In his 40 years in UofL’s College of Business, Alan Attaway has consistently brought his steady hand to leadership positions.
A professor of accountancy, he has directed the accountancy department and MBA programs, as well as served as associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean for undergraduate programs.
He has twice been acting dean of the college – in 1994 and in 2003-2004. On Aug. 1, he took on that role for a third time as the university continues its search for a permanent dean.
“Dr. Attaway is a respected and longtime member of the college’s faculty,” acting UofL President Neville Pinto said in an email announcing Attaway’s appointment. “The College of Business is vitally important to the university in its mission of education, discovery, research and service, and I am confident that Dr. Attaway will provide the strong academic leadership necessary to advance it aggressively toward its goals.”
Since the college is in the midst of its accreditation process with the AACSB, Attaway said his first task was to meet with his associate deans and work on a timeline. A report must be submitted in a year and a site visit will take place in 2018.
Attaway has worked in various capacities with the AACSB, including making site visits, and he said he is confident the college is on schedule.
His main goal will be to bring reassurance to students, he said, and his advice is simple: “Pay attention to your classes and forget all this other stuff. It won’t have much impact on whether people want to hire you or not. If you do your studies and achieve a solid GPA and get involved in outside activities, you’ll be fine.”
Attaway, 70, said he was supposed to teach six courses this year, but has cut that to three – two online and one weekend MBA class.
“Having done this job before, I know trying to meet your classes during the week tends to be difficult because unexpected things pop up,” he said.
An avid walker and golfer, Attaway and his wife live in Shelby County and are raising their two grandsons, ages 18 and 12.
Pinto said in an email that a national search for a dean has begun with a goal of naming that person by the end of this calendar year.
