UF MBA Director to lead Heavener School of Business
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dr. Alex Sevilla, who has guided UF MBA at the Hough Graduate School of Business to its place among the nation’s premier MBA programs, has been named Associate Dean and Director of the Heavener School of Business.
Dr. Sevilla replaces Dr. Brian Ray, who announced his intention to step down at the end of the Spring 2016 semester. Dr. Ray will continue his role as a Lecturer in Leadership and Ethics and become Co-Director of the College’s Elizabeth B. & William F. Poe, Sr., Center for Business Ethics and Education Research.
John Gresley, Director of Student Affairs, MBA for Professionals Programs, has been named UF MBA’s interim director and assistant dean. Dr. S. Selcuk Erenguc, Senior Associate Dean and Director of the Hough Graduate School of Business, said the College is conducting a search for a new UF MBA director, and expects to fill the position by the fall.
Dr. Sevilla begins his new appointment May 16.
“I’m incredibly proud of UF MBA’s emergence over the past decade as one of the nation’s top MBA programs, and I’m humbled by the dedication and passion of our UF MBA team,” Dr. Sevilla said. “Their care and commitment in providing a transformational MBA experience for our students has been at the heart of our success. I will miss working closely with them, as well as engaging with our talented students.”
Dr. Sevilla, 43, became UF MBA’s director in 2003, and has since guided both its full-time and part-time programs to impressive heights. UF MBA’s Full-Time program has been consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 public MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report throughout Dr. Sevilla’s tenure, and was ranked No. 16 in the publication’s most recent rankings. The Full-Time program experienced its greatest improvement in Bloomberg Businessweek’s full-time rankings moving up seven spots to 16th in 2015.
The full-time program’s student quality is exceptional with average GMAT scores of 681 and an average 3.46 undergraduate GPA—both ranking among the top 12 public programs. Additionally, among the top 75 full-time programs to appear in U.S. News’s overall rankings, UF MBA was the nation’s only program to rank in the top 10 in admissions selectivity (fifth), employment three months after graduation (seventh) and employment at graduation (10th).
UF MBA’s part-time programs—MBA for Professionals—has grown rapidly under Dr. Sevilla’s guidance, and has been recognized repeatedly for their quality. Since 2003, UF’s MBA for Professionals programs have more than tripled in overall enrollment, while maintaining a strong focus on student quality and program outcomes. UF MBA’s Online Program has been ranked No. 3 in the world by the Financial Times and No. 4 in the nation by U.S. News. UF MBA’s Executive Program was ranked No. 8 among U.S. publics by The Economist.
Maximizing the student experience has been a hallmark of the UF MBA strategy during Dr. Sevilla’s tenure. The MBA team has delivered significant innovations aimed at providing an unparalleled MBA experience, including global immersion experiences, leadership development initiatives, career-focused curricula changes, experiential education opportunities, and professional development programming. These efforts have delivered consistently exceptional student satisfaction ratings in all programs and helped UF MBA earn the distinction of the “Best Administered MBA,”—out of 295 MBA programs nationally— by The Princeton Review in 2013 and 2014.
“Much of the credit for UF MBA’s success goes to the passion, thoughtfulness, dedication and energy that Alex brings to his mission every day,” said John Walsh (MBA ’08), Director of Capital Planning & Analysis at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and UF MBA’s Advisory Board Chair. “The mark of a great leader is to leave a place better than he or she found it, and to grow future leaders of tomorrow. When I look at where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going, I can sincerely say that we are all very proud of the program, and the incredible work that Alex has done for us all.”
Dr. Sevilla, a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Graduate Management Admission Council, joined UF MBA in 1998 as the program’s Associate Director of Career Services. He was elevated to Director of Student Services in 1999, and was named Director of UF MBA Programs in 2003. Dr. Sevilla was named Assistant Dean in 2006.
Prior to his time at UF MBA, Dr. Sevilla was the Associate Director of Graduate Business Programs at the University of Miami, where he received his bachelor’s degree and MBA. He also earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University.
