Pelly Announced as Dean of CBI

Written By: Rachel Putman

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith has named Dr. Duncan Pelly dean of the College of Business and Industry, bringing to the university an academic leader with deep international experience in accreditation, entrepreneurship, corporate partnerships, and regional economic development.

Pelly will begin his role August 10. He comes to UAFS from Fisk University, where he served as co-dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Business, and Mathematics, Cal Turner Endowed Chair of Business Administration, and tenured professor. His leadership has included work supporting faculty research, institutional advancement and administration, student affairs, budgeting, hiring, enrollment, and student retention.  He earned his PhD from the emlyon business school in France and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, triple majoring in international relations, French, and German. 

“I am truly excited to welcome Dr. Duncan Pelly as the next Dean of the College of Business and Industry,” said Dr. Ray Green, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “His energy, collaborative spirit, innovative thinking, and accreditation experience is the perfect formula for continuing to unlock the college’s potential. I am confident that our students and external partners will benefit greatly from the skills that he brings with him.”

Pelly said he was drawn to UAFS by its people, its relationship with the Fort Smith region and its ability to respond quickly to industry needs.

“The thing I’m most excited about is the people at UAFS,” he said. “I was so impressed with the quality of the students and the quality of the faculty. It’s impressive. All the staff, including the cabinet members are so enthusiastic.”

The College of Business and Industry’s prominent role in supporting the River Valley reflects the kind of university-community partnership Pelly has valued throughout his work.

“When it comes to the town and gown relationship, when it comes to the Peak Innovation Center, when it comes to the dedication of faculty,” he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen or even heard of anything quite as unique and quite as special as UAFS. That’s what really drew me here.”

The college’s signature academic program, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, was particularly inspirational. 

“The manufacturing piece that you have at UAFS, I mean, that was one of the most exciting things about the position,” Pelly said. “I have never seen or even heard of anything on this scale before. It just, it took my breath away.”

Funded by nearly $7 million in grant and private support and developed in lockstep with regional employers, the program represents what UAFS does best as a regional public university – serving its community.

“As universities, we have deep obligations to our communities,” Pelly said, “And UAFS is living that.”

Academic History

Prior to his most recent deanship at Fisk University, Pelly held leadership roles at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, and California State University, Los Angeles. 

At McMurry, Pelly served as department head of the Johnson School of Business, director of international programs, Shoop Endowed Associate Professor, director of the Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, and director of international business programs. He developed exchange partnerships with institutions in Estonia, France and Poland and generated opportunities for domestic and international community engagement, including Women’s Entrepreneurship Week. 

His experience at both large and small institutions has shaped his approach to leading well.

“I think in some ways that makes me a great builder of systems, but it also makes me a great trainer of people,” Pelly said. “I think a good leader can not only develop systems but can also develop people.”

Accreditation Philosophy

Pelly has also overseen ACBSP, AACSB, ACS and SACSCOC accreditation processes over the course of his academic career.

This work, he said, is central to his leadership approach because it helps institutions develop systems that are documented, repeatable and measurable.

“If you want to read my mind, look in the accreditation manual,” he said with a laugh.

“I think of it like football in some ways – I played football for eight years – in that the teams that win all the games are not the ones that have the trick plays. They’re the ones that hit the weights hard in the offseason, that run, and practice, and build a solid foundation.”

Pelly said that kind of preparation allows colleges to understand what is working, identify what needs improvement, and effectively make informed decisions.

“The key thing that we want to do with any accreditation organization is make sure that what we do is systematic, documented, repeatable, and analyzable,” Pelly said. “That’s important because it allows us to understand what we’re doing well and what we’re not doing as well.”

“It’s what our friends in the corporate world call data-driven decision-making.”

Scholarly Pursuits 

As his career has moved him into administrative roles, Pelly said it’s critical for him to remain active as a scholar.

“I will always write because it’s an extension of my personality,” he said. “I will write ‘til the day I die. Once you start writing, you can’t stop.”

His passion is reflected in the depth and breadth of his work. With an interdisciplinary research focus spanning management, enterprise, anthropology, literature, and behavior, Pelly is a prolific writer, having authored books and articles on entrepreneurship, storytelling, autoethnography, organizational behavior, international business, and higher education. 

“I really believe that we need to write in such a way there’s a benefit to society,” Pelly said. “That requires a slightly different approach to research, but it’s an approach that I have built up over time and found ways to share it with my colleagues”

“The whole point of writing is twofold,” he said. “One, it stimulates our imagination as faculty and encourages us to dream bigger. It keeps our minds sharp. The second reason is that so much of what we do as a university is develop intellectual capital through research and share that intellectual capital through teaching.”

He said publication also signals that faculty members are staying engaged with the best available ideas in their disciplines.

“When you publish anything, book chapters, journal articles, or whatever it is, that is a mark that you are keeping current with your field,” Pelly said.

International Approach

Pelly, whose own education spanned numerous countries and who has presented research across the globe, said he also hopes to support internationalization at UAFS. 

In previous roles, he developed comprehensive Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects to help his students gain international experience even when they are unable to study abroad.

“Young people may not have the opportunity to study abroad for a variety of legitimate reasons,” Pelly said. “But we still want to make sure they have an international component to their education.”

Beyond the research itself, he says students learn critical coordination features through these partnerships. 

“How do you coordinate Zoom when your colleague is in India?” he said. “Well, you’ve got to think about the time changes. And different cultures and societies have very different ways of working.” 

From navigating things like Daylight Savings Time to cultural norms around procrastination the experiences deepen students’ preparedness for the global workforce. 

“Things like this are also really cool for faculty because you meet new international friends, you have the opportunity to make new research partners, it’s just a wonderful experience overall.”

He said international partnerships will be especially useful at UAFS because of the university’s connections with global corporations headquartered in Fort Smith, and the new Foreign Military Sales mission.