School of Business fills key leadership vacancies

Summer resignations of two program directors in Augustana University’s School of Business prompted a last-minute push to fill key leadership roles just weeks before classes began.

Raymond Leach, the inaugural director of the fintech program, and Scott Schmidt, director of the Master of Arts in Sports Administration and Leadership program, both stepped down over the summer. To fill the sudden vacancies, the university appointed new faculty to oversee course instruction and program development.

For many students and program assistants who worked closely with the departed faculty, the news came as an unexpected shock.

Junior Tyler Brenna, a double major in strategic communications and sports management, learned of Schmidt’s departure over the summer after seeing a social media post about Schmidt’s family relocating to St. Cloud, Minnesota. Schmidt accepted a position at St. Cloud State University while his wife, Jennifer Jacobs, resigned after nine seasons as Augustana’s head volleyball coach to join the Minnesota State High School League.

“I saw his wife found a new job, so I texted him and sure enough he was on his way to St. Cloud,” Brenna said, adding that he and Schmidt had grown close during a trip to Italy last J-term. Brenna said he only found out about his new academic advisor after checking his myAugie portal shortly before classes began.

Some fintech majors faced a similar experience. Senior Meriem Abdulhafiz, a program assistant who conducted research alongside Leach, said the sudden vacancy left students with questions about what comes next.

“I was not aware that Dr. Leach was planning to leave Augustana, so it was a surprise when I found out,” Abdulhafiz said. “Dr. Leach was a big part of the program, so having someone take over and continue building the program will be important. Since the change happened so suddenly, having clear communication and someone leading the program would probably help students feel more comfortable about what comes next.”

Stepping into the fintech leadership role is Md Jobaer Hossain.

Hossain joined Augustana as an assistant professor of finance shortly before fall term. While overseeing fintech was not his original plan, Hossain said his interest in the program during his interview led Roxanne Stevens, dean of the School of Business, to recruit him as the new director. 

Hossain, whose research focuses on financial technologies and data analytics, is currently co-teaching core classes — including Principles of fintech — alongside fellow finance professor Cathy Marsh. He expressed enthusiasm for the regional growth of the fintech industry and said he is already reviewing curriculum to incorporate evolving industry trends.

“I’ve only been here a month, but with some time I’m trying to incorporate some new courses,” Hossain said. “Technology is always changing, and that necessitates the course curriculum be updated to incorporate those changes.”

Dan Cravens joined the faculty on Aug. 18 to manage the sports administration and leadership program as well as general management and marketing. Cravens is a former law graduate and business administration professor who previously taught at Missouri Southern State University.

Like Hossain, Cravens said he plans to conduct a full curriculum review to ensure the program remains closely aligned with employer demands. He also recently finished hiring adjunct faculty with direct industry experience to maintain specialized instruction in sports management.

“What’s nice about that is we’re able to bring in folks in the community to teach, and a lot of the time they’re actually Augustana graduates who are working in the field,” Cravens said. “That helps facilitate a nice talent pipeline for our graduates.”

While both programs have secured instructional coverage for the semester, students emphasize that long-term stability and leadership remain critical — particularly for fintech, which was launched as an interdisciplinary major at Augustana in 2023.

Despite the administrative shifts, some students still maintain ties with the former directors.

“For one of my marketing classes with Dr. Willard, we’re working on a big marketing scheme project, and my group is working directly with Scott and his new book,” Brenna said. “So we’re still in contact, and I hope it stays that way because he is a great role model.”