LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Michael J. Urick as the Dean of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government, effective July 1, 2022. The appointment was made by Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., President of Saint Vincent College, with the approval of the Chancellor of the College, Father Martin Bartel, O.S.B., Archabbot.

Dr. Urick is a Professor of Management and Operational Excellence and has been a member of the Saint Vincent College faculty since 2012.

“I am so excited to work with all of the faculty, staff, alumni, administrators and local organizations to help provide the greatest educational experience that we can,” stated Urick. “I am most excited to work with each one of our amazing students to try and serve their needs as best as I can.”

“Dr. Urick has served faithfully for many years as a faculty member, attaining the rank of full professor through excellent teaching and significant research and publishing,” said Father Paul. “With these talents and his insight for leadership, he is fully equipped to lead the McKenna School as the new dean. I have confidence in Michael and offer him and the McKenna School my encouragement and support.”

Urick received his PhD in Management (organizational behavior focus) from the University of Cincinnati. His MBA (focused in human resources management) and MS (in leadership and business ethics) are both from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and his bachelor’s degree in accounting with management and English minors is from Saint Vincent College. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses related to organizational behavior, human resources, communication, conflict, organizational culture, operations and research methods.

The Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence program at Saint Vincent, which Urick directed for nearly 10 years prior to his role as Dean, focuses on providing aspiring leaders with cutting edge management techniques to effectively problem solve, minimize waste and continuously improve their organizations. Under his directorship, the program was consistently ranked as a “Top 50 Best Value Master’s in Management” program by Value Colleges and as a “Top Online Non-MBA Business Graduate Degree” by US News and World Report.

Urick is Six Sigma Green Belt certified, diversity management certified, project management essentials certified, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator certified and is a certified conflict manager in addition to certified through the Society for Human Resource Management as well as the True Lean program at the University of Kentucky. Among other pedagogical honors, he is the recipient of an “Excellence in Teaching” award from the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, the “Quentin Schaut Faculty Award” from Saint Vincent College and a “Teaching Excellence” award from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. Internationally, Urick was also recognized by the Institute for Supply Management as a “Person of the Year” in the learning and education category.

Urick is an associate editor of the “Journal of Leadership and Management” based in Poland and the North American associate editor of the “Measuring Business Excellence” journal. He is also the editor for the “Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture” book series from Emerald Publishing.

His research interests include leadership, conflict and identity in the workplace. Much of his work focuses on issues related to intergenerational phenomena within organizations. He also often examines how popular culture can be used to advance organizational behavior theory. In addition to authoring or co-authoring more than 50 publications including multiple books and peer-reviewed articles, he has regularly presented at academic and practitioner international meetings such as the Academy of Management, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Institute for Supply Management conferences. Urick is a regular speaker on age-related issues in the workplace throughout the US and internationally (having presented on four continents) and served as a consultant on issues related to workplace interactions, organizational culture and ethics for various organizations. Dr. Urick has served as a reviewer for a variety of academic publications including the “Journal of Intergenerational Relationships,” the “Journal of Social Psychology,” the “Journal of Organizational Behavior” and the “Journal of Family Issues” as well as for the Organizational Behavior and Human Resources divisions of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in addition to other conferences.

Urick has served on the boards of ISM-Pittsburgh (in various roles, including president) and the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival (a top-rated community event). He has also served on the Westmoreland Human Resources Association (a regional SHRM chapter) board in various positions including vice president. Prior to academia, Urick worked in a variety of roles related to auditing, utilities, environmental issues and training and development. Through these experiences, Dr. Urick became fascinated with interactions in the workplace and how they might be improved, which has influenced his academic career.

PHOTO: Dr. Michael J. Urick

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