Murray Dalziel is the 12th dean of the University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business. He arrives to UBalt from the University of Liverpool School of Management, where he led the successful launch of several new academic programs, increased the school's enrollment, raised teaching standards, and even created new management programs at Liverpool's sister institution in Suzhou, China.
We asked Dalziel a few questions as our way of introducing him to you:
I want to discover and enhance the "Merrick Way," because what businesses need is not just business education for the elites, but to equip a wide range of people to make a meaningful contribution.
Merrick School of Business: If you had to compress all of your thoughts about business education into one statement, and then direct that statement to a young freshman who is just beginning to think about a business career, what would it be?
Dalziel: Great businesses whether large or small, make a difference to all our lives. Studying business will prepare you to make a difference. To be successful in business, you need to think insightfully, take others with you and manage yourself well. That's what I would like to think you will learn at Merrick.
MSB: Obviously the Merrick School of Business has something special, or you wouldn't have joined us. How would you describe what makes the Merrick experience different, interesting, perhaps unique?
Dalziel: The flexible pathways in the MBA are very attractive. What attracted me to Merrick was the commitment of the University to work with a students from diverse backgrounds. I want to discover and enhance the "Merrick Way," because what businesses need is not just business education for the elites, but to equip a wide range of people to make a meaningful contribution. That, in turn, is the essence of developing our wider community.
MSB: What successes from the University of Liverpool Management School do you hope to introduce at UBalt? They may not be directly transferable, but what are those Liverpool "wins" that you can envision possibly working in Baltimore?
Dalziel: At Liverpool, I inherited great people and I hired some more. I feel that will be the essence of what I do at Merrick. I also led significant growth. I don't promise exactly the same here, but I will stimulate plans to introduce innovations and new programs that are really attractive. At Liverpool, I also led a tripling of the enrollment numbers for our online programs. Again, I don't intend to replicate the same strategy—but if we don't ensure we are leading in this area, Merrick will struggle to deliver for its students in the same way that it has. Lastly, Liverpool had a big commitment to international expansion, including setting up a partner institution in China. Baltimore, like Liverpool, is a port city and so we should be internationally focused. That's important both for local students and businesses and also for sustaining the University.
MSB: Your years of experience at the Hay Group also must play a role in your style of leadership—developing strategies and tactics, goals, etc. How will your achievements in the private sector come into play at UBalt?
Dalziel: Leading professional service businesses is not too different from leading a business school. The essence of these businesses is the people who work here. So one of the things I want to achieve is that in five years, whenever any of our faculty or staff tells someone they work at Merrick, the response they get is "Wow!" Together, I want us to develop a "Wow" culture … We can Merrick as a truly great place to work and learn. Incidentally, a lot of people tell me it is like that today—so my job is to enhance this.
MSB: You've probably heard about the out-of-the-gate success of the newly redesigned MBA. It's clear there is a growing interest in this program, and perhaps in the MBA as a degree overall. Do you see this as cyclical, or is something else going on in the marketplace? If it's the latter, what would you attribute it to? Is it that a changing economy requires the rigor and due diligence that the MBA conveys?
Dalziel: Businesses need to accelerate the development of people to take on more responsible and particularly roles that can span businesses. This is true for small and midsize companies that are continuing to grow. But it is also true of larger companies. More people are leaving the workforce than entering, and despite extensions of retirement age more of these folks are in executive roles. Organizations adapt by promoting people to more responsible positions at a younger age. In the past, you would have rotated through a number of positions to get to the top. Today's organizations are slimmer, so that's not an option. A good MBA—and I strongly believe the MBA is in this category—will help future leaders make that leap.
Learn more about Dean Murray Dalziel.
Learn more about the newly redesigned MBA .
Have a question for the dean? Reach out to him by calling the Office of the Dean at 410.837.4955 or by email at mdalziel@ubalt.edu.