The Michigan Tech College of Business joins friends and family in celebrating the life of two-time Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics (SBE) Dean Robert “Gene” Klippel, of Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Klippel died Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2025, at age 86.
Klippel is one of nine deans who has served the college. He held the position from 1994-2001 and again from 2012-2015. What was known as the SBE was designated as the College of Business in 2019. Dean Johnson, current dean of the College of Business, said Klippel was key in helping to lay the groundwork for the transition.
“Gene was responsible for leading the effort that earned AASB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation the first time,” said Johnson.
Klippel’s vision for the kind of education that would set Michigan Tech business students apart by infusing technology into the curriculum was expressed in his “Message From the Dean” in the 2013 Impact Magazine:
“Businesses never sit still, rest on their laurels. They evolve, they adapt, they react, and they innovate. Business education should be no different,” he wrote. “Hard decisions, bold action. That is reality in the School of Business and Economics. That is what we invent by merging business and technology. That is the edge every business strives to grasp. That is the advantage we seek for our students as they create the future.”
Johnson, who served as assistant dean during Klippel’s second term and as interim dean upon Klippel’s retirement as Dean Emeritus in 2016 before formally being named to the position, said his predecessor’s influence on the College won’t be forgotten.
“It’s the enduring contributions of leaders, educators, and advisors like Gene that have helped the College of Business carry out its mission to prepare students for tomorrow,” said Johnson.
In addition to Kilppel’s impact on business education and leadership at Tech, he served his country as a United States Marine Corps veteran. Klippel earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marketing from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Pennsylvania State University.
According to his obituary, Klippel “held teaching posts at Harvard Business School, the University of Florida School of Business, The Seidman School of Business at Grand Valley State University (twice), the University of South Florida School of Business Administration, and the College of Business Administration at West Virginia University, where he was designated a distinguished professor and holder of the Kmart Chair in Marketing. He was the founding dean of the College of Management at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, dean of the College of Business at the University of Southern Indiana.”
In addition to extensive scholarship and research in the field of marketing, Klippel’s experience transcended academics, including serving as an independent consultant to several Fortune 500 companies and corporate marketing roles with Ford Motor Company and Cummins Engine Company. He also served as a member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Management.
Klippel is survived by his wife of 66 years, Alverda, along with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Learn more about his life and accomplishments in his full obituary.
About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business prepares tomorrow’s business professionals through STEM-infused, AACSB-accredited degree programs and minors. The college offers nine bachelor of science programs in accounting, business analytics, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing; and four master of science programs in accounting and analytics, applied natural resource economics, engineering management, and the TechMBA®.
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