University of Portland makes history with selection
Dr. Michael DeVaughn PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND
Dr. Michael DeVaughn, an experienced teacher, scholar and administrator will make history as the first African American to oversee the business degree programs at the University of Portland.
After a search for a new leader, DeVaughn was selected to become the new dean for undergraduate and graduate programs in the Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. School of Business, located in north Portland. The appointment was announced by the university last week to become effective on July 1.
Most recently, DeVaughn served the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. But he already was a member of the University of Portland community as the parent of a student who attended the catholic college.
“UP’s educational and mission-centered excellence has been on my radar for years, ever since my son was an undergraduate there,” he said in a news release.
University of Portland President Mark L. Poorman said DeVaughn is coming to the school with a deep appreciation for the strength of its educational offerings and the richness of the UP community.
Poorman said he was impressed with DeVaughn’s “passion for the university’s Catholic and Holy Cross missions, his dedication to matters of equity and inclusion, and his commitment to business education rooted in the liberal arts.”
DeVaughn received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his M.B.A. from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His scholarship has centered on organizational learning and entrepreneurship, as well as the delivery of business education.
Prior to joining St. Thomas, he served on the faculty at the University of Minnesota and enjoyed a successful career in the private sector with corporations including Ralston Purina, PepsiCo, and Fleet Financial Group (now Bank of America).