Deans selected for Baker School of Business, School of Science and Mathematics

New Deans for Baker School of Business and School of Science and Mathematics

Two accomplished academic leaders will join The Citadel as deans in the coming months, each to lead one of the college’s five schools. The inaugural dean for the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business will be Michael R. Weeks, Ph.D., who is currently the dean of the Dunham School of Business at Houston Baptist University. The Citadel School of Science and Mathematics will be led by Darin T. Zimmerman, Ph.D., who will join the college from Penn State Altoona where he is associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean of research. Both leaders will begin their tenure at The Citadel July 1, 2018.

Week’s teaching focus is in management, and his research specialty is in leadership and disruptive innovation. An accomplished violinist, he enjoyed a distinguished career with the U.S. Air Force, where he earned several medals for meritorious service and taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Weeks holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science from the University of Oxford. He earned an MBA and Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Auburn University.Two accomplished academic leaders will join The Citadel as deans in the coming months, each to lead one of the college’s five schools. The inaugural dean for the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business will be Michael R. Weeks, Ph.D., who is currently the dean of the Dunham School of Business at Houston Baptist University. The Citadel School of Science and Mathematics will be led by Darin T. Zimmerman, Ph.D., who will join the college from Penn State Altoona where he is associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean of research. Both leaders will begin their tenure at The Citadel July 1, 2018.

Zimmerman is a physicist and holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a B.S. from the University of California, Irvine. He has a strong record of excellence in teaching and scholarship. Zimmerman is currently responsible for Penn State Altoona’s academic programming, planning and evaluation, as well as the advocacy for research, grant activity and administration.

“This is a period of transformative growth at The Citadel with regard to our academic programs,” said Connie Book, Ph.D., provost and dean of The Citadel. “We look forward to Michael Weeks and Darin Zimmerman joining our three other distinguished deans in the coming months to help lead the college through this exciting time.”

In just three years, The Citadel has significantly expanded its academic offerings, research opportunities, and enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students. Some examples of new degrees, departments and programs since 2014 include:

New programs, departments, designations

Cyber Defense Education – National Center of Excellence NSA designation
Department of Intelligence and Security Studies
Office of Undergraduate Research
Study abroad programs in 23 countries and Washington, D.C.
Swain Department of Nursing

Degrees and graduate certificates

Online degrees and graduate certificates available in 48 states and internationally (six master’s degrees, 3 bachelor’s degrees, 3 graduate certificates)
Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering master of science degrees and 10 graduate certificates in engineering
Accounting undergraduate major
Leadership Studies master’s degree

“There will be additional announcements in the near future about new academic programs,” said Book. “This strategic academic progress is enriching the student experience and contributing to an increase in enrollment in The Citadel’s undergraduate and graduate student populations. For example, the Corps of Cadets is the largest it has been, and we’ve gone from a veteran student population of approximately 20 to more than 260 since the late 2000’s.”