After 29 Years, Southern Business Dean Leaves a College Transformed

BATON ROUGE, La. — Donald R. Andrews’ 29-year tenure as dean of Southern University’s College of Business is marked by academic accreditation, international programs and a scholarship initiative that has directed more than $1.5 million to students.

Andrews, dean since 1998, will step down in July 2027 and return to teaching as the G. Leon Netterville/Kellogg Endowed Professor, according to university officials.

His departure marks the end of one of the longest leadership tenures in the college’s history. It also closes a chapter in which the college expanded its academic offerings, strengthened its national standing, and developed a fundraising effort that has helped hundreds of students pursue business degrees.

Building credibility with limited resources

One of Andrews’ most consequential accomplishments was helping the College of Business achieve and maintain accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB.

Southern Chancellor John Pierre said Andrews accomplished that work despite limited resources.

“It’s especially important to recognize that accomplishment, because he was never a dean that had a lot of resources set up for him,” Pierre said. “That means that he put in a lot of work to make it possible.”

The accreditation effort required sustained attention to academic standards, documentation, and institutional improvement. For Southern, it provided an external measure of the college’s academic quality and strengthened its position among business schools.

From a segregated childhood to a global classroom

Andrews grew up in northeastern Louisiana, where he picked cotton and took lessons from a retired schoolteacher. He said the professional Black people he knew were primarily teachers and preachers until a visit to Grambling State University broadened his view of what was possible.

Seeing Black people serving as a mayor and police officer, along with the opportunities available through higher education, changed his perspective.

“I said, ‘Oh my god, we’ve overcome, and nobody ever told me anything about it!’” Andrews recalled.

Under his leadership, the College of Business developed international initiatives that sent students to Ghana, Uganda, China, and Brazil, exposing them to different economic and cultural environments.

The programs gave students opportunities to study business beyond the United States and helped broaden their understanding of the global marketplace.

Expanding the curriculum

The college launched programs in entrepreneurship and risk management and insurance. Andrews also helped bring a Master of Business Administration program to Southern, Pierre said.

The additions expanded opportunities for students interested in entrepreneurship, specialized industries and advanced professional credentials.

Gala on the Bluff supports students

The Gala on the Bluff has become one of the most visible examples of Andrews’ effort to connect the College of Business with alumni, community supporters and industry leaders.

Established in 2002 by members of the College of Business Advisory Council, the event was created to raise scholarship dollars and build institutional awareness while bringing together people committed to the university’s mission.

Now in its 24th year, the gala remains the college’s primary scholarship fundraising initiative. The college says it has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarship support over the past 23 years, impacting hundreds of students.

The money is used to provide scholarship assistance to students pursuing business degrees, including incoming freshmen and continuing students who demonstrate financial need. The event’s scholarship program is designed to help students pursue their educational goals and remain on track toward graduation.

The gala’s fundraising purpose is broader than a single evening of entertainment. The college has described the event as a way to support scholarships while also helping students and faculty participate in developmental opportunities, both domestic and abroad.

That distinction matters because financial barriers can affect whether students enroll, remain in school or complete their degrees. Scholarship support can help reduce those barriers while allowing students to take advantage of academic and professional opportunities.

The event also provides a way for the college to recognize supporters, celebrate student achievement and maintain relationships with the community that helps sustain its programs.

A legacy that includes the classroom

Before becoming dean, Andrews was a Southern professor. He said the deanship was initially expected to be temporary, but he remained in the role for 29 years.

“I don’t know how seriously they looked for somebody else,” Andrews joked.

His return to teaching will extend a relationship with students that began before his administrative career.

Tony Clayton, chair of the Southern University Board of Supervisors and a former Andrews student, recalled earning a C in one of his classes.

“I didn’t make a good grade in his class, but I still love him,” Clayton said.

As Andrews prepares to leave the deanship, the college will build on the academic programs, international opportunities, and scholarship support developed during his tenure.

The next chapter will return Andrews to the classroom, where his work began — while leaving behind a college with a stronger academic foundation and a fundraising initiative that continues to invest in the students who will carry Southern’s mission forward.