On Friday, May 14, the faculty, staff and friends of the Richards College of Business at the University of West Georgia (UWG) gathered virtually to celebrate the 17-year tenure of outgoing college dean, Dr. Faye S. McIntyre, who will be returning to the Marketing Department as faculty on June 30.
Dr. McIntyre is one of the longest serving business deans in the country. While serving as dean, she has raised over $11 million for the Richards College of Business, benefiting students by providing unique educational experiences and programs, scholarships, internships, updated facilities, and steadfast leadership.
As of this spring, Dr. McIntyre has presided over 8,072 graduates from the college of business. That’s more than 8,000 lives that have been transformed through the education, engagement, and experiences they had in the Richards College of Business.
Her impact on students’ lives will be felt for many years to come. She developed and grew the Richards College Visionary Endowment, raised funds for learning labs and other collaborative learning spaces, secured commitments for numerous scholarships and innovative programs (such as the Southwire Business Leadership Program, and the BB&T now Truist Lectures in Free Enterprise), and of course, her crowning achievement of helping to raise more than $6.9 million in private funds for Roy Richards Sr. Hall, currently under construction on Maple Street. This new building on campus will impact many more lives for years to come.
Dr. McIntyre has served our students in many non-academic ways as well. She has always stepped up to support students in all phases of their college life, such as those just getting started at orientation, prospective business students at college preview days, and developing students through mentor programs, interview days, future faculty luncheons, the Leadership Academy, the Early Executive MBA Track, and more. For fun, she has literally rolled up her sleeves to help scoop ice cream during the welcome back social in the fall, and even served Midnight Breakfast during final exams week.
In the community, Dr. McIntyre has served groups like the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, the Heflin Industrial Development Board, Rotary, the Green Chamber, the Salvation Army Board, and TiE Atlanta as a consultant, committee chair, vice chair, committee member, board member, and more.
During her career, Dr. McIntyre has received awards like the Who’s Who in Education from the Atlanta Business Chronicle for 13 years in a row, the Leadership Character Award from the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, and the Thomas Upchurch Workforce Education Award from the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.
Also during her tenure, the Richards College of Business has been ranked multiple times in several noteworthy publications, such as the U.S. News and World Report, CEO Magazine, the Princeton Review, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle to name a few. Most notably, Dr. McIntyre has led the college through three successful accreditation reviews, and a fourth successful accreditation review is fully expected this fall.
Along with many other faculty and staff, UWG President Emeritus and Marketing Professor Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna thanked Dr. McIntyre for her hard work during Friday’s event.
“I can say that I have seen Dr. McIntyre in action from both perspectives – both as the one to whom she is advocating, and the one for whom she is advocating,” Dr. Sethna said. “Thank you for advocating for your faculty and for your wonderful service to the Richards College of Business, and I want to add my thanks for your service to the University of West Georgia as well.”
The chair of the Management Department, Dr. Thomas Gainey, echoed Dr. Sethna’s sentiments.
“I’ve seen the amount of time that Faye has put in over the years. And one’s time is the most precious gift you can give because you only have so much of it. Faye gave our college a lot of her time. She wanted to make sure that the Richards College of Business was something we could all be proud of. And, without a doubt, she succeeded. I’m thankful for the time she gave us, and I’m thankful for the time I was able to spend working with her.”
Students, both current and former, also shared their thoughts during the event.
“From a current undergraduate: I cannot thank you enough, Dr. McIntyre, for providing such a humbling and professionally unique learning environment through allowing students to serve on the Dean’s Council of Student Leaders,” said Avery Anderson, a Real Estate and Finance double major. “You have made such a deep impact on the students and encouraged them to succeed!”
Richards College of Business graduate and Experiential Learning Specialist with UWG Career Services Jonathan James recalled his time as a student working with Dr. McIntyre.
“Thank you for the encouragement you gave me when I was a student. Your leadership shows through all of the faculty. My time as a student assistant and graduate assistant in your office were some of the most amazing and happiest days of my time at UWG. Now working at Career Services, I’ve been privileged to work with you again, and your input has always been valuable to me,” James said. “I don’t know how life would be without having met you.”
Incoming Dean Dr. Christopher Johnson, current associate dean of the Coggin College of Business at the University of North Florida, will assume the post on July 1.
Article written by Amy Lavender
