ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Carter Professor of Business Administration Robert J. Dolan packed up his office earlier this week after more than 20 years of teaching at the Harvard Business School (HBS), and headed for the midwest, where he will become dean of the University of Michigan’s Business School.

Michigan selected Dolan from an international pool of candidates by a 14 member search committee consisting of administrators, business school faculty members, students and several representatives from outside businesses.

In announcing the appointment May 11, University of Michigan President Lee C. Bollinger described Dolan as someone “known for his…scholarly achievement and dedication to teaching students, his support of academic values, and his nurturing of young faculty.” All-in-all, a perfect match for the top-ranked Michigan business school, Bollinger said.

For Dolan, though, accepting the Michigan job was not an easy decision.

“I’ve been extremely happy [at Harvard], both professionally and personally,” he said.

In the end the excitement and potential for growth as the dean of “such a great business school as the one at Michigan and the opportunity to be a part of a great research university” convinced Dolan to make the move, he said.

Another draw for the new dean was the leadership of Bollinger, who was also a finalist for the Harvard presidency earlier this year.

“My feeling about him was a big factor in my decision to go,” Dolan said. “I found him very straightforward and down to earth and very stimulating.”