WIM WIEWEL NAMED INTERIM DEAN OF UIC BUSINESS SCHOOL

Wim Wiewel, dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, has been named interim dean of the College of Business Administration succeeding Anthony Rucci, UIC Provost Elizabeth Hoffman announced today. The appointment has the support of the college's Executive Committee and Operating Committee.

"Wim Wiewel was the obvious choice for this post, most notably for the enormous contributions he has made as dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs," says Hoffman. "I am confident Wim will help us sustain the momentum within the College of Business Administration as we enter this particularly exciting time of expansion."

Wiewel will remain dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. His day-to-day responsibilities will be taken over by three associate deans, with Albert Schorsch as acting dean.

"I am honored by this appointment," says Wiewel. "I have had long-standing, collaborative relationships with many people in the College of Business Administration, and have a lot of respect for their intellect and skills. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to work with another college that by its very nature is closely connected to the well-being of the Chicago metropolitan area."

As interim dean, Wiewel says some of his top priorities for the college are to start a development campaign for a new building to be built as part of the South Campus project; to move forward with the many positive changes and initiatives that Rucci had started; and to create the best possible climate for a new dean to be recruited.

A member of the UIC academic community since 1983, Wiewel has served as dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs since September 1996. Prior to this appointment, he served as special assistant to the chancellor. In this role, he developed and implemented the Great Cities initiative - an effort to define UIC's identity as a major research university implementing its land grant mission in a metropolitan area.

From 1983 to 1993, Wiewel headed UIC's Center for Urban Economic Development, a 15-person research and technical assistance center. At the center, he specialized in strategic planning, evaluation and impact analysis, analyses of economic structure and specific industries.

Wiewel has authored or edited four books and more than 40 articles and chapters on issues of economic development, urban growth and university-community relations.

Before joining UICUED, Wiewel conducted research on the Housing Assistance Supply Experiment for the RAND Corporation. He holds degrees in sociology and urban planning from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University.

With 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest and most diverse university in the Chicago area. UIC is home to the largest medical school in the United States and is one of only 88 national Research I universities. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the area.

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