USD Magazine Spring 2016

TORERO  NEWS

School of Business Dean Jaime Alonso Gómez is no stranger to USD. He’s been affiliated with the university for more than two decades.

PRACTICAL IDEALISM [ v i s i o n a r y ]

A conver sat i on wi th new Schoo l of Bus i nes s Dean Ja ime Al onso Gómez

I wanted to dedicate myself to supporting those ideals.

Q:

Often times, new deans have no previ-

ous experience at the school or university they are join- ing. That’s certainly not the case here. How long have you been affiliated with USD, and how does that help with this transition? academic year. I was serving as the founding dean of the Gradu- ate School of Business Adminis- tration and Leadership at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City. In prep- aration for the North American Free Trade Agreement integration, I worked with James Burns, dean of the School of Business at the time, to develop and implement a double MBA degree program through our two schools. To my knowledge, the program has graduated more than 200 people with dual degrees from USD and Tec de Monterrey, something I’m very proud of. From an operational stand- point, my experience here expedites the learning process as dean. I’m familiar with the university and familiar with many of the faculty and staff at the School of Business, so that’s an obvious benefit. A: Time flies! I first came to USD during the 1992-93

DONALD CARLTON

With more than 30 years of experience as a professor, researcher and consultant, Jaime Alonso Gómez brings exemplary credentials to his new position as the dean of USD’s School of Business. In a recent conversation with USD Magazine , Gómez discussed the importance of building on the school’s strong foundation of innovation and international connectivity.

Your professional suc- cesses are myriad, but you are quick to say that you are an educator first and foremost. When did you real- ize that was your calling? Q:

Monterrey, Mexico and abroad as an industrial engineer. Chief among my job responsibilities was managing crews of steel and petrochemical workers. Over time, I found that I worried as much about the employees’ ability to advance and better their lives as I did about manag-

ing the engineering tasks at hand. How then, could I help them? It became increasingly clear to me that becoming an educator was the way. In and of itself, education is an active agent for peace and prosperity, for human dignity, and for a much better society.

Q:

A:

Early in my career, I worked at home in

During your tenure as dean, Tec de Monterrey

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