WPI’s groundbreaking Business School dean steps down

PHOTO | Matt Wright Debora Jackson, former dean of The School of Business at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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After four years serving as dean of The Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Debora Jackson has left the role.

The decision for Jackson to step down was mutual, she told WBJ. While May 31 marked her last day as dean, Jackson will stay with WPI until December as she continues to serve as a professor of practice within The Business School. A professor of practice is a faculty member brought in to teach due to their experience and expertise in a specific field.

“WPI remains committed to business education at the institution,” Jackson told WBJ. “This is a great opportunity to be discerning about what would be next for me. I’ve had a broad variety of experiences so I'm excited about the fact that I can do a lot of different things and we’ll see what’s next.”

When selected for the dean position in 2020, Jackson became WPI’s first woman and person of color to lead its school of business. She was listed as one of WBJ’s most influential professionals in Central Massachusetts in the Power 50 in 2021 and 2023.

“Under Dean Jackson’s leadership, The Business School launched new academic programs, including the nation’s first full suite of financial technology degrees at the BS, MS, and PhD levels, and a STEM-designated MBA, while revitalizing existing programs, including incorporating AI, to meet student and workforce demands,” Andrew Sears, senior vice president and provost, wrote in a June 3 letter to the WPI community.

The university will soon work to select an interim dean, which will then be followed by a nationwide search for Jackson’s permanent replacement.

“We do so in appreciation of all Dean Jackson accomplished. Dean Jackson has been a tireless advocate for the inseparability of business and STEM education,” wrote Sears.

For now, Jackson is keeping her future career plans private, but said she is excited to be able to do more writing.

“I've published two books and numerous articles. And certainly, it’s not easy to be able to do scholarly and academic writing when you’re a university administrator, so I look forward to doing that,” she said.

Jackson’s departure comes shortly after David Jordan resigned from his role as dean of the School of Business at Clark University. His decision to leave the Worcester school followed President David Fithian announcing a university-wide restructuring of its degree programs, eliminating the stand-alone School of Business, and the layoffs of up to 30% of its faculty.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.