WILLIAMSBURG — Longtime Dean of William & Mary’s (W&M) Raymond A. Mason School of Business Lawrence B. Pulley has announced his plans to retire on June 30, 2022.
Pulley has served as Dean since 1998. He has worked at W&M since joining the faculty of the business school in 1985 and currently serves as the T.C. and Elizabeth Clarke Professor of Business Administration.
“The one thing that has filled my heart as I have anticipated sharing this news is ‘gratitude,’” Pulley said. “Being dean of the Mason School of Business has been far and away the highlight of my career, and I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity.”
Under Pulley’s leadership, the business school’s physical and academic presence has grown on campus, including the addition of new degree programs. Pulley also oversaw the design, funding and construction of Alan B. Miller Hall, which brought together undergraduate and graduate business programs in one building for the first time in W&M’s history.
“Dean Pulley has led the business school through more than two decades of significant growth and innovation: providing our students with a world-class education, an entrepreneurship mindset, and the wide-ranging network they need to succeed,” W&M President Katherine A. Rowe said. “We are forever grateful for his service to alma mater. William & Mary will see the ripple effects of his values-driven leadership on our university, among our alumni, and the business world for generations to come.”
Pulley received his undergraduate degree in math and economics from W&M in 1974 and went on to receive a doctorate in economics from the University of Virginia.
At W&M, Pulley served as an associate professor, associate dean, professor and interim dean prior to his current role.
Pulley has received multiple awards for his teaching and service at W&M, including the Dean’s Executive MBA Teaching Award, the Daniel C. Lewis Award for Exceptional Service and the Outstanding Professor Award presented by the MBA Class of 1989.
He has also published various academic articles and has been awarded multiple research grants, including several from the National Science Foundation and U.S. Navy.
“For more than two decades, William & Mary benefited from a dean who ‘had it all,’” Provost Peggy Agouris said. “Dean Pulley is a talented researcher, mentor, professor, leader, and has been an inspiration to countless students and alumni, faculty members and community partners. He dedicated his professional life to expanding William & Mary’s capacities at the business school and instilling strong, ethical principles in a generation of business leaders.”
Pulley reflected on working with the students, faculty and staff, and on his partnerships with university colleagues and alumni.
“I am so thankful for the friendships and partnerships that developed over several decades,” Pulley said. “We have such talented and creative students and faculty, dedicated staff and a leadership team that understands what is necessary to prepare students to succeed in a changing business world. I am especially grateful for the early and ongoing support of President Rowe and Provost Agouris and will be working closely with them to ensure a smooth transition.”
“William & Mary will always be part of our lives, now and in the future,” Pulley added. “It is simply time to give this wonderful opportunity I have had for the past 24 years to someone else, and to turn my attention to other things.”
Agouris said that W&M will conduct a national search for the next business dean, and a committee comprised of faculty, staff, students and alumni will be named soon.