Weiss, New COM Dean, Shares His Perspective on Management of Technology Education

Dec. 7, 2004 - Dr. Ira R. Weiss began his new role as the third dean of the College of Management at North Carolina State University on Dec. 1, 2004. He had been named to the position in July.

“The unique perspective of NC State’s College of Management – with its focus on the management of technology (MOT) – and its high quality faculty who are leading the MOT initiatives on campus drew me to this position,” Weiss says.

“Supply chain, new product development and technology commercialization are among the most challenging areas that business is dealing with today,” he says. “The College of Management’s expertise in these disciplines, combined with the vibrant business climate of the RTP, made this a position I could not ignore.” The environment fits Weiss’ take on the relationship between business and technology.

“Business leaders today must understand how to use and exploit technology to achieve organizational objectives. Understanding and appreciating aspects of feasibility, time to market, risk, and product platforms are key to implementing a viable strategic technology plan which supports and drives business operations,” he says.

“The key to success in this area is understanding that the integration of business operations and technology platforms and solutions are the driving forces of success and first-to-market opportunities. These are the issues our faculty members – and their students – are focusing on in the classroom.”

Faculty bring their research-based expertise to the classroom, where students apply their new knowledge through project-based learning. “The college’s strong focus on such experiential learning means that our students can experience the challenges associated with working on real projects for real companies that expect and demand real solutions.

Combining theory and practice with faculty oversight and mentoring provides the richest educational environment and most productive means to learning,” Weiss says. Most of the college’s academic disciplines include project-based learning experiences.

Weiss comes to NC State from the College of Business Administration (CBA) at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., where he was dean and professor of accounting and management information systems for the past 10 years.

Under his leadership, Northeastern CBA’s international programs grew rapidly and its technology-focused MBA programs drew national attention and rankings from publications such as Computerworld, BusinessWeek and Forbes. Forbes rated it the fourth best entrepreneurial campus in the country in 2004.

NC State’s College of Management offers undergraduate programs in business management, accounting and economics as well as full-time and evening MBA programs, a master of accounting, and master's and doctoral degrees in economics. The college’s Entrepreneurship Education Initiative manages an annual business plan competition.

The MBA program also offers concentrations in financial management, information technology, marketing management, product innovation, supply chain management, and technology commercialization. A seventh concentration is being added for fall 2005 in biotechnology and pharmaceutical management, for those wanting to blend a background in life sciences with business management.

“Such concentrations enable our students to focus their studies on specific career paths,” Weiss says. “They also reflect the strength of our faculty and the synergy that exists between the College of Management, other colleges at NC State, and the corporate community. I look forward to building on these relationships to further strengthen the depth and value of our academic programs.”

While at Northeastern, Weiss developed that college’s Center for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship which annually sponsors a $60K Business Plan Competition. More recently, he and the faculty established the Institute for Global Innovation Management in order to study corporate innovation from a global perspective.

Weiss also created new joint degree programs in international business and an MS/MBA program with a specialization in finance. He provided leadership in establishing the college’s executive education programs and significantly increased the number of executive education courses and revenue generated by the school.

Before joining Northeastern, Weiss was dean of the Madrid Business School, which was a partner of the University of Houston where he had been on the faculty for more than 15 years, concluding as vice president and associate vice chancellor of information technology for the university. He also was a visiting executive professor at INCAE University in San Jose, Costa Rica. Weiss began his academic career as assistant professor of accounting and information systems at New York University.

Weiss earned his doctorate with distinction from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), now the Anderson School of Management, in 1976, with a major in computer information systems and a minor in accounting; a master’s degree in accounting and information systems from UCLA in 1971, and a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College in 1970, with concentrations in accounting and economics.

His predecessors at NC State include outgoing dean Dr. Jon W. Bartley, who on July 1, 2004, returned to the faculty as a professor in the departments of accounting and business management. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Gilroy Zuckerman served as interim dean of the college until Dec. 1. Dr. Richard Lewis was founding dean; he served from 1993 through 1998. Weiss also will serve as professor of management at NC State.

Weiss and his wife Michele have two children and reside in North Ridge.