Joby John sat behind a desk that come Monday will be his as the new dean of UL's B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration.

His hands are clasped atop the desk as he talks about the effect of the college on the community and state.

He uses the word "we" as he begins to talk about the university, its college of business and the community called Acadiana that surrounds it.

It's a "we" mentality that prevents him from lauding his vision for the college before meeting and listening to the ideas and expectations of his faculty members.

"I want to start talking to them about what's worked and what hasn't worked, what aspirations have been met and which are unmet and take it from there," John said.

John replaces Lewis Gale, who left the university in 2004 for another job in Utah. Meanwhile, leadership of the college was overseen by faculty members Paula Carson and most recently Ellen Cook.

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Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com