SMLR Info

The following message from Chancellor Conway was sent to the Rutgers–New Brunswick community commending Dean Adrienne Eaton on her distinguished service as Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations and contributions to Rutgers University in this role over the past seven years, and announcing plans for a search for the next Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations. 

Dear Rutgers University–New Brunswick Community,

I write to share the news that Dean Adrienne Eaton has decided to step down as Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) effective June 30, 2024, at which point she will have completed seven years of exemplary service as leader of the school.

Dean Eaton will assist my office in the immediate, nationwide search for her successor, which will begin in Fall 2023.

Dr. Eaton became Dean of SMLR in July 2018, after serving as Interim Dean beginning in July 2017. She also serves as Distinguished Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations and remains active in research. As Dean, she has led the establishment of diversity initiatives including the creation of the school’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, the creation of the position of Associate Dean for DEI, and the creation and implementation of the school’s DEI Strategic Plan. She has led SMLR to regularly exceed its goals in development, including by securing SMLR’s first multimillion-dollar legacy gift; two large, endowed scholarship funds; and more than $10 million between 2020 and 2022. She recruited 11 new faculty, six of whom were supported with university diversity funds, and revived the Human Resources Management department, which had been rapidly losing senior faculty. She has worked to expand targeted study-abroad opportunities for SMLR students and increase their use, including through financial support; breathed new life into the Rutgers Center for Women and Work by recruiting a new faculty director and executive director; and led the development of the Future of Work Roundtable, which has led to new collaborations between SMLR and STEM faculty including successful grant applications; among other accomplishments.

Before serving as Dean, Dr. Eaton served SMLR in various leadership roles including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Chair of the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations; Director of the Labor Extension Program; Acting Director of the Ph.D. Program in Industrial Relations and Human Resources; and Director of Credit Programs in the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations.

Please join me in thanking Dean Eaton for leading SMLR through many successes that have benefited our students, the State of New Jersey, and the nation, and in wishing her the very best as she continues her service on the faculty.

Sincerely,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers University–New Brunswick