Jessup Returns to Assume Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership

PULLMAN, Wash. – After serving nearly two years as vice president for university development and president of the Washington State University Foundation, Len Jessup, former dean of the WSU College of Business, is returning to his academic roots.

Effective this summer, he will take over as director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies as the Rom Markin Endowed Chair in Business Leadership.

“Len’s leadership was critical to the college’s restructuring and reaccredidation in 2004. He is extremely skilled at successfully leading organizations through periods of change, and he applied these skills at the foundation,” says College of Business Dean Eric Spangenberg. 

“The College of Business has again reached a pivotal time in our history, with more opportunities, partnerships, and external support than ever before. Len will again be a valued member of our team, helping to guide the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies to the next level of excellence.”

Spangenberg said, “As his personal friend and colleague, I knew that his long-term plans included returning to academia, and I’m pleased to welcome him back to his academic home.”

The former director of the Center of Entrepreneurial Studies, Jerman Rose, an associate dean in the college, also oversees undergraduate programs, advising, professional development and international programs. Rose and other college leaders feel strongly that a full-time leader will help the CES reach its full potential as the university’s entrepreneurial engine. 

“I am confident that Len is the right person for this job,” Rose said.

 
“I am very much looking forward to returning to the business school and my lifelong passion for teaching, learning, research and the study of entrepreneurial leadership,” said Jessup.

The new Rom Markin Endowed Chair in Business Leadership was established in 2005 with a leadership gift of $1 million from CB alumnus Gary Brinson (’68 Business Administration/Finance).

The WSU College of Business is accredited at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The College spans the four campuses of WSU with the largest campus in Pullman and urban campuses located in Spokane, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities area. The College conducts scholarly and applied research, and offers degree programs in a variety of business disciplines, and in hospitality business management, supplementing face-to-face offerings through innovative online learning and international programs.

For more information, visit the College’s Web site at www.business.wsu.edu.