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Ed Tomlinson, interim director for the new School of Management

USF Muma College of Business creates a new School of Management

TAMPA – The University of South Florida Muma College of Business is creating a new school specific to the management discipline.

Set to launch in fall 2025, the new school is fueled by its growing demand for the management major. Since 2020, the college saw management majors jump by 44%, climbing from 799 to 1,147, in just four years.

The School of Management will be the business college’s seventh school, with the six others specializing in accountancy, finance, hospitality and sport management, risk management, marketing and information systems.

The restructure will bring the college’s existing management-related programs and management faculty — those specializing in areas such as strategy, organization behavior, human resources and entrepreneurship — under one academic roof.

david blackwell

“Elevating our management discipline into a distinct school makes perfect sense,” said David Blackwell, the Lynn Pippenger Dean at the Muma College of Business. “It leverages our high-performing management faculty and will grow industry partnerships, enable executive education, and establish an identity with the management field among our students, faculty and alumni."

“It will also help students feel like they are part of something bigger,” he said.

Having a separate school aligns with the college’s strategic plan, Powering Dreams: 2025-2035, which aims to foster outstanding student learning, produce impactful research, and cultivate collaboration among community partners, and build the college's brand and reputation.

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A separate school raises the School of Management’s visibility with increased opportunities to collaborate with alumni, academic colleagues and industry leaders through advisory councils, conferences and workshops.

Blackwell appointed management professor Ed Tomlinson, to lead the school as its interim director.

Tomlinson, who has taught a wide range of courses in organizational behavior and human resource management, said the new school will offer a variety of programs within the management discipline that students can tailor to fit their career aspirations.

“A distinct school of management will allow us to capitalize on our world-class faculty, and bring together management scholars from various management disciplines to help students prepare for the challenges they’ll face in their future careers,” said Tomlinson.

  • Chad Michaels is an associate professor in the School of Management. "Management is a life skill — how to get along with other people, how to manage other people, how to lead in a way that people want to be led," he said. 

  • Amit Chauradia is an assistant professor of instruction in the School of Management. He teaches the capstone strategy course to senior-level undergraduate students.

  • Lisa Penney is a professor in the School of Management on the Sarasota-Manatee campus where she teaches courses on management, leadership and organizational behavior.

The school will house USF’s undergraduate programs in management, global business and entrepreneurship, as well as master’s programs in management and entrepreneurship. USF’s Nault Center for Entrepreneurship will also become part of the new school. The school also plans to grow its undergraduate and graduate programs in human resource management.

“It will also help students feel like they are part of something bigger,” — Dave Blackwell.

There is a growing demand for students with a bachelor’s degree in management.

According to CareerSource Florida’s 2024-2025 Regional Demand Occupations List, there are over 850 listings for human resource positions and over 1,000 listings for management analysts.

“The new school’s courses of study are designed to optimize student career success so that when they graduate, they have a great job to land in, and they’re prepared for these challenges and rigors as they embark upon their career,” Tomlinson said.

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