By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
After a six-month recruitment process full of search committee interviews and student panels, Dr. David Szymanski has begun his tenure as the dean of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.
Szymanski, a marketing professor by trade, plans to use his background to make sure employers, colleges and alumni understand the value of Baylor Business. He also announced plans to enhance student experiences through continued growth of international education, a focus on internships, the implementation of AI in all classes and more combined graduate degree programs.
Szymanski replaces former dean and current Berry College President Sandeep Mazumder. He began his time in education at UNC Asheville, playing both varsity basketball and tennis. As a first-generation college student and second-generation American with Polish heritage, college sports were a pathway to a better life.
But after his athletic career ended, Szymanski did not leave the world of higher education. He attained his master’s in economics from Vanderbilt, followed by a Master of Business Administration and doctorate in marketing from the University of Wisconsin.
His career as a professor began in 1987 at Texas A&M’s marketing department, and it ended in 2010 when he accepted the dean position at Cincinnati’s Linder College of Business. He then became the president of the University of North Florida in 2018, while also founding MedNexus, an organization that combines education, medicine and technology to meet healthcare needs in northern Florida.
Szymanski’s primary mission for the Hankamer School of Business fits with his background as a marketing professor: to make the college’s identity known around the professional world.
The business school’s students, faculty and programs are already strong, Szymanski said. The real opportunity lies in increasing branding and exposure of the existing foundation.
“How can we market these programs?” Szymanski said. “How can we grow them? How can we make them more visible?”
Students have responded well to Szymanski’s push for more visibility. Indianapolis junior Luke Tiernon, a member of the Hankamer Student Organization, was heavily involved in the student side of the dean search. Not only was Szymanski’s pitch well-received, Tiernon said, it was also clear that Szymanski’s humility and personality fit well at Baylor.
“We agree that Baylor Business is great, and we want other people to know about it,” Tiernon said. “I think the differentiator with him, as far as our student panel, was he didn’t just say, ‘I’ve done this,’ He was saying, ‘I’m going to do this.’ And he came in with a tailored vision for Baylor. He understood our culture, and he wanted not to change it, but just come in and be an improvement.”
While initiatives directed at growing visibility of the college will continue to roll out, Szymanski said he sees improved career events, alongside more connections with cities near Waco, as foundational to the growth. He highlighted Waco’s central location and noted the potential for relationships with numerous major Texas cities.
“How do we think about us being essentially a suburb of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin?” Szymanski asked. “We have a great location, but how do we bring our students out? From my marketing perspective, it’s really telling people who we are.”
On top of these efforts are meetings with alumni aimed at strengthening relationships with Baylor’s alumni base.
“I’ve been really busy trying to meet with our alumni and going to different cities,” Szymanski said. “We did a tour with Dallas, Houston [and] San Antonio, trying to connect with our alumni, letting them know who we are and what we want to become.”
As these conversations have taken up much of Szymanski’s first three months in the role, he said he’s noticed something unique about the alumni with whom he has met.
“There’s something different about Baylor’s alumni,” Szymanski said. “They really love the institution. They want to come back. They want to help. They really want to influence the next generation and find ways to give back.”
Alongside these meetings and visions for marketing, Szymanski highlighted some early plans to enhance the Baylor Business student experience. First, he said he plans to continue growing the focus on international experience started by Mazumder. He also highlighted a new AI-proficiency initiative, with machine learning now set to make an appearance in every business course to keep up with the dynamic times.
“Every class that’s taught this semester is going to have a component of AI in it,” Szymanski said. “So when you think about preparing students for the skills that they need to master this AI and technology environment, I’m not sure what those are. Nobody knows what AI skills are at this point in time. We’re going to learn together.”
Also related to keeping with the times of the business world is Szymanski’s push for more combined graduate programs.
“When you think about the future and what’s expected in the business world, it really is centered around having a graduate degree on your resume,” Szymanski said.
But to Szymanski, the faculty and students have already put Baylor in a great spot to succeed. The key is to make sure that this fact is no secret to employers who need to hear what Baylor students offer, Szymanski said.
“The worst thing you can tell a marketer is, ‘this is a really well-kept secret,’” Szymanski said.
