In 2002, Ajay Menon was appointed the fourth dean of the college. Menon continued his predecessors’ belief that business has the ability to make a positive difference in the world, and his 13-year tenure was marked by a period of sustained growth and success.
“Our mission, we say, is we are in the business of transforming lives,” Menon, now president and CEO of the Colorado State University Research Foundation, said in 2016. “Business can make a difference. Business and private enterprise are the solutions to the human challenges of our time.”
Menon increased entrepreneurship efforts, renewed the college’s focus on social justice issues, and shepherded it into a period of sustained growth in enrollment and funding. During his tenure, 90% of the college’s graduates were able to secure jobs or other placements within 90 days of commencement, a statistic it maintains today; graduate enrollment grew 116%; and the level of private funding for the college went from less than $230,000 annually in 2002 to an average of $2.5 million per year up to 2006.
Menon, who had served as the state’s first Chief Innovation Officer under Gov. John Hickenlooper, also spearheaded the construction of Rockwell Hall West. In the early 2000s, when it was clear that the college needed additional space to support its continued growth, Menon secured funding for the $17.5 million project, including more than $1 million provided by the student body to help fund the construction. Crews broke ground on the 54,600-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified building in 2008, and construction was completed in 2010. Rockwell West added more classroom and office space as well as key business tools such as Bloomberg terminals and a NYSE stock ticker for student use.
“The college community brought the wisdom and talent; [as dean] I’ve simply removed the obstacles, opened avenues, and channeled efforts in positive directions,” Menon said.
