Stonehill College Welcomes New Deans
Announcing the new Dean of the Meehan School of Business and Dean of Graduate Studies.
Stonehill College announces the appointment of Sam Beldona, Ph.D., as the new Dean of the Leo J. Meehan School of Business, and Kirill M. Bumin, Ph.D., as the inaugural Dean of Graduate Studies effective February 1, 2022.
“Dr. Beldona and Dr. Bumin bring a great deal of knowledge and experience to their new roles. I look forward to working with them to innovate these essential areas of our academic offerings to better serve students’ interests and industry needs,” said DeBrenna Agbényiga, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
The installation of both Beldona and Bumin comes on the heels of Agbényiga's recent appointment of Kevin P. Spicer, C.S.C. ’87 as dean of the May School of Arts & Sciences.
Dean of the Meehan School of Business
With over 25 years of experience in higher education, Beldona is a collaborative administrator who has successfully effected change across various public and independent institutions. He most recently worked at the University of Scranton as a special advisor to the provost. In this role, he helped enhance the institution and its resources through various strategic planning efforts. Prior to this engagement, he served for two years as dean of the university’s Kania School of Management.
Beldona holds degrees in Physics (B.Sc.) and General Management (MBA) from Karnatak University in India. He earned an M.S. in International Business and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Temple University.
“Stonehill is unique because it has passionate faculty, an open mind on curricular innovation and dedicated staff,” Beldona said. “This exciting combination of resources will help Meehan School faculty build cross-disciplinary programs to help further enhance students’ experiences and ensure their success.”
Dean of Graduate Studies
An intellectual and administrative leader with a proven track record of driving institutional change, Bumin comes to Stonehill from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. During his five-year tenure as assistant dean of that institution’s graduate school, he not only actualized agendas to strengthen the university’s various graduate programs, but also oversaw international recruitment efforts. All the while, he continued to teach courses as a member of the department of political science and public administration.
Bunim also held roles at other institutions including Georgia Southern University and the University of Kentucky. He holds degrees in Business Administration (B.S.) and Political Science (B.A.) from High Point University. He earned both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Kentucky.
“I will work tirelessly to promote inclusivity and a sense of community among Stonehill’s graduate students, faculty, and staff. As my team develops exciting new academic and extracurricular programs, I hope to help establish a setting where individuals can experience intellectual engagement and growth,” said Bumin.
“I am grateful to everyone who participated in the search process to welcome Dr. Beldona and Dr. Bumin to the Stonehill community. These innovative, student-centered administrators will help us further realize these two exciting areas of our academic offerings at Stonehill and support our students’ academic and professional aspirations,” said President John Denning, C.S.C.