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SALISBURY, MD---In 1996, Christy Harris Weer earned her M.B.A. from the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business. This spring she will be back on the commencement stage, congratulating the Class of 2015 as the school’s new dean.

Weer, who became associate dean of the school in 2011, has served as interim dean since last June. She began her new position in January.

In the role, the Caroline County native hopes to build on the Perdue School’s past successes, including the continued collaboration with local business leaders to provide experiential learning and internship opportunities.

“That is the hallmark of our program,” she said. “We want to make sure our students are prepared for the work environment. We are building future leaders.”

That includes leadership in entrepreneurship, she said. Since 1987, SU students have had the opportunity to fund their business startups through a series of entrepreneur competitions through the Perdue School.

In 2013, the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation Shore Hatchery program expanded that opportunity to all residents of the mid-Atlantic via a $1 million, five-year gift. That same year, ABC Television’s Shark Tank provided even more opportunity for budding entrepreneurs, hosting national auditions for the show at SU’s Perdue Hall.  Exposure like that has helped increase the Perdue School’s visibility beyond the Eastern Shore, Weer said.

As dean, Weer plans to stay connected with SU’s students. A Management and Marketing Department faculty member since 2009 (and before that at Radford University), she has first-hand experience in training the business leaders of tomorrow.

“At the end of the day, it’s about taking them from business students to business professionals,” she said.

Weer earned her Ph.D. in Organization and Strategy from the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University in 2006. Her research interests examine issues related to the work/non-work interface, career development and gender diversity in organizations. She has presented her research at conferences including the Academy of Management Conference and the Work and Family Researchers Network Conference, among others. Her scholarship has been published in academic journals including the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Managerial Psychology and Journal of Organizational Behavior.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.