Bentley College Names Michael J. Page Dean of Business and the McCallum Graduate School

Business Wire, March 6, 2008

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Michael J. Page, BSc (Eng), MBA, PhD, has been appointed Dean of Business and the McCallum Graduate School at Bentley College, effective May 1, 2008.

Prior to joining Bentley, Page served as the Dean of Post-Experience Programs of RSM Erasmus University and as the Executive Director of the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) B.V., The Netherlands. RSM Erasmus University is a leading international business school currently ranked 34th in the world and 13th in Europe by the Financial Times. Prior to taking this position, Page was the Dean of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Graduate School of Business and also served a term as its Dean of Academic Affairs.

Page holds or has held honorary and visiting appointments at the University of Cape Town at the Graduate School of Business (2000 to the present), Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa (2000 to the present), and Henley Management College, UK (1999 - 2005). He also serves on the initial Accreditation Committee of the AACSB International - the accrediting agency for bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs in business administration and accounting.

"Mike has a stellar background in international business that is precisely the kind of leadership we need to guide us in our next phase of growth and development. He is energetic and pragmatic and will be a key contributor to our academic team," said Gloria Cordes Larson, Bentley College president.

In his role as Dean of Post-Experience Programs and Executive Director of the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Page was responsible for the full range of governance and management activities involved in the transformation of RSM from an educational foundation into a private company, and subsequently supported the integration of the school with the faculty of Business Administration of the University to form RSM Erasmus University. In particular, he was responsible for building a market-oriented organization that has strong ties with the local and international corporate and academic world. These ties supported the growth strategy of the school in the areas of applied research, executive MBA markets, as well as tailored and open executive programs. Page was also responsible for management activities that expanded the international profile of RSM by visiting universities and building partnerships in China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Canada, the United States, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Slovenia, Poland and Russia.

"The increased influence of business on our human condition means that tomorrow's leaders take on an increasingly large mantle of responsibility and, consequently, business schools must foster behavior that is both ethical and responsible. The symbiotic relationship between business, arts and sciences, and the international platform Bentley has been building around the world positions it well to meet this challenge. I am excited to be joining the College at this time. It will be a privilege and honor to support my new colleagues in developing the potential of our future managers and leaders by providing them with the tools for critical thinking, motivated by a sense of social responsibility; by developing their capacity for decision making and, finally, providing them with the skill and insight for effective implementation" says Page.

Bentley College enrolls 4,250 undergraduate and approximately 1,400 graduate students. Dedicated to preparing a special kind of business leader -- one with deep technical skills, broad global perspective and high ethical standards, Bentley infuses its advanced business curriculum with the richness of liberal arts foundation anchored through state-of-the-art technology. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Bentley has 271 full-time faculty members. Over the last five years, Bentley has experienced continued growth in its endowment, contributions, applications and enrollment. In 2006 Bentley introduced PhD programs in business and accountancy; launched a portfolio of graduate programs, "Portfolio 360," and expanded its array of international partnerships with academic institutions in the Netherlands, India, Spain, China, Singapore, and Belgium.

Prior to his appointments at Rotterdam in early 2001, Page held the Len Abrahamse Chair in Finance at the Graduate School of Business of the University of Cape Town (1997 - 2000) and served as a director of the Graduate School of Business (Proprietary) Limited. He also served terms as Associate Professor and Director MBA Programs (1995 - 1997) and as a Research Assistant, Lecturer & Senior Lecturer, and (1985 - 1994).

Page earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Natal University in South Africa in 1979. After graduating, he served in the South African Navy, and worked as a construction and design engineer for five years before earning an MBA from the University of Cape Town 1986 and a PhD from the same university in 1993. He has also spent a number of years as an investment professional and portfolio advisor for Investec Asset Management (South Africa) (1998-2002).