Binghamton University community mourns death of Upinder Dhillon, longtime dean of School of Management

Upinder Dhillon, dean of the Binghamton University School of Management (SOM) until his retirement this spring, died Saturday, April 23, at the age of 71, following an illness.

Dhillon leaves behind a prolific 21-year tenure as dean and an immeasurable impact on students, staff, faculty and friends of Binghamton University.

Dhillon began his career as a project engineer and assistant plant manager at Shriram Chemicals in Kota, India, before shifting his focus to finance. He earned his MBA and PhD at Louisiana State University, and came to Binghamton as a visiting assistant professor of finance in 1987, becoming a tenure-track assistant professor two years later. Dhillon received numerous awards for teaching and research in the years following, including the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1997, he was promoted to professor and named a Koffman Scholar.

Dhillon was named dean of SOM in 2001. Over the following two decades, SOM saw significant growth in a number of areas. Accomplishments under Dhillon’s leadership include:

• A rise in reputation: As evidenced by rankings and faculty achievements, SOM continues to be recognized as one of the best public business schools in the country. Most recently, SOM was named a Top 10 Public Business School by Poets & Quants, and Top 50 Best College for Business Majors by Money. SOM faculty are regularly published in top business journals and featured in major media outlets. The school’s AACSB accreditation was re-affirmed numerous times under Dhillon’s leadership, and in 2016 it earned the special distinction of holding a separate AACSB accreditation for accounting.
• Exceptional student experience: With a strong focus on hands-on learning, numerous initiatives were developed to ensure SOM students had the best experience possible at Binghamton. Dhillon played a key role in establishing the Zurack Trading Room, which now boasts a student-run portfolio worth over a half million dollars, and the Innovation Lab, a new state-of-the-art location for students to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. Enrollments for both undergraduate and graduate programs grew significantly, and the SOM Career Services Office was established to promote student success before and after graduation.
• Engaged alumni and partners: External funding and gifts to SOM increased significantly, and endowments were established for the SOM Excellence and Dean’s Excellence Funds, which support student and faculty success. A number of fundraising galas and mentoring events were held in New York City to keep graduates in major firms engaged. SOM alumni regularly give time and advice to help ensure students have the cutting-edge skills and professional networks needed for post-college success.
• Diversity: The SOM Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee was established in 2020 to formulate long-term strategic initiatives to promote equity in the school. One of these initiatives, the newly-introduced Transformational Leaders Program, was designed to develop successful professional trajectories for students who are underrepresented and/or facing economic barriers.

While he originally planned to step down as dean at the end of the 2021-22 academic school year, Dhillon announced in March that he’d be retiring earlier than expected to focus on his health and family.

“Serving the University and our students and having the privilege of working with so many of you has been the greatest honor of my professional career,” he said in a message to faculty, staff and students. “The exceptional quality and work ethic of SOM students has always been, and will continue to be, a great source of pride for the school.”

Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Nieman both worked closely with Dhillon.

“Binghamton University and the School of Management have suffered a true loss with Upinder’s passing. In his 21 years as dean, he set very high standards for himself, his students and his school, leading the way for remarkable achievements including building one of the top-ranked business schools in the country,” said Stenger. “He developed a loyal, engaged and generous alumni base, and a reputation on campus of always having a clear vision for his school’s and the University’s future, leaving SOM in a strong position to keep moving forward. His role as the senior dean and service on the Road Map Steering Committee helped us build consensus on many topics from curricular matters to investments. His key role in creating the Innovation Lab was a capstone for his career and the University, but, most importantly, he was a wonderfully warm and positive person who always brought out the best in those around him.”

“Upinder was a gentle man, unfailingly thoughtful, considerate, humble and concerned about others, while at the same time a keen intellect and a strategic thinker who knew where he wanted to take the School of Management, and he was successful in leading it to excellence,” said Nieman. “Upinder made everyone he knew better. He was a dear friend, and I will miss him more than I can imagine.”

SOM hit a major milestone in 2020, celebrating its 50th anniversary. In an interview conducted for the celebrations, Dhillon made it clear that while it was a time to reflect on past accomplishments, he always had SOM’s continued growth at the top of his mind.

“I think that one can get complacent and relax…but that is not the environment we want to create in this school,” he said. “We want to create an environment in which we are always striving to be better.”

In the same interview, Dhillon made it clear what kept him at Binghamton for over three decades.

“School of Management students are the reason that I’m here,” he said. “They are the best in the country.”

The family will receive friends from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26 at Allen Memorial Home in Endicott, N.Y. (located at 511-513 E. Main Street). Due to space limitations, a separate religious service will remain private.

Gifts in memory of Dean Dhillon may be made online at giving.binghamton.edu. Please indicate “in memory of Upinder Dhillon, account #20344” (Dhillon Family Graduate Scholarship) or “account #21516” (Dhillon Family Faculty Fellow) in the Special Instructions/Comments box.

Gifts by check should be made payable to the Binghamton University Foundation and mailed to:

Binghamton University Foundation
PO Box 6005
Binghamton, NY 13902-6005

Please indicate “in memory of Upinder Dhillon, account #20344” or “account #21516” in the memo section of the check. For additional details please contact Rebecca Hancock, assistant director of donor relations and stewardship, at rhancock@binghamton.edu.