No. The school is not being launched immediately. Under the leadership of a dual chair, a phased, faculty-driven process will determine when and how a unified School of Economics will be created. This process will take time and may evolve over the next several years based on faculty input and shared governance, following university policies.

There is no fixed timeline. The pace of integration will depend on the outcomes of collaborative planning led by the new chair with the faculty of both units. Some elements may change quickly with agreement, while others may take longer to align.

Very little will change immediately. Faculty will retain their current appointments, reporting lines and evaluation processes. Curriculum approvals and degree requirements will continue to flow through existing college-level channels. Pay, research budgets, offices and related resources will not be affected in the 2025-26 academic year.

A new leader will be appointed to chair both the Department of Economics and the QAMO Division. That individual will be responsible for working with faculty to develop a plan for transitioning to a unified School of Economics. The search is expected to conclude in early fall 2025, with the position filled by October 1. The search committee is co-chaired by Claudia Geist, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies, and Bill Hesterly, Chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy and Dumke Family Presidential Chair in Strategic Management in the David Eccles School of Business. Other committee members are Paul Eliason (Associate Professor, QAMO), Thomas Maloney (Professor and Chair, Economics), Ellis Scharfenaker (Associate Professor, Economics) and Jason Synder (Professor, QAMO).

The current chairs of Economics and QAMO are expected to play important roles during the transition and will work with the new chair to support faculty, staff and students.

Yes. The two departments will remain separate academic units for the time being. The new chair will oversee both units, but faculty appointments, curricula and governance processes will continue to follow existing policies within each department.

Curriculum changes will continue to follow current departmental and college-level approval processes. The new chair may help facilitate greater coordination between the two units, but no immediate changes will be made to course requirements or degree structures without appropriate review and faculty input.

Faculty appointments and retention, promotion and tenure (RPT) processes will remain unchanged. Each unit will continue to follow its established evaluation policies. The new chair will work with faculty to support research, teaching and service goals.

Faculty will lead the development of the integrated School of Economics. The new chair will be charged with facilitating a collaborative, faculty-driven process to create a shared vision and implementation plan for the new school.