New dean of UI's Gies College of Business: 'Education at Illinois is for everyone'

CHAMPAIGN — As she steps into her role as dean of the Gies College of Business, Brooke Elliott hopes to use her 21 years of experience at the University of Illinois to hit the ground running.

“I’ve seen almost every part of our college from the faculty side, from the academic program side, really thinking carefully about our learners and how best to provide access to education,” Elliott said.

But she didn’t always want to be an accounting professor, or work in education or business at all.

“Probably because I watched ‘L.A. Law,’ I wanted to be a lawyer,” she said. “I wanted to drive a Bentley because that’s what Corbin Bernsen drove.”

When she was headed to college at Indiana University, accounting was a good field of study to be attractive to law schools.

It was in taking those classes and talking with professors that Elliott first heard about accounting research and also had the chance to try out teaching while she worked on her master’s degree.

“I love being in the classroom,” Elliott said. “So I thought, ‘OK, this is a potential different path.’”

She gave herself the option to switch back to law by attending the University of Washington, but ended up enjoying accountancy research even more than she expected.

“I’ve enjoyed academia because it gives you the freedom to be continually intellectually curious,” Elliott said. “You have a lot of autonomy to pursue questions that you want to pursue.”

After completing the Ph.D. program, Elliott came straight to the UI as an assistant professor of accounting, climbing the ranks until she was head of the accountancy department before officially making the jump to administration.

Elliott credits previous Gies Dean Jeff Brown for giving her multiple opportunities in a variety of positions within the college, which she always accepted.

She has been academic director of undergraduate affairs and associate dean of online programs and currently serves as executive associate dean of academic programs until she officially takes over as dean on Aug. 16.

She stepped into running online programs in February 2020, right before the pandemic sent all courses online.

“It probably was the best thing that ever happened to me from a leadership perspective, if you want to look for a silver lining in the pandemic,” Elliott said.

Throughout her time in each position, Elliott said she’s also had the chance to meet donors and university administration, who she will need to stay connected with in the top role.

“I’m like a known quantity and I also know others across campus, which I think probably put me ahead relative to if we would have brought an external candidate into this role,” she said.

Elliott already has big goals for Gies, especially when it comes to expanding access to business education for more students.

That would mean continuing to create online courses, but it also means providing different possible engagement levels for students who may want to study business without committing to a major or minor.

For example, graduate students can currently pursue anything from a non-credit course to a certificate to a full degree.

Elliott hopes to provide a similar menu of options to undergraduates.

“Perhaps some students don’t want a full minor — or perhaps they don’t have the capacity to pursue a full minor — but they could pursue a three-course credential in business in the form of a certificate and would help position them differently from a career perspective,” Elliott said.

Naturally, in the name of expanding access, Elliott is thinking about fundraising for scholarships and pushing for more diversity within the student body.

She hopes to connect with high school students about what jobs they can get through the business school and help them understand what those jobs are.

“High school students don’t know what an accountant does day to day,” she said. “It’s not a bookkeeping role. It’s not the traditional White male with a visor and a pocket protector.

“I think we have a responsibility to change students’ perceptions about what the outcomes are from a business degree and also make it clear that this education at Illinois is for everyone.”