Toronto Rotman Appoints A New Interim Dean

The Rotman School of Management just dropped some big news. Professor Joseph Milner has been named Interim Dean, starting in July. If you’ve been exploring U of T, his name might look familiar.

MILNER’S PATH TO INTERIM DEAN

Since 2020, Milner has served as Vice‑Dean of MBA Programs. Before that, he led the Full‑Time MBA as its Academic Director. When Dean Susan Christoffersen stepped into her new role as the University’s Presidential Advisor on Innovation Investments, Milner was a natural choice to take the reins. He’s been driving some of Rotman’s most important programs for years.

Rotman is doubling down on innovation, tech, and future‑focused learning. Milner’s leadership skills are a natural fit for this school that is actively reshaping how business education connects to emerging industries and real‑world challenges.

His research focuses on areas like service operations modeling and healthcare operations. This is the kind of work that shapes how organizations function behind the scenes. He also served as a professor of operations management, holds the Magna Professorship in Management, and has published in some of the field’s top journals.

BUILDING ROTMAN’S NEW ERA OF PROGRAMS

Milner has also played a major role in program development at Rotman over the past few years.

This includes helping to launch two brand-new programs enrolling their first classes this year. One is the Master of Management — an 11‑month program for recent grads who want to break into business leadership even without a business background. The other is their One‑Year MBA, built for those who already have business training and want to level up quickly.

Both programs expand an ecosystem at Rotman that emphasizes analytics, innovation‑driven coursework, and hands‑on learning. They are both flexible pathways for students in different stages of their careers.

Milner’s teaching record is quite extensive. He’s taught across nearly every major Rotman program — the Full‑Time MBA, Evening MBA, Executive MBA, Global Executive MBA, and the Master of Management Analytics. Before joining U of T in 2002, he was a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and he earned his PhD from MIT.

With more than two decades of experience at Rotman, deep involvement in program innovation, and a research portfolio rooted in real‑world impact, Milner is stepping into the Interim Dean role with momentum and credibility.

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