Cliff Allen, dean of The School of Business at Portland State University, was reappointed for a second term and will serve through June 30, 2023.
As part of her consideration of Allen’s reappointment, PSU Provost Susan Jeffords sought feedback from business faculty and staff. She said responses were “uniformly positive, indeed glowing, recognizing Dean Allen's passion for improving the school, his commitment to students and his ability to establish strategic partnerships key to the school's success.”
Faculty and staff weighed in on a variety of areas, including Allen’s support of strategic goals; availability to faculty and staff; inclusion of faculty and staff in decision-making and school governance; representation of the school to the university at large and to the external community; management of school resources; and communication about key issues and decisions in the school.
“It’s been an honor leading The School of Business through recent milestones, including opening the Karl Miller Center and earning reaccreditation,” said Allen. “I look forward to serving our students, faculty and staff over the next three years. We will strengthen our efforts toward student retention to improve graduation rates, and we will continue to join forces with the business community to offer programs that add value to employers and provide a high return to our students — two priorities that are heightened during these uncertain times."
Jeffords said that Allen brings a fantastic business sense to PSU’s institutional practices, and she’s particularly grateful for his continued wisdom and strong leadership during this challenging period.
“Dean Allen is a campus leader on innovation and impact, especially regarding diversity and inclusion,” she added. “I know that the future of The School of Business is better for his presence.”
Allen has made exceptional contributions to The School of Business since he was appointed dean in 2016, especially in areas of fundraising and philanthropy. Notable achievements include:
- Completed a $24.3 million building campaign for the Karl Miller Center
- Raised over $1 million for retention/diversity initiatives that align with The School of Business’s commitment to student success
- Allocated a record annual amount of $400,000 in scholarship support to students
- Created 13 Portland Professorships, annual funds to support faculty excellence and research innovation
- Secured critical funding to launch new programming, including The School of Business’s impact investing initiative and creation of the Bloomberg Finance Lab
- Celebrated The School of Business’s second most successful fundraising year in the school’s history
Additional accomplishments under Allen’s leadership include:
- Launched new industry-relevant academic programs, including the Business Blockchain Certificate and HR Analytics Certificate. A new undergraduate concentration in Business Technology & Analytics is slated to launch in Fall 2020, and a new Master of Science in Applied Data Science for Business is forthcoming
- Successfully passed AACSB reaccreditation
- Deepened the school’s commitment to student success through holistic initiatives focused on better serving students from historically underserved backgrounds
- Launched new data-driven student success efforts, coupled with a hardship funding program, resulting in a significant increase in the School’s freshman retention rate
- Led the creation and launch of PSU CO-OP, a program that allows students to earn money while they work for an organization in their field of study, and also creates talent pipelines for industry
- Expanded online programming offerings for students
- Oversaw steady and increasing enrollment across undergraduate and graduate programs
- Continued to build on The School of Business’s deep and important relationships within the region’s business community
Allen has been with PSU since 2008, serving previously as an assistant professor and associate dean of graduate business programs. He started the Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management in his role as associate dean. Before joining PSU, Allen was a supply chain specialist in the private industry. He was a senior vice president at General Dynamics in Spokane and a vice president at 3Com Corporation in Salt Lake City. He has been a supply chain and leadership consultant for companies such as Blount Industries, Hanna Andersson, The Standard Insurance, Fred Meyer Jewelers and the Bonneville Power Administration. Allen holds a B.S. and M.A. in Economics from San Jose State University and a Ph.D. from Gonzaga University in Leadership Studies and International Business.