Business Dean Ken Cyree Announces His Retirement

Cyree will retire from the state's oldest business school at the end of this year.

"I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish together," he said "My intent from the beginning was always to go out on top and leave the school poised to continue and expand on the successes we have enjoyed. 

"I believe we have been able to achieve the goal of making the Ole Miss School of Business Administration even better during the last 17-plus years, and I am excited for the future of the school."

Under Cyree's leadership, the business school has grown 73 percent in enrollment and raised nearly $55 million, including $23.8 million for its endowment. The school shifted its approach to student success, with a focus on experiential learning and a dedicated career center. Additionally, Cyree has fostered growth in entrepreneurship, establishing a major in entrepreneurship and building a student startup business incubator.

Alumni and donors Bruce and Karen Moore described their excitement in watching the business school grow in size and national reputation under Cyree's leadership. Bruce created the Bruce Moore Scholar in Finance Chair in 2011. Karen served as chair of the Ole Miss Women's Council from 2014 to 2016 and president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association in 2023-24.

"Ken has been a passionate and dedicated leader for 17 years," Bruce said. "His vision of attracting and retaining great professors and students continues to yield tremendous dividends for Ole Miss."

Cyree came to Ole Miss from Texas Tech University in 2004 as an associate professor of finance. The business school recognized him with its Outstanding Teacher of the Year award in 2007 and the Outstanding Senior Researcher honor in 2014.

Shortly after becoming dean, Cyree began working to offer opportunities in the area of entrepreneurship. The school launched the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2014, establishing Ole Miss as a leading choice for students who know they want to be their own boss.

Since its inception, the CIE has assisted 72 student-led startup businesses and awarded some $357,300 in cash prizes and $89,000 in scholarships to students interested in leading startup small businesses.

"Ken has been instrumental in so many of the activities that have built the school in the last decade plus," said Rich Gentry, FNC Founders Chair of Entrepreneurship and CIE co-director. "To me, his impact started with a commitment to research on his first day."

Even as dean, Cyree has remained active in teaching and research. He has taught courses on financial institutions and markets, bank management, business and corporate finance, investments and financial statement analysis.

"Any student of Dean Cyree's knows that his courses are rigorous, but offer some of the most valuable lessons you will take away from your time at Ole Miss," said Lily Martin, a senior from Providence, Kentucky, who is majoring in banking and finance and in risk management and insurance.

"He consistently holds my classmates and me to higher standards, challenging us to think deeply about topics at hand and equipping us with real-world knowledge."

He has published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including 24 while at Ole Miss, such as the Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Financial Markets and Financial Management. His research has focused on topics ranging from banking, lending, consumer delinquencies and compliance issues to the Dodd-Frank Act and the Federal Reserve.

"I have truly enjoyed working with Dean Cyree and will greatly miss his exceptional leadership and support," said Bonnie Van Ness, chair of the Department of Finance since 2009. "He cultivates a positive and productive work environment that inspires those around him.

"He motivates the faculty to strive for continuous improvement, and he leads by example, consistently demonstrating the values he encourages."

In 2022, Cyree collaborated with Barry Babin to merge the Department of Marketing with the Department of Management Information Systems. This innovative reorganization best prepares students to enter a modern marketing workforce that relies heavily on data analytics.

"I mean this as a compliment, but 'working for' Ken is not like working for a dean," Babin said. "He is partner in everything we do, and beyond all the accolades that will come his way for service to the school, he is a fine person and someone I am happy to call a friend."

The university plans to launch a national search for a new dean, Provost Noel Wilkin said. The goal is to name the new dean by the end of the fall semester.

"Ken Cyree will be remembered for his long tenure of stable and steady leadership of the School of Business Administration," Wilkin said. "This has resulted in growing enrollment, considerable financial support, expansion of career support and the development of innovative programs, like the entrepreneurship minor. This has led to impressive expansion of the school's reputation and rankings."

After decades of teaching, writing and leading the business school, Cyree is looking forward to spending time with his family and more time on the golf course.

"I will miss many of the interactions and relationships with the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends, but I am hopeful that new leadership will allow the school to take a path that will benefit all into the 21st century."

Top: Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration, speaks at the 2022 Ole Miss Family Business Symposium. Cyree, who has served as dean for 17 years, plans to retire at the end of the year. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services