Dean Takes Businesslike Approach to Education Dr. William Mayfield approaches academics with the mindset of an entrepreneur. Mayfield intends to use his education and experience as a businessperson to lead the College of Business and its students to new levels of success. “Being the dean allows me to create opportunities that will shape the future of individual lives, shape the future of the country, at least this part of the country,” he explains. “It’s a unique challenge, equal to being an entrepreneur.” Mayfield joined Indiana Tech as dean of the College of Business in December 2008. In his first few months at the university, he says he has done more than just get his feet wet. “It’s been more like a giant cannonball.” The most difficult part of the job, he says, has been “getting my head around the four distribution systems: traditional, accelerated, online, and independent study.” Although he’s had experience with each model, 4
“throwing all four of them together creates a whole different dynamic.” While accommodating all of Indiana Tech’s class formats can be a challenge, he’s committed to giving each student the best education possible. “There’s a great value in all the students we have, each has a different perspective,” Mayfield says. “There’s a difference in teaching requirements. Same material, but a different style, a different way of teaching,” Mayfield’s entrepreneurial background shines through when he refers to students as “customers,” a concept that isn’t always popular among academics.
by adding a finance concentration within the bachelor’s degree in business administration. “The finance concentration creates a comprehensive College of Business,” he says. “We may not have a great number of students in the concentration, but it brings a quantitative element to the program.” Another piece of the puzzle involves the need to develop decision-making skills among students. “They need to learn to make decisions, to lead, to take responsibility,” he explains.
“The students buy knowledge and information from us, put it in their own wrapper, and sell it to their employers,” he explains.
One way he plans to provide guidance in decisionmaking is by bringing in guest speakers for an executive lecture series. The guest speakers will be able to share their experiences and discuss how and why they’ve made certain decisions in their own careers.
In order to ensure that his “customers” are getting a good value in their education, Mayfield is brimming with ideas for the College of Business. One piece of the puzzle is rounding out the curriculum offerings
“I want to have maybe five a year,” he says of the guest speakers, “not in the theater always, more intimate networking opportunities, especially in the evenings for CPS students.”
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Spring 2009
He believes so strongly in the value of decision-making skills that he has incorporated it into the strategic plan for the College of Business, which states: “… the college creates a culture of creative and innovative problem solving, global thinking and business wisdom derived from experiential business knowledge. The strategy of creating decision makers takes advantage of Indiana Tech’s most significant core competencies and competitive advantage, faculty as experts, applied knowledge, and relationship education.” Mayfield says he came to Indiana Tech because he saw tremendous opportunities. After his giant cannonball into the university, he believes more than ever in those opportunities. “We can provide a great education with what we have here. We have great faculty who want to do good, and we have great students who want to learn.”
Dr. William Mayfield Dean of the College of Business Favorite class Entrepreneurship with Dr. William Bygrove at Babson College
Least favorite class College algebra
Favorite book The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson — “I love science fiction.”
Favorite food Pizza — “Pepperoni… and extra cheese.”
Dream vacation “I want to bicycle across the United States.”
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