Former Orfalea College of Business dean Scott Dawson will return to the position June 1, after stepping down in November 2016.
“We are pleased that Scott will return as part of our leadership team and that the Orfalea College of Business’ students, faculty and staff will once again benefit from his visionary leadership and commitment to Learn by Doing,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said in a press release.
After working as dean for two years, Dawson left Cal Poly after his wife, Bridget, died in a bicycle accident in July 2016. Dawson then returned to Portland, Oregon to spend time with friends and family, according to the press release.
Associate dean Kevin Lertwachara served as interim dean after Dawson left Cal Poly and formed a search committee to recruit a permanent dean. However, Dawson expressed interest in returning to Cal Poly before any interviews took place, according to the press release.
Armstrong and Provost Kathleen Enz Finken decided to cancel recruitment and reappointed Dawson after receiving support from the search committee and the California State University’s interim vice chancellor for human resources.
Lertwachara will continue to serve as interim dean until June and will then return to his role as associate dean for the college’s undergraduate programs when Dawson returns, the press release said.