Beth Walker, the first woman dean of the College of Business at Colorado State University, announced her retirement in a LinkedIn post Jan. 27. Her two terms at the College of Business marked a major shift not only in the culture of the CSU business program, but in the program’s overall focus.

Walker, who comes from a career in both marketing and higher education, reflected on her time at CSU as the dean of the College of Business.

“What was so different, refreshing, and inspiring to me, given my past experience, was really our students, how smart they are, how hardworking they are,” Walker said. “They know it takes hard work to go places, and they’re willing to put it in.”

Walker’s tenure as dean was marked by a large increase in undergraduate enrollment at the college and by reframing what it means to be a business student at CSU.

“Since we launched (the Business for a Better World initiative), enrollment at the undergraduate level is up 40% since 2020, which is remarkable,” Walker said. “I’m super proud of that.”

Faculty at the College of Business said Walker’s leadership style differed from that of a traditional leader. She acknowledged the importance of being able to make firm decisions and having a great willingness to listen to others.

“In many ways, I’m uncomfortable if my idea is the best idea because I view my role as gathering input from our team, from our students, and from our staff and faculty and then using that to make an informed decision,” Walker said.

Christopher Blocker, a professor in the department of marketing, has worked on many of Walker’s initiatives, including Business for a Better World.

“Dean Walker’s heartfelt concern for everyone in our college has fueled our ability to flourish as an academic community of faculty, staff and students that care for one another,” Blocker said.

Other professors and students in the College of Business touted Walker’s ability to inspire community and collaboration within the college.

Samantha Conroy, an associate professor and the current co-facilitator of the Business for a Better World Fellows Program, said Walker’s leadership has engaged faculty in the college.

“Having faculty who are engaged in this kind of meaningful work and who are eager to mentor undergraduate students has only been possible because of her leadership and direction,” Conroy said.

Students in the College of Business said Walker served as an inspiration to them in terms of leadership.

“Her Business for a Better World initiative has led to positive changes in curriculum, attitudes and perspectives,” business student Piper Bimson said. “Being the first female dean of business paves the way for people of all kinds of identities to find leadership opportunities.”

Walker’s two terms demonstrated a deep commitment to both diversity and progress. With her long tenure at the college, Walker’s impact is far-reaching.

After originally planning to retire after her tenth year as dean, Walker was asked to remain for an additional year to ensure the college was prepared for the shift.

“I mean, 10 years — that’s a long-standing dean,” Walker said. “It just felt like it was time, and that was the plan; however, the provost and the president followed up with me as I was planning to step down after 10 years. … So this is my 11th year, I’m staying on an extra year, and I’m really glad I did.”

As Walker steps back from the College of Business, staff said they are unsure of what the next steps for the college are going to look like.

“We don’t yet know what changes may take place,” Director of Undergraduate Programs Michael Jaramillo said. “It has been a genuine honor and privilege to work with Dean Walker.”

Currently, CSU is finalizing steps to announce the new dean after candidates were interviewed earlier in the year. Walker offered advice for the next dean of the College of Business.

“Learn from the people that are here, learn what’s important to them, learn what their challenges are and help them to find how they can make a difference,” Walker said.

Reach Ella Dorpinghaus at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.