USC appoints Missouri business school dean as provost

Joan Gabel, dean of the University of Missouri business school, was appointed provost at the University of South Carolina on Tuesday.

She will become the state flagship university’s second-ranking administrator on Aug. 24 if she wins approval from the board of trustees next month.

Gabel, 47, succeeds Michael Amiridis, who left after six years in March to become chancellor at University of Illinois at Chicago.

Her compensation was not announced. Amiridis received $423,000 a year at USC before leaving.

The provost oversees academics for 16 schools and colleges of USC’s main Columbia campus and the school’s four two-year campuses.

USC interim provost Helen Doerpinghaus will continue to serve as senior vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, the school said.

Gabel topped three other finalists: David Brennen, University of Kentucky’s law school dean; Chaden Djalali, University of Iowa’s liberal arts dean; and Kate Miller, Texas A&M University’s geosciences dean.

In announcing the choice, USC President Harris Pastides cited Gabel’s leadership in Missouri as well as “her reputation as a consensus builder who can shepherd positive change,” the school said.

“As the University of South Carolina takes on greater statewide, national and global leadership roles, it is imperative that our new provost bring the advanced skills and vision necessary to keep our remarkable momentum moving forward,” Pastides said. “Joan Gabel is that person.”

Gabel has South Carolina connections.

Her family owns a Charleston-area coastal home. Her husband, Gary, graduated from Spring Valley High School in Columbia. A sister-in-law graduated from USC.

Gabel, who was raised in Atlanta, earned a philosophy degree from Haverford College in 1988 and a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1993, according to her resume.

Gabel was an attorney at two Atlanta law firms for three years in the mid-1990s when she decided to teach legal studies at Georgia State University.

“I love higher education, not only because you are surrounded by highly intelligent, passionate people, but also because it's a place where ideas become reality with a true multiplier effect,” she said in a statement. “We prepare students for success, we answer questions and we positively impact our community at home and around the world — where else can you say that?"

She taught business law at Florida State University’s business school before becoming chairwoman of its real estate/insurance/legal studies department. She also was editor of the American Business Law Journal during her time in Tallahassee.

Gabel became the dean at Missouri’s Trulaske College of Business in 2010.

She has helped with development and fundraising for a new $22 million applied learning center at the business school building. Gabel was named a “shining star” among women business school administrators by The Wall Street Journal in 2012.

“All of higher education, and especially public higher education, is undergoing rapid change,” she said. “It’s a very competitive landscape and there are many challenges. But there are also opportunities that we can take advantage of to ensure that students receive the best education possible and faculty can continue to expand their research impact."

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 1:59 PM with the headline "USC appoints Missouri business school dean as provost."