Binghamton University is continuing to grieve the loss of Upinder Dhillon, the recently retired dean of the School of Management (SOM).
On Thursday, BU held a memorial service in honor of Dhillon. The dean, who passed away in April from advanced-stage cancer, was at the helm of SOM for 21 years out of his 35-year career at BU. At the service, BU President Harvey Stenger was joined by Dhillon’s colleagues, friends and family.
Dhillon first became associated with BU in 1987, after visiting the University as an assistant professor of finance from Louisiana State University. That same year, Dhillon joined BU as an assistant professor, eventually becoming an associate professor of finance in 1993. In 1997, he became a finance coordinator, later completing his career as a professor and Koffman Scholar of finance, as well as the dean of SOM.
According to Stenger, Dhillon inspired the University with his accomplishments.
“All of us were lucky enough to have someone like [Dhillon] in our lives,” Stenger said. “Of course, [Dhillon’s] accomplishments as the dean of the [SOM] are broad, numerous and legendary. Under his leadership, [SOM] gained national prominence as a top-50 business program. And this year, for the first time, the school is recognized as a top-10 public business program.”
Dhillon earned many awards throughout his career, including the Chancellor’s award for Excellence in teaching, the Corning award for outstanding research and the Chicago Board of Trade award for best paper in futures and options. In his time at BU, Dhillon contributed to SOM’s ranking as one of the country’s top-10 management programs.
Subimal Chatterjee, distinguished professor of marketing and area chair of analytics in SOM, was the fourth speaker at the memorial. He said his relationship with Dhillon, who he knew for over two decades, was memorable, and that he will always cherish the lessons the dean taught him.
“We work for something bigger than ourselves,” Chatterjee said. “That is the most valuable lesson [Dhillon] taught me. And to [Dhillon], that was unquestionably, his love for the [SOM]. And when you watched him about his lessons and leadership, that’s all you could see. Love for the school. And if you love the school, easy or hard, you will make all the right choices.”
Also among the speakers were Krishnaswami Srihari, the dean of the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, Laurie Norell, SOM’s senior director of development and members of Dhillon’s family.
Shelley Dionne, the current dean of SOM, had worked alongside Dhillon as an associate dean for four years. Dionne said she feels inspired by Dhillon, and credited him for the program’s improvement.
“[Dhillon] touched the lives of so many students and colleagues,” Dionne wrote in an email. “We felt it was important to bring the campus community together to honor his legacy and the impact he made on SOM. [Dhillon] recognized that SOM had the potential to be a top-tier business school, and he brought the school to new heights over the course of his 21-year deanship. He had a real passion for the SOM and [the University’s] community, and we will never forget him.”
At the end of the service, a reception was held outside the Anderson Center, where hundreds of students and campus and community members gathered to remember the late dean.
Jaiden Price, a member of the Dean’s Mentoring Program (DMP) and a junior majoring in business administration, said the DMP was influenced by Dhillon, who often engaged with the program.
“The DMP’s E-Board is grateful to have been touched by Dean Dhillon’s warm personality and inspiring positivity,” Price wrote in an email. “He played an instrumental role in forming this program and impacting innumerable lives. He was generous enough to share his time and knowledge each semester to individually mentor our mentees. His memory empowers us to continue to give back to the SOM community through the Dean’s Mentoring Program.”
Before the service came to an end, Dhillon’s son spoke on behalf of the dean and his family. Dhillon said his father felt close to the community at BU, which has always been a second home for his family.
“In fact, through this ordeal, the only time I saw him visibly emotional was as he signed his retirement papers,” Dhillon said. “Dad was always a man of great resolve. In a few words, I think if he were here, he would want all of you to know that you were much more to him than colleagues or friends. This campus will always feel like an extension of our home, and all of you will always be family.”