Dean emeritus of Business College has great affinity for UM-St. Louis
Doug and Tauna Durand attended a UM-St. Louis event last spring.
They endowed the Durand Family Scholarship and Douglas E. Durand Award
for Research Excellence in the College of Business Administration.
Doug Durand's first encounter with the University of Missouri-St. Louis occurred in the late 1960s when he was hired as an instructor of management for the School of Business (now known as the "College of Business Administration"). Durand was completing his doctoral dissertation. He said he thought his time at UM-St. Louis would be limited, but little did he know he was just beginning a career at the university that would last nearly 20 years.
"I originally thought I would move on after my dissertation was complete, but I found I was captured by the potential of the university, and I decided to stay for several more years," Durand said.
After 12 years at UM-St. Louis, Durand accepted positions at other universities to initiate new program efforts there. He worked at the University of Colorado Denver, University of South Carolina in Columbia and Missouri State University in Springfield before returning to UM-St. Louis in 1998.
"Coming back to the university as dean of the College of Business Administration was nostalgic for me," he said. "I was coming back to a campus and faculty I knew, and I was enthusiastic about it because I believed we could accomplish exciting things for the college."
As dean of the business college from 1998 to 2003, Durand instituted many projects, including the installation of a doctoral program in information systems. This program was a personal goal early on, as was improving the image and increasing the visibility of the college.
Durand said national rankings of university programs, such as those released by U.S. News & World Report, can be crucial, so he began working with others to enhance the local and national reputation of the business college.
"I knew we had a quality, accredited business program at UM-St. Louis," Durand said. "It became clear to me that we needed to present it in a way that allowed it to shine. This was the reason to pursue the national rankings, to show that we offer the same quality programs as other universities. We just do it more effectively and with fewer resources."
For the last five years, the university's International Business Program has been ranked in U.S. News & World Report's list of the top 20 undergraduate international business programs in the country.
After retiring from UM-St. Louis, Durand said he enjoyed staying connected to the campus, and he remains proud of his affiliation.
"When I had the opportunity to make contributions, I really wanted to work with the university and the people I knew and trusted," he said. "I started and finished my career at UM-St. Louis, and now I want to be helpful in whatever way I can."
Durand and Tauna, his wife, endowed the Durand Family Scholarship in spring 2007. They also endowed the Douglas E. Durand Award for Research Excellence in the College of Business Administration. The annual award recognizes the outstanding research of a tenure-track faculty member in the business college.
Durand said it's important to recognize faculty and students in public higher education.
"The faculty and students at UM-St. Louis are terrific, and they warrant support," he said. "Having been around both for many years, I really appreciate people who work hard, and I want to encourage and support those who are applying themselves diligently to reach their goals."
© 2008 University of Missouri-St. Louis