Frankly Speaking: Dean Frank Hodge
“Coach” Frank Hodge enters his second term as Dean
As Frank Hodge prepares for his second term as Dean of the Foster School of Business, he applies a principle he’s learned from being a lifelong athlete.
“If you don’t have a strong core, you’re going to find yourself off balance much of the time,” Hodge says, in reference to both physical and mental challenges as well as leadership in general.
Over the summer, Hodge biked in the Sierra Nevada mountains. While climbing up the awe-inspiring peaks, he thought through the final details of Foster’s new strategic plan, which will provide guidance over the next three years.
“The strategic plan is about strengthening our core,” he explains. “How can we better support students? How can our operations be more efficient? How will we strengthen relationships with alumni, the business community, and underserved communities? Working on these will strengthen our core to provide us the stability to extend our reach.”
Navigating Unexpected Challenges
Hodge’s first term was distinguished by several advances at the school, including introducing a successful business minor and debuting an Environmental, Social, and Governance Leadership Specialization. It was also a tumultuous few years in which Hodge presided over a community adjusting to a historic pandemic, the rise of artificial intelligence, and political and social change.
“When I started my deanship, I knew challenges would arise. I just didn’t know that they would be historic in magnitude,” he says. Hodge notes that navigating these challenges requires the same vital skill set the school emphasizes for its students.
“It’s essential to have a commitment to continuous learning, to be adaptable to meet whatever challenge arises, and to have a deep sense of responsibility to care for others,” he explains. “That’s important for us to maximize what we are doing and for our students.”
Cultivating the Most In-Demand Skills
As an accounting department faculty member of 24 years, Hodge believes Foster’s greatest strength is the faculty’s commitment to growing students’ passion for learning, building on each student’s desire to make a difference. Foster faculty build a culture of continuous learning and adaptation in the face of change that emphasizes personal relationships, empathy, and helping others.
According to Hodge, there isn’t one skill that students should hone—that “golden ticket.” Rather, he emphasizes the need for lifelong, continuous learning.
“The skill that’s most in demand in the workplace is a desire to always be learning and to be adaptable to change,” explains Hodge. “At Foster, our students are learning to adapt to change and embrace it.”
Foster is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the country. This, combined with the school’s strong employment rates for new graduates, provides compelling evidence that Foster is successfully preparing the next generation of Huskies to thrive in their careers.
In speaking to the return on investment that business education offers, Hodge says, “If we think of education only as the acquisition of a specific set of skills to accomplish a given job, then we are an expensive way to do that. But education is about so much more than just skill acquisition. It is about nurturing and growing as a person and a member of society … what we offer here is skill acquisition and a life-altering opportunity.”
First-term Highlights and Priorities Going Forward
Reflecting on the highlights of his first term, one of the many points of pride that Hodge cites is the work of the Consulting and Business Development Center. The Center uses an innovative approach that combines student career development with the support of underserved businesses across Washington.
Hodge has also demonstrated a deep commitment to creating an inclusive community. Associate Dean for Inclusion & Diversity, M. Michelle Purnell-Hepburn, cites Hodge as a thoughtful leader who “walks the talk” in creating a welcoming environment for everyone.
Hodge’s priorities in his second term include a commitment to expanding the school’s role as a leader in innovation and sustainability. He was instrumental in the design of Founders Hall, the school’s newest building. Founders Hall was constructed with cross-laminated timber, achieving a 76% reduction in cumulative carbon emissions. It uses 70% less energy and 50% less water than a traditional building. He also supported the creation of the UW Climate Risk Lab at Foster, which harnesses data and machine learning to model climate-related business risks. These initiatives are a small subset of the many examples of Foster living its purpose to better humanity through business.
A Personal Purpose Statement
In Hodge’s view, purpose statements aren’t just for institutions.
“We, as a school, have a purpose statement, which I highlighted in my introductory letter. I am proud to have played a role in creating it. I also have a personal purpose statement that I’ve worked on and sharpened over many years. I’ve used it to guide my career.”
Hodge pauses. He began his academic career as an accounting professor. He is empathetic and compassionate but not prone to be overly emotional. Nonetheless, his voice changes tone when he continues.
“My purpose as a faculty member and leader is to inspire and enable others to achieve a level of success they would not have achieved on their own.”
“And that’s where the nickname ‘Coach’ comes from. I played basketball in college, and I wasn’t the star of the team; I was known for making those around me better and bringing teammates together so that collectively, we were better than simply the sum of our parts.”
That objective has guided Hodge from his days as a college athlete to his current position.
Hodge didn’t initially aspire to be a dean. Instead, his career has organically evolved, with the common thread of helping others excel.
“If I have a gift, it is to bring people together to excel in ways they never thought possible, to help make their dreams a reality. As a faculty member, you do that in the classroom. As department chair, I got to do that for the Accounting faculty. Eventually, when asked if I would consider leading Foster as the next dean, I thought about what I could offer. How many people can I help achieve their dreams? Every day I’m in this role, helping people achieve their dreams, is a good day. That’s how I measure success. That is how I see myself making a difference in the world.”
