Rowan University appointed Matthew Sarkees as dean of the William G. Rohrer College of Business, effective Aug. 19. 

Sarkees will take over the role from interim Dean Morris Kalliny, who stepped into the position following Sue Lehrman’s departure in 2023, the university said in an Aug. 5 announcement. 

A professor of marketing, Kalliny will move into the Office of the Provost to develop international programs and integrate campus-based global programs into Academic Affairs, according to Rowan. 

Bringing three decades of experience to the role, Sarkees will join the Glassboro college from Villanova University, where he served as a professor of marketing and chair of the Department of Marketing and Business Law in Villanova’s School of Business. 

Prior to Villanova, Sarkees was a marketing professor at universities including St. Joseph’s, West Virginia and Penn State, according to his LinkedIn profile. His professional experience includes management and marketing roles at Ernst & Young and IBM. Rowan also noted that Sarkees is a certified public accountant. 

“Dr. Sarkees is a proven leader whose experience in the classroom and the business community will serve the Rohrer College of Business and its students very well,” Rowan University Provost Tony Lowman said in a statement.

Sarkees’ research has focused on pharmaceutical and health care marketing issues in the context of strategy and public policy. He said he was honored to serve as the new dean. 

“I look forward to collaborating with our stakeholders to continue to enhance the close-knit RCB community and deliver superior value to our students through a world-class educational experience,” he added. 

According to LinkedIn, Sarkees earned his Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, his MBA from Villanova and a bachelor’s in accounting from Seton Hall. 

Rankings

Rowan has made several recent college rankings lists, including having the most offerings of any New Jersey university included on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Programs for 2024 (see below). That included its MBA and non-MBA business programs. Additionally, in September the university ranked No. 194 on the 2024 U.S. News Best Colleges list and No. 302 on The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2024 list of the Best Colleges in the U.S.