Jorge Haddock

Professor, Business Administration, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras Campus
PhD IE 1981

Jorge Haddock has devoted his life to academic education, research, leadership and management. As a scholar, professor, dean and university president, his distinguished accomplishments have influenced the lives of countless students, colleagues and academic programs in the United States, including Puerto Rico.

He served as the 12^th president of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), which at the time boasted 50,000 students on 11 campuses, 4,000 faculty members and 6,000 employees. Noteworthy successes in this role included regaining UPR’s Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, managing more than $300 million in budget cuts without layoffs or campus closures, increasing research funding and philanthropic donations, creating a program that covers tuition for around 80% of undergraduate students and improving global rankings.

At Purdue, he developed his research mindset, honed quantitative and critical thinking skills, learned how to secure external research funding, and grasped the importance of active participation in local, national and international professional organizations.

Currently, he is a professor at UPR’s Río Piedras campus, where he is responsible for business administration courses and research.

He credits his rich and intellectually stimulating experiences with faculty members in the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering for his effectiveness and success. The school recognized Haddock with an Outstanding Industrial Engineer Award in 2021 for his passion for academic leadership.

“Shimon Nof and Alan Pritsker (1933-2000) served as role models for career achievements and reputation building,” he said. “Their respect and appreciation toward me left a lasting impact on my own leadership approach where I focused on faculty retention and fostering professional growth.”

He called his interactions with his major professor, Tom Sparrow, “pivotal” while he conducted dissertation research on the concept of sunk costs.

“The realization that sunk costs are often hidden or more complex than they seem was a significant breakthrough. This influenced my research and perspective on problem solving in general and how I approach other areas of decision-making or analysis.”

In previous roles, Haddock served as dean and professor in the College of Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he initiated an ambitious strategic plan, increased graduate enrollment and expanded graduate programs. Under his leadership as dean of the School of Management at George Mason University, the undergraduate business program jumped 16 spots on U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings and, for the first time, was included on the Best Part-time MBA and Best Online Graduate Business Program lists.

In his time as dean of the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, he completed an $18 million campaign, raising $12 million in two years and underwriting the expansion of academic facilities for the school.

He is a transformational trainer and coach for Benchmark, ChoiceCenter Leadership University, Mastery in Transformational Training, and Descubrir, and he has consulted for companies such as Mackie Designs, CSX World Terminals, Peavey, Baxter, Citigroup, Citibank, Michelin and Cedel.

Haddock has 100 publications and manuscripts to his name and has completed 20 research projects utilizing $5 million in external funding. He has taught more than 20 different undergraduate and graduate courses, supervised 15 PhD and 24 master’s students, and holds one patent.

Career Highlights

Education