L. Paige Fields, dean of the Trinity University School of Business, gives a presentation Friday, April 28, 2017, at Capitol Federal Hall at the University of Kansas.

The second candidate for the business dean position at the University of Kansas highlighted faculty support, fundraising and alumni engagement — beyond engaging them for fundraising — in her campus presentation Friday.

L. Paige Fields is dean of business at Trinity University in San Antonio, where she has worked since 2012 and has held the position of dean since 2015. Previously, she was at Texas A&M University from 1994 to 2012.

Her presentation highlighted ideas for investment, innovation and growth.

An often overlooked but important component to research excellence is current faculty — who deserve “aggressive market adjustments” to foster their mission, she said.

“You already have them here; you should be taking really good care of them,” she said.

When it comes to attracting new faculty and growing tenure-track and senior faculty ranks, quality must be maintained — “not just warm bodies but people who are going to be going for research excellence.”

Fostering a “scholarly community” instead of simply a collection of researchers is a characteristic of the most successful departments, she added.

Funding is important and falls into three categories, Fields said. University funding may be a challenge but it’s important not to lose optimism, she said, as state budgets ebb and flow. Revenue-generating programs are another option, and some examples include executive education and master’s programs. Fundraising is another, and it’s important to engage the community and alumni in that, she said.

L. Paige Fields, dean of the Trinity University School of Business, gives a presentation Friday, April 28, 2017, at Capitol Federal Hall at the University of Kansas.

It’s important to bring back alumni to campus but not only when the school is asking for money, she said.

“The idea is that you want them here because you want them here,” she said. “Alumni give back in a number of ways.”

She said that at Trinity she has organized lunches and breakfasts with the dean, opportunities for alumni to chat and see what’s going on with the school. She said alumni like interacting with current students and can be valuable as classroom visitors and mentors.

Fields said alumni engagement should start with current students, whom she would encourage to come up with ideas for bonding and tradition-embracing experiences that are specific to the business school.

As dean, Fields said it’s important to be a facilitator and a leader and to be optimistic and enthusiastic.

“Your dean has to be sold on the business school and really love the business school,” she said.

Fields, who donned a Jayhawk lapel pin for her presentation, named several specific reasons she wanted to work at KU.

“One of the major factors that attracted me to this job is this facility,” she said. “… this is a major statement about where you’re going.”

She said the new business school, Capitol Federal Hall, showed that the university and KU business community support and are invested in the school’s future. Also, she said, the physical space enables current and future teaching innovations and collaborations that are important for today’s business students.

Fields’ research expertise includes corporate governance, banking, insurance and capital structure, according to KU.

Prior to becoming dean at Trinity, Fields, a professor of business administration, served as chair of the finance and decision sciences department and internal affairs coordinator for research, budget and placement.

Fields has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in business administration from the University of South Carolina.

The School of Business dean position has been open since last summer, when former dean Neeli Bendapudi became KU’s new provost and executive vice chancellor effective July 1. KU business professor James Guthrie has been interim dean since.

Other presentations

Three School of Business dean candidates are to present on the topic “Advancing the Stature and Impact of the KU School of Business.”

The first candidate, KU business professor and interim dean James Guthrie, gave a presentation April 14.

L. Paige Fields, business dean at Trinity University, presented April 28.

Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno, is scheduled to present at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Colloquium at Capitol Federal Hall.