Amid Dean Scandal, Kept His Head Down and Did His Job
OK, but once you’ve become the most selective business school in the world, is it really that hard to sweet talk people into applying and enrolling? Even skeptics will concede that Bolton may have had a tougher job than usual this past year, amid a scandal in which the school’s dean, Garth Saloner, became embroiled in controversial litigation stemming from his alleged affair with a married member of the Stanford GSB faculty and the alleged wrongful termination of her husband, also a member of the faculty. In the aftermath, Saloner announced his decision to step down, and economics professor Jonathan Levin will take his place on September 1st.
“Perception has been an issue,” Rajan admits. “Having that kind of publicity in the popular press—for all the wrong reasons—is never a good idea.” Despite that, the GSB had a record year for applications and yields were great, he continues. “That’s all credit to Derrick and his team keeping their heads down and doing their jobs in a difficult situation,” he says.
A Respected Colleague Committed to the GSB and Graduate Management Education
“A great and collaborative colleague, I enjoyed traveling with him in foreign cities, sharing a meal and exchanging stories,” says MIT’s Garcia. “Derrick is one of the most thoughtful, hardworking and inspirational people I’ve ever met,” adds GMAC’s Chambers. “I have greatly appreciated his candor, feedback, support and sense of humor over the many years that I have worked with him.”
Shari Hubert was introduced to Bolton through a mutual colleague when she first started her role as associate dean of MBA admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. “Derrick immediately reached out and offered his support and has always made himself available, despite his very hectic travel schedule,” she says. The two also served together as co-chairs of the Educational Testing Service’s Business School Advisory Council. “That’s when I was really able to see his great sense of humor and leadership,” she continues. “His soft spoken, yet thoughtful comments are always insightful—it’s like the old E.F. Hutton slogan of years past. ‘When Derrick talks, people listen.’”
Clear Admit Co-Founder Graham Richmond, too, had only the most glowing things to say. “While higher education industry forces increasingly try to focus on the ‘science’ of admissions, Derrick has always seemed to respect the ‘art’ of the admissions process,” he says. Bolton, himself a GSB alum, knows and loves the program he’s been marketing all these years, Richmond adds. “He clearly took great pride in ensuring the continued success of the school.”
“And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Derrick’s commitment to the management education industry at large,” Richmond continues. “While it would have been fairly easy for someone at a prestigious school like Stanford to limit his time with colleagues at other business schools, Derrick always seemed to find time to join panels at GMAC conferences and share best practices.”
“Everyone in the graduate management education admissions space is going to miss him,” adds Bruce Delmonico, who leads admissions at Yale School of Management. “He was both one of the smartest and one of the nicest people in the field. Losing both him and Dee in a one year is a major upheaval,” he adds, referring to Deirdre Leopold’s departure from HBS earlier this spring following a decade-long tenure heading MBA admissions there.
What’s Next for the GSB?
Bolton’s shoes will be hard—perhaps impossible—to fill, Rajan says. “We have such momentum that the school will do fine, but I think it is a mistake to expect to hire somebody with that burning dedication to the job who will make it their calling.” Margaret Hayes, assistant dean of the MBA program, will have oversight of admissions on an interim basis until a replacement is found.
Could this be the last year that applicants face the enduring “What matters most and why?” GSB essay prompt? “That will be completely up to the new admissions director,” Rajan says. “We have very much a notion of empowering people in their roles here, and the person hired to manage admissions will have complete latitude to run things the way he or she sees fit.” The number of questions, the nature of questions—that all could change, but not before next year.
