Maury Peiperl, Dean of the George Mason University School of Business since August, is quickly learning and already taking real steps to transform the institution.

Peiperl, who grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, served as the director of the Cranfield School of Management in London before his new role at George Mason. An expert in global leadership, Peiperl aims to solidify George Mason’s business school as an institution known for its innovation and strategic partnerships.

Some of Peiperl’s ideas to help the school achieve its goals and boost its reputation is through new interdisciplinary initiatives that will create a strong culture of learning at the university. The university also intends to construct a building just for the business school over the next few years, which Peiperl is helping to plan.

Looking forward, Peiperl noted his excitement about forging interdisciplinary partnerships that can help students better connect both to businesses and the local community. Using his own career and educational experience—growing up the child of a scientist and visual artist, studying engineering before earning and MBA and Ph.D.—Peiperl has seen first-hand how an interdisciplinary education can benefit learners.

“It’s about giving people a chance to develop in a way that isn’t just for a qualification, but to sustain them over a lifelong career,” he commented.

Although he’s only been on the job since August, Peiperl has a number of plans to boost the School of Business to serve the needs of the community and market at large. “I want this to be a place to light a fire in people’s minds, to think broadly about bigger issues. I’m looking forward to helping the school and students and faculty celebrate and grow.”

You can read the rest of Peiperl’s interview with George Mason here.

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