics, corporate finance and is a licensed professional engineer in California.
He brings to WSU extensive international experience and experience at integrating academic business education into urban commerce, Miller says.
The Search
When Beehler left the university last July a search committee was formed to find his replacement. Pete Cohen, dean of the WSU College of Health Professions, was the chairman of the group that included a mix of people in academia and Wichita's business community.
Miller says because the business community works closely with the Barton School, having both sides represented in a search committee made good sense.
The process was straightforward, he says.
As potential candidates inquired about the position, the committee pared the number to 13 for interviews, some of which were conducted by phone, while others were flown in for an interview at Mid-Continent Airport. The five finalists were announced and were interviewed on campus in April and May.
Following the interviews, one of the candidates withdrew his name from consideration because he had accepted a dean's position at Butler University in Indianapolis.
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