Page 15 - MGA Today - Fall 2016
P. 15
New Provost Brings Fresh Energy
to MGA’s Academic Programs
Dayton, Ohio, where she analyzed “combat- “Although I enjoyed the direct class-
coded” aircraft – which means they are ready for
combat missions – and conducted military opera- room interaction with my students as a
tions planning. Hatch performed similar work at
her next job as an operations research analyst faculty member,” Hatch said, “I can help
with Dynamics Research Corp. (DRC) in Dayton.
impact the success of thousands of
After Congress enacted the 1990 Balanced
Budget Act, DRC downsized and Hatch found students as an administrator.”
herself out of work.
Her last position before arriving at Middle
“I couldn’t find another job in the industry, Georgia State was chancellor of Penn State
even though I had my master’s degree,” Hatch DuBois, where she managed all aspects of
said. “After a great deal of thought, and on the operations, including articulation and execution
advice of my father, I went back to school. I of the campus’s strategic direction. Hatch is
enjoyed the corporate training I did with DRC especially proud of the private fundraising Penn
and thought I would enjoy teaching.” State DuBois success had under her tenure. More
than $12 million was raised for scholarships and
After completing her doctorate in Manage- international travel experiences for students, as
ment Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute well as new classroom and lab equipment.
and State University, she joined Middle Tennessee
State University as an assistant professor of She is confident she can help Middle Georgia
business. She later returned to Ohio to join the State strengthen in those same areas and others.
faculty of Miami University.
“Two of my passions are experiential learning
Among her most satisfying experiences as a and international education,” she said. “I would
professor was having students in an advanced like to create more community partnerships for
computer simulation class come up with solutions students to consult with industry and solve
to a real-world supply chain issue for the pharma- problems or do research. As a long-term goal, I
ceutical company Eli Lilly. Divided into teams, the would like every student to have an international
students presented their solutions to company experience. That might mean study abroad or
representatives, who later told Hatch that some student and faculty exchange programs or
were better than what their own employees had working on projects with students from other
recommended. institutions.”
“Five of my students from that class were Hatch’s hiring at MGA was the result of a
hired by Eli Lilly when they graduated,” she said. nationwide search conducted by Myers McRae
“That was thrilling.” Executive Search and Consulting of Macon. In
addition to the prospect of being able to live
After a faculty mentor suggested she’d be closer to family members in Kennesaw, Ga., and
good at it, Hatch stepped into higher education Charlotte, N.C., Hatch said MGA’s “exciting post-
administration when she took the position of consolidation path” attracted her to the job.
associate dean of the School of Business at Mary-
mount University. She moved on to become “Middle Georgia State did an amazing
business school dean at Indiana Tech, then dean amount of work to become one institution and
of the College of Engineering and Business at then earn university status not long afterward,”
Gannon University. she said. “I’m excited to be part of the evolution.”
Fall 2016 MGA TODAY 15
