West Haven, Conn., January 20, 2011—Lawrence P. Flanagan has been appointed as the executive dean of the newly created College of Business and Professional Studies at the University of New Haven (UNH). A UNH alumnus and West Haven native, Flanagan is regarded as one of the most accomplished global marketing leaders in the country. He recently retired as the executive vice president and chief marketing officer for MasterCard Worldwide, where he was responsible for overseeing a $1 billion plus advertising and marketing budget, directing marketing strategies in more than 50 countries, and launching the hugely successful “Priceless” advertising campaign. Flanagan’s appointment is effective June 1, 2011.
Before joining MasterCard in 1996, Flanagan served as an assistant vice president of marketing for L’Oreal U.S. and as a marketing director for Procter & Gamble. During his professional career, he earned numerous advertising honors including a Gold Effie, an Addy and the prestigious Cresta Award. The Advertising Club of New York named him “Advertising Person of the Year” in 2008 and Sports Business International named him one of the “25 Most Influential People in Sports” in 2004 in recognition of the extensive corporate sponsorships of major athletic events that he negotiated on behalf of MasterCard. He recently served as the national co-chair of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Summit, which represents more than 12,000 global executives across 100 countries in multiple industries, and is a former member of the board of directors of The Ad Council.
“Larry Flanagan will bring a wealth of real-world business knowledge, innovation and management expertise to the University of New Haven’s College of Business and Professional Studies,” said UNH President Steven Kaplan. “This appointment reflects a growing national trend of hiring high-level corporate executives with extensive business experience and acumen to lead colleges of business.”
“The next decade will not be business-as-usual for any industry,” noted Flanagan. “The shifting effects of the financial collapse, coupled with explosive technology innovation, are fueling global competition in the new knowledge-economy. Success is being redefined for corporations in the 21st century. Colleges of business must play a central role in how corporations will provide economic value on a sustainable basis by shaping and informing a new breed of leader. I’m thrilled to return to the UNH community after an extensive career in global business to help shape our students into these new leaders.”
The executive dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies will serve as the chief executive officer of the college and will be responsible for establishing its overall vision and direction. Richard Highfield, dean of the College of Business, will continue to oversee the college’s academic programs and will work closely with the new executive dean.
A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven provides its students with a valuable combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. Founded in 1920, UNH is a private, top-tier comprehensive university with an 80-acre main campus. The university has an enrollment of more than 5,900: approximately 1,700 graduate students and more than 4,200 undergraduates, 70 percent of whom reside in university housing. The university offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, the Tagliatela College of Engineering and University College. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
