COMMERCE — Former Dean of the College of Business and Entreprenuership (CBE) Dr. Hal Langford anounced earlier this week that he would be stepping down from his position as of Sept. 19, a position he has held since 2001. Langford was placed on administrative leave in early August after three of the overseas graduate business programs he oversaw were shut down because they “were set up and administered inappropriately,” according to Texas A&M University-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones.

Langford will reportedly return to a full-time teaching position in the Department of Business Administration and MIS and will also serve as coordinator of recruiting and marketing for Texas A&M University-Commerce at Rockwall.  He will begin by developing a marketing prospectus and will review and prepare curriculum for his upcoming teaching assignments, according to a university press release.

According to former Associate Vice President of Marketing Communications Randy Jolly, interim Associate Provost Dr. Dan Edelman was leading an internal investigation that included input from Jones.

“As part of an ongoing internal investigation, I am working to put in place the proper oversight procedures and personnel to rectify the situation quickly,” Jones said. “In the process, I will be enacting directives and fail-safe protocols that will help prevent similar situations in the future.”

The termination of the three programs was not mentioned in the university’s press release regarding Langford’s decision to step down.

““As dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Dean Langford’s work has touched virtually every student on campus,” Jones said.  “From the beginning, Dean Langford has been innovative, thought-provoking, and far-sighted.  I’m grateful both for his service and for the fact he’ll remain on our faculty to continue enriching the lives of our students.”

According to the release, the College of Business and Entrepreneurship is AACSB accredited, the highest level of accreditation for business schools. 

“Only 25 percent of U.S. business schools achieve AACSB International accreditation, the hallmark of excellence in management education,” the release read. “Under Langford’s management, the CBE received several awards, including the AACSB Online MBA Rankings Best Affordable Accredited Online MBA Programs, Top Ranked Best Buy Masters Management/Administration, and the #5 Rank for Online MBA programs in US News & World Report.”

Current Interim Dean of the CBE Dr. Dale Funderburk will continue acting in his current capacity until a permanent replacement is found, according to the university's release.

““I’ve had mixed reactions to Dr. Langford’s decision to step down from the deanship and return to the faculty” said Gary Peer, provost and vice president for academic affairs.  “While his energy, creativity and good humor in the deanship and his forward thinking in the design and delivery of instruction will be difficult to replace, at best, his return to teaching will clearly be an asset to the College of Business and Entrepreneurship and, I trust, rewarding to him personally. I thank him for his many contributions and extend to him sincere best wishes in the years ahead.”

The results of the internal investigation have not been released. The graduate business programs were located in Belgrade, Morocco, and Sarajevo.