Dean Alison Davis-Blake announced Tuesday her decision to resign from the position she has held for five years in the Carlson School of Management.
Davis-Blake accepted a deanship set to begin Aug. 22 at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
When she took the job at the University of Minnesota in 2006, Davis-Blake became the Carlson SchoolâÄôs first female dean and the highest-ranking female dean at any U.S. business school.
âÄúThe deanship at the University of Michigan presents a unique professional opportunity for me at this point in my career,âÄù Davis-Blake said in a Carlson School news release.
University Vice President and Provost Tom Sullivan said in a news release that Davis-Blake has helped the Carlson School increase its undergraduate enrollment, private fundraising, and faculty and research infrastructure.
Sullivan will make an announcement in the coming weeks about the search for Davis-BlakeâÄôs replacement, according to the release.
An interim dean for the school has not been announced.
In 2009, Davis-Blake received a base salary of $477,000 âÄî the highest among University administrators, including President Bob Bruininks, according to salary data from that year.
Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Michigan eighth in its 2010 list of best undergraduate business schools. Carlson School was ranked 67th.
Davis-Blake said she is excited to lead one of the âÄútop business schools in the country and the worldâÄù in a news release from the Michigan business school.
âÄúAlison Davis-Blake is a known leader with strong ties to business communities,âÄù University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman said in the release. âÄúHer strengths align perfectly with the mission of the Ross School to train leaders in thought and action.âÄù
A Carlson School spokesman said Davis-Blake was unavailable for comment because she was in a âÄúseries of meetingsâÄù in Michigan.