After leading the Babcock Graduate School of Management into an elite group of internationally recognized institutions, Charles Moyer has decided to step down from his position as dean.

Effective in August, Moyer will vacate the deanship and return to a full-time faculty position. This position will include his role as the GMAC Chair in Finance, a position that Moyer retained while dean.

"Charlie Moyer has done much to increase the Babcock School's profile, while launching a number of initiatives that have enhanced the school," said University President Thomas K. Hearn, Jr.

Recognizing Moyer's dedication to increasing interaction between the school and the local community, including his membership on the executive committee of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, Hearn said, "he has also led the school in fostering economic growth in the Triad."

Provost William C. Gordon has appointed a committee to conduct a national search for a new dean for the Babcock School.

This committee will be chaired by Ken Middaugh, the Babcock School's associate dean for management education, and will include members from the faculty and staff, as well as student and community representatives.

As of Oct. 9, the committee will include, among others: Don Flow, '83, president of Flow Companies and chairman of the Babcock Board of Advisors and Bill Hobbs, '03, Babcock evening student and senior vice president for structured credit products at Bank of America.

Moyer anticipates a smooth transition back to a full-time teaching position. "I want to return to the world of teaching," Moyer said. "Though I certainly enjoyed my position as dean, it is time for a change of leadership. I have accomplished many of the goals that I had in mind and, in this discipline, fresh thinking, ideas and enthusiasm are needed every five to seven years to continue advancement."

During his tenure as dean, Moyer improved the reputation of the school as a nationally renowned institution for graduate study. Over the past few years the Babcock School has been ranked among the top institutions in each of the five major business school rankings - The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Weekly, The Financial Times and U.S. News and World Report.

One of the improvements during Moyer's leadership was an increase in faculty. Since assuming his position, Moyer has added 14 members to the faculty, now numbering 40.

This has enabled a major reduction in class size for full-time MBA students, an enlargement of the evening MBA program at the school's satellite campus in Charlotte and the inception of various new programs, one of which is a 17- month Fast-track Executive MBA program, started in 2001.

In accordance with the increase in faculty has come a very significant 75 percent increase in budget for faculty research grants.

Moyer has also brought international attention to the school by forming partnerships with overseas universities. Babcock will soon support programs in Moscow, Helsinki, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Paris, Bordeaux and Stuttgart.

"International study is an important part of our program as nearly 30 percent of our students come from other countries," said Moyer.

Realizing the financial burden of a postgraduate education, Moyer has also worked to provide more scholarship opportunities for qualified students. The Babcock Scholars Program now awards 10 scholarships per year to full-time MBA students.

This has been accomplished by contributions to the school's Annual Fund and the launching of a graduating class gift campaign.

After receiving his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh, Moyer has spent most of his working years at southern institutions. Moyer joined the university faculty in 1988 after stints at Texas Tech University, the University of New Mexico, Lehigh University and the University of Houston.

He has co-authored three books.