Toby McChesney Joins Leavey School of Business Graduate Programs as Senior Assistant Dean
The Leavey School of Business will advance its graduate programs under the leadership of new senior assistant dean Toby McChesney.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 10, 2016 — A highly experienced graduate business school recruiter, admissions expert, and student services professional will become the new senior assistant dean of graduate programs at the Leavey School of Business (LSB) at Santa Clara University.
Toby McChesney was most recently assistant dean of graduate recruiting and student services of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, one of the largest business schools in the United States. He will take his new post at LSB on Oct. 11.
McChesney was also formerly a board member of the Graduate Management Admission Council, the nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools, which is purveyor of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), used by more than 5,800 graduate business and management programs worldwide.
“I am looking forward immensely to working with Toby, who has a proven track record of success in building and strengthening a top-tier graduate business school program,” said Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of LSB. “We are on the cusp of exciting changes at the Leavey School, designed to hone the nimbleness, responsiveness, and innovation of our graduate programs and provide the best leaders in our Silicon Valley community and beyond. We couldn’t have picked a better captain to help us navigate today’s demands of a top-tier institution.”
Among the graduate-level changes underway at LSB that McChesney will help to steer are:
- Streamlining the evening MBA program so that participants find classes that are highly pertinent to today’s rapidly changing environment, with the degree being completed in as few as two years, rather than the typical 2.5 to 4 years.
- Implementing new intensive sessions to explore specific aspects of business; for example, Leading People and Organizations, tech "treks" with Silicon Valley firms, and global experiences around international business.
- Encouraging new ways of thinking about technology and education, and finding ways to explore the possibilities that come from the convergence of those sectors.
“I can’t wait to get started helping implement a vision for growth and expansion at the Leavey School of Business,” said McChesney. “This school has assets that other business schools can only dream of and a strategic direction that will position its students well for the fast-changing needs of today’s business world.”
Prior to Georgia State, McChesney worked at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, where he was associate director of Executive MBA Admissions. Before Emory, he served in student recruiting at American University in Washington, D.C.
In his most recent role at Georgia State University’s business school, he oversaw recruiting, admissions, and student support for the PMBA, the Flex MBA program, and numerous specialized master’s programs. During his six years as assistant dean, he administered rapid advancements of the program, including:
- The launch of 13 reformatted programs;
- Growth in enrollment, by 10 percent; and
- Increased student satisfaction.
In addition, McChesney created a student-focused structure, overseeing program management and advising for 1,200 students in three MBA programs, for 20 M.S. programs, at four locations. He was a catalyst for six new degree programs and the conversion of 13 M.S. programs into one-year formats, which resulted in a 30 percent revenue increase.
McChesney is a regular speaker and panelist at graduate higher-education conferences, including AACSB, GMAC, and PTMBA. He holds a B.A. in communications, legal institutions, economics, and government from American University, an M.A. in higher education administration from George Washington University, and a Ed.D. in higher educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
About the Santa Clara University School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1923, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business, MBA, and M.S. programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation by BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, and others. The curriculum at all levels emphasizes the leadership role of business in creating prosperity within an ethical framework, as well as business responsibilities for social justice and sustainability in the global marketplace. The School opened its $49 million building for undergraduate, graduate, and professional business education in fall 2008. For more information, visit www.scu.edu/business.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-768-6898