By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
Dr. Sandeep Mazumder, Dean of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, announced that he will be leaving his current role at the end of the academic year to serve as the president of Berry College.
Mazumder, 42, joined Baylor in the 2021-2022 academic year. After four years in Waco at the Hankamer School of Business, Mazumder and his family will relocate to northern Georgia as the soon-to-be former dean begins his tenure as the ninth president of the sprawling, rural 2,000-student Berry College.
As Mazumder prepares for his departure, the Provost’s Office is forming a search committee for the next business school dean, which will be chaired by Dr. Jason Carter, the current dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. The search will consider internal and external candidates and is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Mazumder called his four years at Baylor “a real privilege” and said that his gratitude for Baylor will remain as he assumes his new role.
“I’ve just been very blessed and honored to be the business school dean here at Baylor the last few years,” Mazumder said. “I thought that coming into the job, and it’s true now that I’ve done it for several years. I still feel that way; it hasn’t changed.”
Mazumder, who will officially leave in July 2025, had a number of stops on his journey before arriving at Baylor. He was born in England and studied economics at the University of Cambridge before continuing his studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he earned a Ph.D. He spent 14 years on faculty at Wake Forest University, where he served as chair of the economics department before being named the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean of the Hankamer School of Business in the summer of 2021.
During his time at Baylor, Mazumder launched new initiatives for the business school in developing young faculty, providing more research for undergraduates, and experiential learning.
Mazumder said tthat throughout these initiatives he asked himself how to “make sure our students are getting out there to meet businesses and banks and corporations in [the] industry.” He said this question is a crucial aspect of the business school experience.
Mazumder has also been a strong advocate for international learning. According to the dean, study abroad in the business school has tripled since his arrival, from just 8% of students in 2021 to now over 24% of business students studying abroad.
Mazumder has also strongly advocated for Collaborative Online International Learning in the business school, which gives students international experience in Waco.
Mazumder said that these initiatives will continue to be pursued.
“This is not just about the dean,” Mazumder said. “These are deep initiatives that should always continue in the life of the business school. And I think we’ve set enough of these in the process that they will keep going and live on for the next several years.”
While Mazumder is sad about leaving Baylor, the student body reaction has been just as emotional. Bears of Business — the Instagram page for the Hankamer Student Organization — made a post last Monday full of tribute videos and lighthearted jokes.
“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. We’ll miss you, Dean Mazumder!” the caption reads.
Austin senior and HSO President David Jabour said he was glad to get some laughs out of something that is emotional for many.
Jabour, who began at Baylor the same time as Mazumder, has been able to interact with the dean for all four of his years here. He first met Mazumder as a freshman and recalled being shocked to realize that the dean wanted to get to know him.
“Every single person that he interacts with, he tries to make a connection,” Jabour said. “He’s developed a lot of relationships with everyone [in the business school] whether it’s faculty and staff, or whether it’s a senior who’s really involved or a freshman who just showed up on campus.”
As Mazumder spent more time at Baylor, his relationship with Jabour and others grew. What began as professional relationships quickly became close friendships and mentorships, Jabour said.
“As we continued to get to know each other, we worked together, but we really developed a friendship and did a lot of fun things like riding together in a CyberTruck,” Jabour said.
In this year’s homecoming parade, Jabour drove the dean and his family in a Tesla CyberTruck. It’s one of his fondest memories with Mazumder, but also a testament to how much he wants to connect with students, Jabour said.
This connection might be best seen by another Bears of Business Instagram post — one in which Mazumder and other student ambassadors showcase how to tie a Windsor knot — Mazumder’s signature tie style. The idea, Jabour said, actually came from Mazumder himself.
“He came to me and was like, ‘let’s make an Instagram reel of how to tie a tie.’ He always has a perfect Windsor knot when he’s walking around,” Jabour said.
As Mazumder and the Baylor community prepare for their parting, the reaction on both sides is bittersweet.
“The day after Berry offered me the job, I actually remember waking up sad because I’m excited about [the new role], but we love Baylor,” Mazumder said.
Jabour said though he’s sad to see Mazumder leave, he’s excited for him to receive this new opportunity.
“Whenever I found out, I was sad for the business school, but more than anything, so excited for him, because he has such a good opportunity to be a leader … Berry is extremely fortunate to have him,” Jabour said.
