Dean Sybil Mobley
"Confidence Leads to Competence"
By Dilcy H. Hogan
Posted: 4:49p.m .est, October 08, 2006
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This is a noted saying of Dr. Sybil Mobley, one of the most distinguished business deans in the country.
Dr. Sybil Mobley was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. She earned a master's in business administration from the prestigious Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia in 1961 and a PhD from the University of Illinois in 1963.She began her career at Florida A&M University as a clerk-typist and later developed a Leadership Program with students who rank in the top five percent nationally
Dr. Sybil Mobley
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The list of Dean Mobley's accomplishments is long. She served on two presidential commissions; -- on Industrial Competitiveness and Minority Business Development -- has served as a special consultant to the USAID in Senegal, Nigeria, Zaire, and Kenya and has been a team leader in Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, and Liberia, is or has been on the boards of Anheuser-Busch, Hershey Foods, Sears Roebuck, and others, served a term as Vice President of the American Accounting Association and the American Institute of CPAs, and has contributed significantly to the accounting literature. After earning a B.A. from Bishop College and M.B.A.from the Wharton School, she went to Illinois to earn a doctorate. Dean Mobley also holds honorary degrees from Wharton, Babson, Bishop College, Washington University, and Princeton University.
In 1990, she received the Distinguished Commerce Alumna Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association. “Sybil C. Mobley is one of 28 black women honored in ``Women of Courage II,'' a nationally distributed publication that tells the stories of women who overcame great odds in their pursuit of excellence.
This courageous dean actively solicits $100,000 corporate donations for a spot on the historically black university's "Big Board," a wall display of corporate logos. She invites CEOs to spend full days at the school, meeting with students and appearing on a student-run TV show called Today's Leaders Face Tomorrow's. She pushes for internships and summer faculty jobs."
She is the founding and current dean of the School of Business and Industry (SBI) which was established in 1974. Dr. Mobley is one of the most influential business deans in the nation. Her innovative approach to preparing students for corporate America has brought national acclaim to the business program and the University.
Under Dr. Mobley's leadership, SBI has developed a program that has garnered widespread acclaim and recognition as one of the top five business schools in the nation and a model for business schools everywhere. SBI has the largest pool of exceptionally talented African-American students in any single business program in America; the largest number of African-American Ph.D.s on faculty in any business school in America; an extensive network of Fortune 500 firms as educational partners; and a state-of-the-art facility, which by its design and use emphasizes the school's commitment to the globe.
SBI provides both undergraduate and graduate programs, offering Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Accounting and Business Administration; the Five-Year Professional Masters of Business Administration (MBA). SBI's flagship program, the Five-Year Professional MBA uniquely accommodates new world realities. A paradigm of excellence, SBI produces graduates with actual business experience, fully equipped to deal with the urgencies of today's business environment. It is designed to respond to the shift to a global economy, rapid technological advances, corporate downsizing and a premium on advanced work experience.
Some of the recognitions that SBI has received over its 28-year history include the following articles:
New York Times
"College Pushes to Train Black Businessmen" 1978
"Campus Blazes Trail to Business Careers" 1990
Fortune Magazine
"Tallahassee's Go-Get-'Em B School" 1981
"Hello Corporate America!" 1998
Florida Trend Magazine
"A Model For Success" 1987
"Showing the Way" 1997
Tallahassee Democrat
"Business is Booming at FAMU" 1978
"FAMU School Conquers Business World" 1996
"An MBA Opens Doors for Grads" 1997
Newsweek, 1982 - "Watch Out Harvard, Here's Florida A&M"
Ebony, 1987 - "The Class of 1987"
Black Issues in Higher Education reported in its June 2002 issue that for 2000-01 SBI ranked third of all universities in the nation in awarding bachelors degrees in business to African-Americans and 11th in awarding MBAs to African-Americans.
Additionally, SBI accounting students have competed in the last five years in the prestigious Deloitte & Touche Case Study Competition on both a Regional and National basis, finishing in 1st place five times in the Regional competition; winning 1st place in the 2002 National competition after four 2nd place finishes.
Dean Mobley will retire on June 30. Her plans are to spend more time with her family.
