The University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics is implementing a strategic academic department reorganization designed to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, align with emerging areas of business education and create new opportunities for students and faculty.
Beginning July 1 for the 2026–27 academic year, Lerner will transition from five academic departments to six and formally launch the Neil Book School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The changes support all three frontiers of the Lerner College strategic plan: AI transformation and technology, innovation and societal change, and leadership and organizations. The structure also reinforces Lerner’s longstanding strengths in experiential learning across programs, including hospitality and sport business management, accounting and finance.
The reorganization followed an extensive strategic planning process that included a faculty subcommittee, multiple rounds of feedback sessions and discussions across academic areas. Through that process, the college identified several guiding principles: alignment with Lerner’s strategic plan, stronger synergies in research and teaching and greater impact and value creation.The UD Board unanimously approved the reorganization of Trustees on May 11, 2026.
“This reorganization positions Lerner to better address the future of business education and research,” said Oliver Yao, dean of the Lerner College. “By strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and aligning our academic structure with emerging areas like AI, analytics, leadership and innovation, while reinforcing excellence in fields such as accounting, economics, finance and hospitality, we are creating new opportunities for students, faculty and industry partners while advancing the college’s strategic priorities.”
The updated structure is designed to enhance Lerner’s established disciplines, including accounting, economics, finance, hospitality and sport business management, management and marketing, while also expanding interdisciplinary collaboration in areas such as AI, analytics, technology and entrepreneurship. The changes create stronger academic identities across departments and encourage collaboration across fields.
Among the outcomes of the restructuring is the creation of the Department of Business Analytics, Operations, and Information Technology. The department will bring together expertise in artificial intelligence, data analytics, operations management, management information systems and business technology into a unified interdisciplinary faculty cluster. The department will also oversee Lerner’s undergraduate majors in business analytics, management information systems and operations management and the master of science degrees in applied AI for business and business analytics and information management, streamlining coordination and strengthening academic integration across programs.
“This process was driven by thoughtful faculty input and a shared commitment to positioning Lerner for long-term success,” Yao said. “The new structure creates more distinctive academic identities while also encouraging the cross-disciplinary partnerships that are increasingly essential in today’s business environment.”
As part of the reorganization, Lerner also formally established the Neil Book School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, expanding the college’s longstanding leadership in entrepreneurship education. Book, a 1999 graduate of UD’s College of Arts and Sciences, is a lifelong entrepreneur and serves as the president and CEO of JSSI. He is a long-time member of UD’s Horn National Advisory Board and credits UD with helping to develop the entrepreneurial spirit that has been instrumental to his success.
The school builds on the success of Horn Entrepreneurship, creating a centralized academic home for innovation and entrepreneurial education at UD. The school emphasizes hands-on, interdisciplinary learning and connects students with venture development opportunities, mentorship and experiential programs such as VentureOn, Hen Hatch and Summer Founders.
Under the new structure, Lerner’s academic departments and schools will include:
- Department of Accounting
- Department of Economics
- Department of Finance
- Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management
- Department of Marketing, Management, and Global Business
- Department of Business Analytics, Operations, and Information Technology
- Neil Book School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The reorganization supports Lerner’s broader mission to deliver “inspirational education and pioneering scholarship” while building inclusive communities that positively transform business and society.