Alan Shao, Dean of the School of Business, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, and 250th Anniversary
Alan T. Shao, dean of the School of Business at the College of Charleston, has announced he will be transitioning from his position this summer after more than 13 years of service.
“Over a decade as dean has been a magical carpet ride,” said Shao, who came to the College of Charleston in 2009 after serving nearly 20 years in various faculty and leadership roles at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. “It has been a privilege to serve the campus and Charleston business community for such a long time.”
Shao made significant advancements for the business school during his tenure as dean. One of his earliest achievements was establishing a full-time Master of Business Administration program in 2010. In 2021, the program was the top-ranked full-time MBA program for job placement by U.S. News & World Report. More recently, the program ranked #1 for the highest share of female and nonbinary students in the country by Bloomberg Businessweek. It is the most affordable MBA among one-year, nationally ranked programs.
Shao successfully led three Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) reaccreditation efforts at the College, a standard of excellence earned by less than five percent of the world’s business schools. His commitment to quality business education has benefited institutions worldwide. Shao has improved operations and helped more than 25 business schools achieve AACSB accreditation in China, India, Saudi Arabia, Wales, Scotland and Hungary.
Student support has always been at the forefront of Shao’s vision, as made evident by championing the school’s “one-stop shop” for business students, the Student Success Center. Several academic majors and minors in highly employable areas were established during his time as dean, including finance, commercial real estate finance, marketing, information management, and South Carolina’s first undergraduate major in supply chain management. Many of the business school’s undergraduate programs have also ranked in the top 20 nationally by various publications.
Under Shao’s leadership, student enrollment skyrocketed. Popular student programs also launched including the award-winning accelerator Impact X and esteemed Investment Program – testaments to the commitment of business faculty and staff.
“I sincerely appreciate all of the hard work and dedication by our outstanding faculty and staff. It has been a team effort as we focused on our overarching goal of student success,” said Shao.
Often lauded for his fundraising capabilities, Shao generated more than $35 million during his deanship. Additionally, he strategically strengthened and diversified the school’s advisory board with influential business leaders and served on various local boards. Because of this aptitude for relationship building, he became interim vice president of corporate partnerships for the university in 2019. In 2020, the School of Business and the Charleston Metro Chamber joined forces during the COVID-19 outbreak by organizing Profs on Call to connect faculty with small- and mid-sized businesses in need.
“I’ve always said that my two priorities are students and the community in which we live. I hope I have served both well,” said Shao.
Shao looks forward to new business challenges as he completes his deanship. A national search for his successor will conclude this summer.
