Dr. Stanley Hille Named Dean
When Dean Hille assumed the College's deanship in 1996 he had to deal with the loss of the of the Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis department.
The most logical administrative means to satisfy a demand to reduce spending is to "collapse" unfilled faculty lines, along with some faculty perquisites, especially financial ones used to support a variety of faculty projects. The first problem resulting from the loss of a department, of course, was beyond Dean Hille's control, except for the important one of leadership to help faculty further focus attention toward continuing the positive development of the college and its programs. The loss of financial support provided a strong message to the College that if it were to maintain its momentum of growth that it would have to intensify its development of external financial support beyond that being provided by funds furnished by the NBDC arising from its operations.
Dean Hille directed much of his attention regarding the loss of financial support to that of providing increased financial recognition to the more productive members of the faculty. One approach was to seek fund for chaired professorships as one means to supplement meager salary increases.
Dean Hille began his decanal tenure on somewhat of a wobbly base. The faculty situation was worsened by the economic realities regarding faculty salaries. The salary paid a senior professor who retired was insufficient to pay an incoming assistant professor in the same academic field.
Dean Hille's leadership base was not devoid of support. Many faculty members were ready to forge ahead as they had been under Dean Trussell's leadership. Dean Trussell had served the college for many years and left a legacy of faculty and administrative support that withstood a period of less than stellar leadership. One of many evidences of the college's quality can be seen in the number of distinguished CBA alumni who continue many levels of support to the college.