School of Management honors the legacy of Dean Upinder Dhillon

The Binghamton University community honored the legacy of Dean Upinder Dhillon at an event in New York City on Oct. 27. Dhillon led the School of Management (SOM) for over 20 years until his death in April.

Alumni, faculty, staff, friends of the school, and members of the Dhillon family gathered at The Pierre to remember Dhillon’s impact.

Harvey Stenger, president of Binghamton University, spoke of Dhillon’s strengths as a leader and colleague.

“When I first came to Binghamton, Upinder had already established a remarkable reputation, both for his school and for himself as a leader pushing the school to do remarkable things. But when I met him for the first time, I realized that this reputation did not accurately describe him. Because what outsiders couldn’t see was just what a warm, inspiring and kind person Upinder was,” said Stenger.

“From the first time I met him, I wanted him on my team. And I wanted to be on his, as well.”

Kimberly Kelly ’13, MS ’14, chair of the SOM Young Alumni Advisory Board, and Laura Roth ’10, former chair of the board, both spoke of the impact Dhillon made on students.

Kelly recalled how Dhillon reached out to alumni in the wake of COVID shutdowns to help find ways to support student needs, such as providing technological assistance so students could attend classes remotely.

“A little bit of his legacy lives on in everyone he met over his illustrious career,” she said.

Roth spoke of how SOM students continue to excel despite having a reputation as underdogs. She attributed this success to Dhillon’s leadership, which motivated her to stay involved with the school after graduating.

“We’ve all received more from Upinder than we could ever give back, but I challenge you to try,” she said.

While much was said about Dhillon’s time as dean, Dhillon’s sons, Eishpal and Tejpal, took the stage to discuss his impact as a father.

“I learned from dad to have a deep appreciation for what you have,” said Eishpal. “His passion and purpose were the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the School of Management.”

Shelley Dionne, dean of SOM, discussed the lessons she learned from her time working with Dhillon, and introduced a video featuring clips of a 2019 interview conducted for SOM’s 50th anniversary.

“In it, you’ll notice how optimistic Upinder is about the school as he reflects on its growth and talks up its accomplishments. But most importantly, you’ll notice his focus on the students,” she said. “We all know how much Upinder loved the School of Management, but nobody is able to articulate that love better than Upinder.”

Howard Unger ’82, LHD ’19, EXCELERATE campaign chair, announced over $1.3 million in commitments from friends of the school to establish the Dhillon Family Faculty Fellow Endowment, which provides annual support to a SOM faculty member who is both a groundbreaking researcher and inspiring instructor. You can make a gift at this link.

“This honor will enable a promising talent to become part of the exceptional core faculty of SOM, extending the legacy of Dean Dhillon’s tenure as dean throughout the years to come,” said Unger.

Rory Eckardt, associate professor of strategy, was named the first Dhillon fellow earlier this fall.

In addition to this event, the Binghamton campus community gathered at the University in September to remember Dhillon’s impact.