NASHVILLE, TN — Dr. Pat Raines, dean of Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business, recently announced his retirement after 16 years of service to a college consistently noted by national publications for its excellence and lauded locally for its students, faculty and graduates as well as its strong executive education programs.
Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said, “For the past 16 years Belmont, and the Jack C. Massey College of Business, have benefited from the leadership, passion and commitment to excellence that has been fostered by Dean Pat Raines. We look forward to celebrating Dean Raines’ legacy of a strong curriculum, a positive community of cooperation and engagement and the enactment of our University mission to imbue our students with ‘disciplined intelligence, compassion, courage and faith.’”
Barbara Massey Rogers, daughter of the legendary entrepreneur who inspired the origin of the Jack C. Massey College of Business, added, “Regretfully, Jack Massey never met Dr. Patrick Raines. Under his outstanding leadership over the past 16 years, Dr. Raines has led the business school to national and international prominence and enabled the students of the school to graduate with a first-rate business education and with the incredible ability to seek excellent employment in the business world. The business school has been awarded many accolades for its achievements, and nothing has been more rewarding than to be recognized as one of the top business programs in the United States!”
During Dr. Raines tenure, the Jack C. Massey College of Business has received accolades for having some of the top business programs in the country by Princeton Review, BusinessWeek and Entrepreneurship magazine. The College of Business’s undergraduate enrollment has grown by more than 100%, and the graduate enrollment has increased by nearly 80%. He has also led the College’s efforts to successfully maintain AACSB accreditation for the Massey College of Business in both business and accounting. In addition, four new learning and professional development centers were added during Raines’ time at Belmont, all dedicated to the pursuit of professional excellence in specific areas of business: the Center for International Business, the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics, the Thomas W. Beasley Institute for Free Enterprise and the Center for Entrepreneurship.
In a letter to his faculty announcing his retirement, Raines wrote, “I am extremely proud of our successes. Most importantly I am proud of the 35 excellent teacher scholars that we have hired in the last 16 years. Each has brought extraordinary expertise in their disciplines and have added immensely to the intellectual capital of the Massey College of Business… I will forever be grateful for your engagement, support and above all total dedication to our mission to educate entrepreneurial, ethical and socially responsible future business leaders that are prepared for the dynamic global economy.”
Raines’ work also led to the development of student-run businesses on campus and increased scholarships for students as well as provided endowed funds for three faculty chairs in the Massey College. In total, more than $18.2 million has been raised under his leadership. A frequent media expert on issues related to the economy and growth, Raines earned his bachelors, master’s and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Alabama, where he also played center on football teams coached by Paul ”Bear” Bryant.
A reception to honor Dean Raines will be held Tuesday, July 30 from 2-4 pm in the Massey Business Center Boardroom on Belmont’s campus. A national search is currently underway for the next dean of the Massey College of Business.