University Times

The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business has named Dennis Slevin the inaugural holder of the Tom W. Olofson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies.

Slevin, a professor of business administration, will lead the initiative to enhance entrepreneurship instruction.

The chair was established by alumnus Tom Olofson and his wife, Jeanne, who donated $1.5 million to the University.

Katz Dean John T. Delaney said, “By preparing students to participate in new ventures and teaching them an entrepreneurial mindset, we are equipping them to be the next Carnegie or Westinghouse. Dennis Slevin is the ideal person to lead our entrepreneurship initiative. He is a recognized scholar in entrepreneurship, has great business experience, and is well connected to our region’s venture businesses. His efforts have already expanded opportunities for students and strengthened our links with the businesses community.”

Slevin’s academic interests revolve around entrepreneurship and project implementation. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Project Management, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and Journal of Business Venturing, among others. He is a member of the Academy of Management, the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Project Management Institute.

He earned his PhD in business administration at Stanford, his SMIA from Carnegie Mellon University, a BS from MIT, and a BA from St. Vincent College.

Olofson is chair and CEO of Epiq Systems, a software company based in Kansas City, Kan., that is a provider of technology-based products and services for the legal industry. He acquired the business in 1988 and managed it as a private entrepreneurial firm until he took the company public in 1997.

Pitt named Olofson a Legacy Laureate in 2000; the Katz school named him a Distinguished Alumnus in 1997.