KUADMINISTRATION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, August 16, 1995
11D
Acting dean to be good for business
Sarowski has real-world plans for school despite one-year term
By Luby Montano-Laurel
Kansan Staff Writer
As a kid he was a nerd, as a teenager he was a book worm, and today at 55 years old, he is the acting dean of KU's School of Business.
Tom Sarowski was not a rough-and-tumble kid. Although he liked to play with his brothers and sisters in the family's Detroit home, he said that he preferred to read books in his soare time.
Now, from his roomy office full of old students' files, the gray-haired man shook his head and smiled as he recalled his family's more difficult times.
Sarowskd's parents had very little education, and his mother and father always encouraged him to finish college and get a degree.
"My parents instilled us with strong values," he said. "They always said that if we were to do our best, everything would fall in to place."
And so it did. In 1963 he got a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the Detroit Institute of Technology. And in 1964 he finished his masters of science in industrial administration at Purdue University.
Sarowls said that after he finished his college career, he got all of his business experience from working 26 years at the prestigious Andersen Consulting Co. firm.
In 1991, he joined the KU School of Business faculty and has been teaching classes in management information systems.
"He will make a great acting dean because of his valuable work experience," said David E. Shulenburger, vice chancellor of academic affairs. "We are lucky to have such an experienced lecturer."
Shulenburger said that the business school didn't have a permanent dean because the two most qualified candidates from the job pool had not accepted the offer.
Shulenburger said that the search would begin again next fall, and by next summer the KU School
But he said that for now, the school had an outstanding leader.
of Business should have a new dean.
"We are really excited that he agreed to this offer," Shulenburger said of Sarowski. "Tom has unique qualities."
Students also admire Sarowski. Some students said that he was a hard and demanding lecturer, but they all agreed that he was excellent.
"He was really a great instructor," Dan Botz, Salina sophomore, said. "I loved his realistic attitude."
Bozt took a business class with Sarowski last semester. He said that the class was hard but having a good lecturer as a teacher helped.
"Most of the classes he teaches have a real-world perspective." Botz said. "Sometimes students can't learn with just a book. Sarowskd has been working in the field for many years."
Although Sarowski moved to a new office and higher position, his co-workers said that he was still the same "Tom" as before.
"I don't see him as often now because of his new job," said Catherine Shenoy, assistant professor at the school. "Even now that he has a higher position, he still is the same guy."
Saroski said that his new job had not changed his personality among friends and co-workers.
"My doors are always open, and I hope that every one still looks at me the same," Sarowski said. "But I know that because of my new responsibilities, I don't spend as much time with my family and friends as I used to."
Sarowski said his wife, Nancy, and kids, David, Michael, and Juli, understood his new demands within the school.
"I am lucky that my family is receptive to this," he said. "I work from 60 to 70 hours a week, and I don't spend much time at home."
Some of Sarowski's future plans for the coming year include making changes to the MBA and undergraduate programs as well as putting more emphasis in graduate students' teamwork.
"Although I am here for only a year, I hope to make some positive changes," Sarowski said. "We will all learn a lot from each other."
Tom Sarowski, acting dean of KU's School of Business, hasn't changed his personality despite his promotion in position and office space, business colleagues said. Edmee Rodriguez / KANSAN
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