Alumni Spotlight: Villanova Dean Builds On Smith Phd Experience

Patrick Maggitti, PhD ’06, has always had a lifelong passion for learning — a passion he uses daily as dean of Villanova University’s School of Business. 

“Having such high quality training made me a great scholar and teacher,” Maggitti says of his education from Smith. “Ultimately that’s what got me noticed to be dean at Villanova. The PhD Strategic Management program at Maryland is top five in the world. To have the opportunity to study under the world’s best management scholars was an incredible experience.” 

As dean, Maggitti is a firm believer in the strength and relevance of business education, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level. 

“Business majors learn a very practical and applied discipline,” he says. “They have a lot of opportunities to get real world experience, which makes companies want to hire them.” 

His responsibilities as dean include educating business undergraduates and maintaining a high job placement rate. At a time when many college graduates struggle to find jobs, he says students who have majored in business are better off. 

“There are jobs in business,” he says. “And those jobs pay well.” 

Maggitti spends much of his time as dean networking, making sure Villanova students have close connections between the classroom and real world. “Those connections — the network — are so important for students’ continued success,” he says. 

Maggitti also manages fundraising and the updating of facilities with new technology. He says his PhD in strategic management helps him effectively run the business school. “The actual discipline itself has helped me be a better manager and run a pretty sizeable organization effectively in the scholarly capacity,” he says. /CG/