Dr. Mario Hayek Appointed Dean of A&M-Commerce College of Business

Texas A&M University-Commerce President Mark Rudin announced that Dr. Mario Hayek has been appointed as the new dean of the university's College of Business. Hayek has been serving as the college's interim dean since March 2020.

Rudin had high praise for Hayek's service to the university.

“Dr. Hayek brings innovative ideas and many years of successful leadership experience to this position,” Rudin said. “I am excited to welcome him to this new role as dean of the College of Business.”

He continued: “As interim dean, Dr. Hayek has already created a successful foundation for our College of Business, and I am confident that he will continue to build on these successes moving forward.”

Hayek was born in the United States but moved with his family to South America while he was still a child. He finished primary school there but returned to the U.S. for college, receiving a B.B.A. in Marketing from Marymount University in 1993 and an MBA in Finance from American University in 1995.

Following his master's degree, Hayek returned to South America, setting up several successful businesses in Ecuador while teaching entrepreneurship courses at a local university. He was drawn back to America, however, when an opportunity arose to pursue his doctoral degree at the University of Mississippi.

After earning his doctorate in management in 2011, Hayek accepted an offer from Dr. John Humphreys (current A&M-Commerce provost) to teach at A&M-Commerce.

Since his arrival at A&M-Commerce in 2011, Hayek has served as an associate professor of management, department head and interim associate dean before being named interim dean earlier this year.

One of Hayek's biggest projects has been Venture College, where he served as founding director. Under Hayek's leadership, Venture College provided weekly meetings, networking opportunities and business guidance while working to equip its members with the tools necessary to successfully market their entrepreneurial ideas.

Hayek said he was eager to begin his new role as dean of the College of Business.

“This really is exhilarating,” Hayek said. “There is an amazing new leadership team at A&M Commerce that maintains a shared vision, entrepreneurial spirit and engrained desire to serve the region.”

He added that one of the biggest challenges for the College of Business is staying relevant with current market trends.

“We have to be nimble and able to adapt to the demands of the market to give our students the tools that employers are looking for,” Hayek said. “You can't just teach a student what to think anymore; you have to give them the right tools as well.”

Hayek will assume the role of dean effective November 1.