The Trust Dividend: A Different Kind of Return on Investment

“We have the perfect candidate! Dr. Roberts has fifty-three journal publications, an excellent teaching record, and has managed a student investment fund. Everything we need to bring our Finance program to the next level,” boasted the Search Committee Chair. “Let’s fly him in for a campus visit!” Little did Dr. Dean know at the time, but following this optimistic and enthusiastic endorsement, he was about to endure the consequences of the biggest hiring mistake of his thirty-five-year career. This is a case study filled with unethical behavior that began before the future Finance program director’s contract was signed. It only got worse from there. Dr. Dean would consequently embark on an ethical journey to: 1). Remedy what had been a tumultuous launch of the Student Investment Fund, LLC and 2). Remove the root cause of the problem: a faculty member at the midway point of their tenure track process. How? By “cashing” a trust dividend accrued during his first five years at the Business School.