Fowler College of Business Dean Named
Lance Nail previously served as dean at Texas Tech University and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Lance Nail has been named the new dean of San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business. Nail previously served as dean of the business schools at both Texas Tech University and the University of Southern Mississippi. Most recently, he served as founding chairman of the board of advisors for the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub and Research Park.“I saw the passion for SDSU and the Fowler College of Business, and I am excited to be a part of it.”
“Lance has an extraordinary record of success improving the national rankings and increasing philanthropic giving at the universities he has served,” said Chukuka Enwemeka, SDSU provost and senior vice president.
Nail earned his Ph.D. in finance at the University of Georgia and his bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of Alabama.
“I believe in the vision of the Fowler College of Business and look forward to supporting our students, faculty and staff as we look to grow our programs and lead an already excellent business school to achieve even greater success,” said Nail. “I saw the passion for SDSU and the Fowler College of Business, and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Ron and Alexis Fowler recently made a transformational $25 million donation to SDSU’s College of Business as a matching gift, challenging the university to raise an additional $25 million. The donation provides funding for scholarships, professorships, a lecture series, international experiences and expanded programming for SDSU business students.
“Lance Nail will be a tremendous asset to SDSU and I look forward to working with him as the college continues its growth as a world-class top business college,” said Fowler, co-owner of the San Diego Padres.
While at Texas Tech, Nail increased annual philanthropic giving from an average of $5.9 million per year to more than $16 million. While at Southern Miss, he grew the college endowment by more than 10 percent and successfully raised $36 million for the college.
Beyond fundraising, Nail also has proven success in improving national rankings for both undergraduate and graduate business programs. During his tenure at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, the undergraduate programs were ranked in the top 100 in both U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg BusinessWeek for the first time in college history.
“Lance is an energetic, charismatic, visionary leader who led our college to unprecedented accomplishments,” said Jerry Rawls, president and CEO of Finisar Corporation and naming donor to the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. “Under his leadership, the Rawls College achieved spectacular growth in business school rankings, doubled our annual donations and experienced the highest growth in the country for MBA GMAT scores.”
Nail’s first day on campus will be August 3.
More about Lance Nail
“Lance Nail is one of the best deans I have ever worked with in higher education. He is well respected nationwide and was always a favorite with the students. SDSU could not have found a better dean.” – Kent Hance, Chancellor Emeritus, Texas Tech University system.“Lance’s record of philanthropy and his vision for the Fowler College of Business will be a great asset to San Diego State University. I am confident that he will be a strong leader for our already outstanding academic and research programs and enhance the College's national reputation.” – Mary Curran, Chair, The Campanile Foundation
“Dr. Nail is one of the most distinguished and qualified business deans in the nation. Leveraging the Fowler endowment and our recent ranking among the top 50 public business schools in the nation, we expect he will lead our further ascension to become a top 25 public business school. The Fowler College of Business Board of Directors could not be more excited about our future under Dr. Nail’s leadership.” – Fred Pierce, Chair, Fowler College of Business Board of Directors
