Dean Ronald McNeil named the PNC Distinguished Professor in Banking and Finance at UIS

Ronald McNeil, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois Springfield, has been appointed the PNC Distinguished Professor in Banking and Finance at UIS. The announcement was made during a ceremony of investiture at UIS on November 17, 2014.

McNeil became dean of the College of Business and Management and professor of Business Administration at UIS in 2002. He helped the college gain AACSB accreditation in 2007 and reaffirmation in 2012. He also started an international exchange programs for faculty and students in China, Vietnam and France. Under McNeil’s leadership, faculty publications in the College of Business and Management have increased fourfold. In 2013, McNeil worked to enhance UI Healthcare Administration by serving on the Five Member Steering Committee to improve/evaluate University Administration, and was principal investigator on three grants.

Before coming to UIS, McNeil was dean of the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for ten years. During this time, the College was endowed by a private donor and over $15,000,000 was raised in gifts and grants. Before this, he was associate dean of business at the Georgia College & State University and directed a number of special outreach programs. Prior to academia, he was president of a mining company, senior consultant to Fortune 500 companies and a manager for a not-for-profit organization.

He has authored/co-authored over 50 publications, delivered presentations in China, Taiwan, Italy, France, Brussels, Oxford and the United States. McNeil received his Ph.D. and master’s degrees from the University of Memphis and completed his undergraduate degree at Ambassador College, in Bricketwood, England.

PNC and the PNC Foundation have long histories of strengthening and enriching the lives of communities in which they live and work. They provide resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership. The Foundation makes it a priority to partner with local nonprofit organizations to enhance educational opportunities and promote economic growth. PNC's continuing support of a Distinguished Professor in Banking and Finance at UIS exemplifies this commitment.

For more information, contact Jeff Lorber, UIS vice chancellor for development, at 217/206-6058 or jlorber@uis.edu.