DeGroote welcomes new PhD director
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Detlor_Brian.jpg” caption=”Brian Detlor, newly appointed director of DeGroote School of Business’ PhD program.”]Brian Detlor, associate professor of information systems at the DeGroote School of Business, has been appointed director of the Faculty's PhD program. DeGroote recently applied for approval from the Ontario Council of Graduate Studies (OCGS) to expand the School's PhD program from two fields to six.
“Our existing PhD program has a strong research emphasis, and it prepares students to conduct and disseminate original research and to make significant advances in their field of specialization,” says Detlor. “This expansion will further strengthen the reputation of our program by increasing the number of fields in which students can specialize.”
DeGroote's 2005 Strategic Priorities and Action Plan called for expanding the PhD program. To that end, the School has sought approval from the OCGS to establish four new fields of study to reflect faculty expertise in accounting, finance, human resources, information systems, management science, and marketing. DeGroote's PhD program originally included two fields: Human Resources and Management Science/Systems.
“Research excellence and innovation are directly linked to graduate programs,” explains Milena Head, associate dean, academic. “Strong graduate programs attract world-class researchers, and these world class researchers in turn attract outstanding graduate students. We are delighted that all of our business areas will have an opportunity to work with and learn from PhD students in the near future.”
Dean Paul Bates said, “In addition to the commitment and success that Brian demonstrated as acting director of our undergraduate program this last year, he also brings extensive OCGS knowledge to this role from his service on the OCGS Appraisal Committee. Over the next few weeks Brian and others at DeGroote will be working through the specifics of governance, to understand how best to support the objectives of the program and the specifics of the field disciplines.”
