The Smith School of Business kicked off the New Year with a leadership change, welcoming a new Dean with nearly 23 years of experience across the University.
Lynnette Purda was appointed as interim dean for the Smith School of Business for an 18-month term, starting this past January. This appointment follows a steady rise through the School of Business, from Assistant Professor to Professor, then Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and now, Interim Dean. The role opened after former Dean, Wanda Costen, stepped down to pursue a role as the provost and vice-president (academic) at Dalhousie University.
Purda obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba and received a PhD in finance from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the intersection of finance and other fields like ing and law. In an interview with The Journal, she shared how her interdisciplinary approach to research provides a unique lens for examining issues like corporate fraud.
READ MORE: Wanda Costen steps down as Dean of the Smith School of Business
“[I’ve] had lots of really great past collaborations with people in the law school, or economics, or even computing sciences, when we’re thinking about how we can actually do a better job of detecting some of the potential frauds that we see,” Purda said.
Highlighting Smith’s strengths, she emphasized the Business School’s extensive graduate offerings and diverse programs. She highlighted the Master of Finance Toronto-based program—also offered in Beijing—which is designed for working professionals. Still considered a full-time program, classes are only held once weekly and on one additional day on alternating weekends.
“Our undergrad program is four years and they’re here in Kingston, but we have students that are working and doing our professional programs part-time, some are more virtual, some are more on-site, so there’s a huge range of different ways that we look to engage with different student audiences,” Purda said.
Purda outlined room for improvement, citing that, at times, the business curriculum can lag behind the current state of the world. She added that programs like their Master of Financial Innovation & Technology, which looks at various ways technology and finance intersect through things like cryptocurrency, can make it hard for content to keep up with the changing times.
“[I’ve] had lots of really great past collaborations with people in the law school, or economics, or even computing sciences, when we’re thinking about how we can actually do a better job of detecting some of the potential frauds that we see,” Purda said.
The School of Business offers a Certificate in Business, which students can complete by taking six introductory business courses. Purda explained that while this certificate often receives interest from students, those with packed schedules oftentimes can’t fit it into their schedules.
She explained how Smith Business is now looking at offering more of these courses online, allowing students more freedom to enroll in the certificate without having to worry about scheduling conflicts.
Purda encourages students who’d like to voice any concerns they might have to make them through the appropriate channels, whether that be student government or directly to committees dependent on the issue.
Her time as Dean will end in June 2026, when another interim or permanent individual will need to be appointed to the Smith School of Business.
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