St. Ambrose dean reaches out to Q-C community

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By John Willard | Saturday, July 05, 2008 |

John Byrne, the new dean of the college of business at St. Ambrose University, tackles his responsibilities with the same vigor he applies to his hobby of competing in extreme sports.

His athletic achievements include finishing a 100-mile foot race across Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

“I believe the biggest obstacle we face is the limit we put on ourselves,” he says.

Byrne, 43, is one of the university’s youngest deans. One of his top goals is to secure accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a distinction shared by only 6 percent of the world’s business colleges. The process takes six to eight years to complete, he said.

The business college, whose roots date back to the university’s founding in 1882, is ready to move in that direction, he said. Nearly 1,200 students, taught by 43 full-time faculty and 80 adjunct professors, are enrolled in the college. In addition to its undergraduate program, it has offered a master’s degree in business administration for 31 years and a doctoral degree in business administration for 11 years.

Another of Byrne’s goals is to open up the college to the community. One of his ideas is to establish a research center where local businesses could get help with problems.

St. Ambrose and its business college already are making inroads to that end with such programs as its recent Organizational Best Practices Conference. The first-time event drew 170 participants representing 40 area businesses, who heard representatives from a half-dozen Fortune 500 companies and several others discuss achieving results through teams.

Byrne also wants to take a global approach to the study of business and to create a climate where faculty and staff collaborate for an intellectually exciting learning experience. “We want to attract and retain students who want a first-rate, quality business education,” he said.

Byrne grew up on a farm in Ryan, Iowa, the 13th of

14 children and the youngest boy. He played varsity football, baseball and basketball and Linn Mar High School in Marion, earned a bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of Notre Dame and worked four years at LaSalle National Bank in Chicago before returning to Iowa in 1991 raise his family. He worked two years in commercial lending at Northwest Bank and Trust Co., Davenport, and in 1993 joined the faculty at St. Ambrose, where he had been an adjunct professor and found that he liked teaching.

Over the next 15 years, he taught 32 courses in the college of business and became a specialist in finance, marketing and management. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University, Chicago, and a doctorate in education from the University of Iowa.

He was a professor of management studies when he was appointed interim dean of the college of business in July 2007. He was encouraged to apply for the permanent position while the university conducted a national search.

Byrne was happy in the classroom but saw opportunity. “I felt confident and ready to move up in the organization,” he said. In February, he was selected the dean of the college, beating out more than 60 candidates who had applied.

Lori Rodrigues-Fisher, the university’s vice president for academic affairs, describes Byrne as a positive, energetic leader. “He has a lot of good ideas and a desire to start with a clean slate and move the college forward to a new era,” she said.

Others share her enthusiasm.

“He is one of those people who makes you think he has never had a bad day,” said Pete McLaughlin, president of McLaughlin Motors in Moline and a member of St. Ambrose’s Business Advisory Council.

Dick Kleine, a retired vice president of quality at Deere & Co. and a member of both the Business Advisory Council and the search committee, said Byrne was chosen over several candidates who were experienced administrators.

“John is a very capable person, full of enthusiasm and has great leadership ability,” he said.

Byrne, his wife of 20 years, Joan, and their five children live in Bettendorf, where he is active in community affairs. He unwinds by participating in rigorous sports.

In 2005, he completed the Leadville Trail 100, “Race Across the Sky,” a 100-mile foot race in Leadville, Colo., in less than 30 hours. Only 45 percent of the entrants finished the run across the Rocky Mountains at altitudes ranging from 9,200 to 12,000 feet. “It was humbling and exhilarating at the same time,” he says.

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