Dean Thomas Hosts Chicago-Area Alumni On Lake Michigan
Dean Thomas joins Chicago alumni aboard Mirage
Dean Thomas Hosts Chicago-Area Alumni On Lake Michigan
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (August 18, 2006)—Several friends and alumni of Penn State's Smeal College of Business joined Dean James Thomas in Chicago last week for a yacht excursion on Lake Michigan.
The event was designed to give Chicago-area alumni an opportunity to meet with and get to know Smeal's new dean in a casual and fun environment. The day began with lunch at the Chicago Yacht Club before the group set sail on Lake Michigan aboard Mirage, a 70-foot sloop.
"It was great to connect with some of our friends and alumni and bring a little bit of Smeal and Penn State to Chicago," Thomas said. "The trip gave me a chance to get out and see firsthand the passion and enthusiasm for Smeal College that is so widespread in our alumni circles around the country and the world."
Thomas, who himself is a Penn State alumnus, became Smeal's fifth dean on July 1. Prior to that, he was dean of Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology since its inception in 1999. From 1987 until 1999, Thomas spent 12 years on the Smeal faculty, culminating in appointments as senior associate dean and professor of management and organization.
He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Penn State, a master's degree in political science from Florida State, and a Ph.D. in strategic management from the University of Texas at Austin.
Joining Thomas on the excursion were: Phil Bolda, director of development at Smeal; Connie Capone '87; Anne Johnson, director of alumni relations at Smeal; Sam Krauss '62; Valerie Krauss '63; Jeff Malehorn '83; Laura Malehorn; Linda Peddle '89; Mary Kay Plantes '73; Anne Zegers; and Walt Zegers '67.
REPORTERS & EDITORS: For more information, please contact Wyatt DuBois in the Smeal College of Business Media Relations Office at 814-863-3798 or wed112@psu.edu.
Penn State's Smeal College of Business offers highly ranked undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,500 students at all levels. Featuring academic departments of accounting, finance, marketing, insurance and real estate, management, and supply chain and information systems, the college is also home to major research centers such as the Center for Supply Chain Research, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the Center for Digital Transformation, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Global Business Studies, and the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change.
