Merriman Appointed Associate Dean of Strome College of Business

December 17, 2015

Connie Merriman

Dean Jeff Tanner of Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business announced a promotion in the dean's office, effective Dec. 25.

Connie Merriman has been appointed associate dean for undergraduate programs for the Strome college. She will be assuming many of the responsibilities previously held by Ali Ardalan, who is stepping down from his position as associate dean for internal affairs and returning to his faculty role in the Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences.

Merriman, who has been at the University since 1998, earned her Ph.D. in higher education administration in 2010. She has served as assistant dean of the Strome College since 2007.

"When I arrived at Strome back at the start of summer, I was immediately impressed by Dr. Merriman's commitment to students," Tanner said. "You can see it when she interacts with students in the social entrepreneurship organization Enactus or just when students come in with a question or concern. I can't wait to see what's in store for our undergraduates."

Merriman will continue her duties with accreditation and assessment for the college, while assuming responsibility for administering the College's undergraduate programs.

"I have always considered it a privilege to work for Old Dominion University and the Strome College of Business," she said. "I am honored by the opportunity to serve as the college's associate dean for undergraduate academics. Our students have so much promise but many of them face challenges in achieving their full potential. There is great trust placed in educators and leaders in higher education and I believe that comes with an obligation to make student success our highest priority."

Associate Dean Kiran Karande will assume responsibilities for faculty workload and development issues previously handled by Ardalan. Tanner thanked him for his commitment to the college.

"Dr. Ardalan's work was often behind the scenes, the type of unsung work that makes things run smoothly, solves problems before they happen or fixes them so quickly folks don't often really notice. But because of his leadership, the Strome College of Business has been able to move ahead in many ways," he said.

Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business' graduate and undergraduate programs are accredited by the hallmark of excellence in management education, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This places the college in the top five percent of business programs in the world. It is the mission of the Strome College to engage participants in scholarly exploration and active learning, solving business and community challenges in a global arena to accelerate success.