Economist and business professor Daniel Shapiro is the newly appointed dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University, for a five-year term beginning May 1, 2009.

Shapiro has been a passionate teacher and active researcher for more than 30 years, including 17 years at SFU. He has also served SFU Business in various administrative roles including director of executive programs, associate dean and director of the CIBC Centre for Corporate Governance and Risk Management, prior to his January 2008 appointment as pro tem dean of business.

“This is a challenging time for the university, business and the general community,” says the West Vancouver resident. “So we’re going to be primarily looking in the short term to consolidate and expand the programs we already offer, particularly at the graduate level.

“But at the same time it’s a very exciting moment because we’re seeing a lot of dramatic changes both globally and locally. They include a shift in economic power towards the Asia Pacific, the increased importance of knowledge and innovation as sources of competitive advantage, a major shift toward technologies favouring alternate energy sources and conservation, and a serious rethinking regarding the social responsibilities of business.

“And I’m hoping to position the business school to be at the centre of those changes.”

Shapiro was the Dennis F. Culver Executive MBA Alumni Professor. He teaches managerial economics in the Executive MBA program and has published extensively on corporate performance and strategy, corporate ownership and governance, foreign direct investment and multinational enterprises, industrial structure, and various aspects of public policy.

He has also designed and delivered executive programs to managers in the private and public sectors in Canada and abroad, and has twice received the TD Canada Trust Excellence in Teaching Award.

A Calgary native, Shapiro earned a BA in economics from the University of Calgary (1968) and an M.A. (`72) and PhD (`74) in economics from Cornell University.