Unfinished Business: Dean Rajan Appointed to Historic Third Term
Madhav Rajan reflects on nine years of leading Chicago Booth and his future goals.
By Brent White
October 05, 2026
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In two years, Madhav Rajan will mark a significant milestone: becoming the longest-serving dean of Chicago Booth since 1945. That's quite an achievement for the Steven S. Wymer Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of Accounting, who joined Booth from Stanford in 2017.
During his tenure, Rajan has overseen record fundraising, substantial endowment growth, and increased scholarship funding. He also spearheaded the introduction of two new degree programs—the Master in Management and the Asness and Liew Master in Finance—while simultaneously serving as UChicago's chief global strategist for the past year.
Dean Rajan attributes much of his decision to stay on to the faculty. "Last year, Booth’s tenured faculty unanimously petitioned me to serve a third term—a level of consensus that took me by surprise," he shares. "Getting the faculty to agree unanimously on anything is probably my biggest achievement in life," he jokes. "That to me was the real reason I agreed to a third term. I'm doing it because the faculty wanted it to happen."
In this Q&A, marking his historic reappointment, Dean Rajan discusses:
- Past accomplishments
- Plans for his third term
- Why an MBA remains a valuable investment
- The parallels between puzzles and running complex organizations like Booth.
You have a passion for trivia and enjoy a good crossword puzzle. When did these interests begin, and what role have they played in your life?
I...