USC appoints new Dean of the Faculty of Business
The University of the Sunshine Coast has appointed Professor Evan Douglas as its new Dean of the Faculty of Business.
Professor Douglas was previously the Head of the Graduate School of Business at Queensland University of Technology for more than 10 years.
Prior to that, he worked at Bond University’s School of Business for seven years in a variety of roles including Associate Dean for Executive Development and Director of the Centre for Executive Development.
Professor Douglas has a PhD in Economics, specialises in entrepreneurship, and his academic career has included postings at 15 universities across Australia and internationally, including India, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
He said he was excited about his new role at USC and was keen to work towards international accreditation from the Association to Advance Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB).
“This is a great opportunity to build on a good foundation at USC,” he said.
“The University has always had a good reputation for its teaching quality. Now let’s move up to become Australia’s best regional Faculty of Business and to be recognised internationally.”
Professor Douglas said this goal would be made easier by the rapid growth of the Sunshine Coast, USC’s will to move forward and by the University’s close association with the business community.
“We shouldn’t be trying to compete with the big Universities in the big cities that cater for big businesses,” he said.
“Our focus is regional. In this region, there is great potential in tourism, leisure and event management, entrepreneurial small business management, and property and asset management.
“These three things will be our specialities. We will aim to be Australia’s best in these applied management areas.
“At the same time, we won’t neglect the basic business imperatives of money (accounting), people (organisational behaviour, leadership and human resource management) and markets (economics and marketing).
Professor Douglas has replaced Professor Ed Fitzgerald who retired last year after being Dean of the Faculty of Business since 2006.
— Terry Walsh