Business Analytics Chair Named to New Professorship

When Gazi Murat Duman, Ph.D., joined the University of New Haven as an adjunct faculty member in 2021, he says he immediately felt like he was welcomed into the University community. He endeavors to create a similarly welcoming atmosphere for his students, as well as a rich educational experience. He’s excited to continue to do that in his new role as the holder of the University’s inaugural Flanagan Professorship.

Coordinator of the University’s graduate program in business analytics, Dr. Duman is committed to increasing diversity and access across the Pompea College of Business. He plans to use the support of the endowed professorship to advance these initiatives. He says he’s honored to receive the professorship, one of the most prestigious distinctions in academia, and he’s grateful for the opportunities it will create for students and for the PCoB.

“I am proud to have received the prestigious Flanagan Professorship,” said Dr. Duman, who also serves as chair of the University’s Economics and Business Analytics Departments. “I am encouraged by the fact that my dedication to the University, to our students, and to the discipline have been recognized. Named professorships are a very important mechanism for attracting and retaining talent in prestigious universities, and I hope that this tradition continues at the University of New Haven.”

‘I cannot wait to see the impact of our graduates’

The Flanagan Professorship for Business Analytics supports an educator in a field that has seen tremendous growth and an increasing need for talent over the past several years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that growth to continue, projecting the number of data science and analytics-related jobs to grow another 11 percent by 2024.

The University has been helping to meet that need by training the next generation of data analytics professionals. Both the University’s graduate and undergraduate business analytics programs are STEM-designated programs designed to instill in students the technical expertise that employers are looking for.

STEM-designated programs also enable international graduates to remain in the United States for an additional two years after graduation and to receive training through work experience. Since its inception in 2020, the University’s graduate program in business analytics has experienced an enrollment surge, with students coming from around the world to pursue their degrees.

“I look forward to continuing my efforts in making our program one of the best in the nation and increasing its reputation globally,” said Dr. Duman. “We continue to serve a highly diverse population of students, and I cannot wait to see the impact of our graduates on our local and national economy.”

"Endowed professorships recognize faculty, such as Dr. Duman, for their great work in the classroom and their scholarship,” added Nancy Ortins Savage, Ph.D., interim provost. “They also provide faculty with additional resources to support both their own scholarly work and that of their students."

‘We want students to be successful’

The professorship is named for Lawrence Flanagan '80, '13 Hon., a member of the University’s Board of Governors, and his wife, Stephanie, who have generously supported it. Flanagan says he felt inspired to invest in the program while discussing the potential and the “incredible” enrollment and momentum of the University’s business graduate programs with his fellow Board members. He says the goal of the professorship is, in part, to recognize the leadership of Dr. Duman and Brian Kench, Ph.D., Dean of the Pompea College of Business.

“Gazi has made amazing progress at the University,” said Flanagan. “He’s an entrepreneurial educator. I hope this inspires him to build programs and continue to attract more students.”

“The Flanagan Professorship for Business Analytics is an example of extraordinary generosity by Larry and Stephanie,” added Dr. Kench. “With the Flanagans’ generosity, the Pompea College of Business is able to retain and recruit educators to meet the ever-changing market demands in business analytics for years to come. Dr. Duman is a force with which to be reckoned. With his leadership, the Pompea College of Business is offering a state-of-the-art program to nearly 600 students from around the globe.”

Flanagan, who retired as president and CEO of AARP Services, Inc., in 2019, has been recognized as one of the most accomplished global marketing leaders in the country. He also spent nearly three decades as an executive at MasterCard Worldwide, the Procter & Gamble Company, and L'Oreal USA.

Flanagan has seen firsthand the value and importance of data. “The truth is in the numbers” was an important lesson he learned while working at Procter & Gamble, and those words guided him throughout the rest of his career. He saw how data and facts could offer a competitive advantage, at both the organizational and individual levels.

“It’s important because we want students to be successful and have meaningful careers,” said Flanagan. “I hope students can be comfortable with data and be effective leaders.”

‘A testimony to our dedication’

Dr. Duman, who has extensive industry experience in logistics operations and supply-chain management, also knows firsthand the importance of data analytics in the workplace. As an academic, he pursues interdisciplinary research that has focused on creating solutions for current and emerging issues. He earned his Ph.D. in technology management with a focus on data analytics and decision-making from the University of Bridgeport. He also holds a master’s in information technology as well as an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and Sakarya University in Turkey, respectively.

As an educator, Dr. Duman is excited about how the professorship will create opportunities for his students. He’s planning to create a research group and lab. The support of the professorship has already enabled him to present his research at the INFORMS annual conference, and he hopes to now offer more of his students opportunities to participate in conferences.

“Such significant gifts not only contribute to the enhancement of facilities, the creation of scholarships, and to providing much-needed financial support, but they also stand as a testimony to our dedication to making a positive difference in people’s lives,” he said. “They reinforce our efforts in adding value to our community and tell us that our community also supports us.”