Interim Dean, Whitman School of Management
Alex McKelvie is Interim Dean at the Whitman School of Management. Prior to this appointment, he was Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Master’s Education for four years. In that role, he led Whitman’s efforts to create new partnerships with other schools across Syracuse University campus, offer innovative and impactful learning experiences for students, diversify the student body and grow new programs.
Prior to his role as associate dean, he was the Chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises (EEE). Since his arrival at Syracuse in 2007, McKelvie has taught a broad array of courses dealing with different aspects of entrepreneurship, including strategic planning, growth, new venture development, family business and corporate entrepreneurship. He has also taken a leading role in developing and teaching in world-class programs, including designing new courses and training programs for Syracuse University’s Institute for Veteran and Military Families.
McKelvie has received teaching awards from Syracuse University, the Whitman School of Management, the EEE department and from his former university in Sweden. In 2020, he was named a Justin Longenecker Fellow from USASBE, the highest honor they provide for contributions to support SME’s. He has worked with many entrepreneurial startups across the US, in Sweden, and other places around the world.
His research deals with questions regarding two main areas: how and why do firms grow and how do entrepreneurs make decisions with an emphasis on factors such as opportunities, dealing with uncertainty, effectuation, failure, and addiction. McKelvie’s research has received a number of major international awards, including best doctoral dissertation in entrepreneurship from the National Federation of Independent Businesses and multiple awards at leading entrepreneurship conferences. McKelvie has published his work in the most influential entrepreneurship journals and he is on the editorial review boards of multiple journals such as Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal and Family Business Review. His work has also been profiled in Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek and Inc. Magazine, among other outlets. He is a Fortune Insider and on the CNBC Disruptor Advisory Council.