Professor Manuel Laguna has been named associate dean of faculty for the University of Colorado at Boulder's Leeds School of Business.
Laguna, a professor of operations management in the Leeds School, will be responsible for research and technology support, faculty recruiting and evaluation, the doctoral program, faculty retention and resolving faculty issues. He assumed the position Aug. 1, succeeding Professor Ken Kozar.
"My job is to create and maintain the right environment for current and future Leeds faculty to excel," Laguna said. "One of my short-term goals is to motivate my colleagues to work as a team to help the Leeds School of Business become the best in the region and a highly competitive player nationally."
Much of Laguna's research involves developing mathematical models and computer procedures to help businesses operate in the most cost-effective way. In a recent funded project, Laguna and his research colleagues created a computer model showing the best transportation routes for school buses in the province of Burgos in northern Spain. The model determined the most effective way to have the children on the buses for the shortest period of time, while also operating in the most cost-effective manner.
The Leeds School will open its newly expanded and renovated Koelbel Building for the first day of classes on Aug. 27. Construction began on the $38 million expansion and renovation in spring 2006. The expansion adds 65,000 square feet to the existing 100,000-square-foot building.
For more information about the Leeds School visit leeds.colorado.edu/.