After serving two terms as Executive Director of QUEST, Dr. Joseph P. Bailey stepped down this summer after being promoted to Assistant Dean for Specialty Undergraduate Programs. In his place, long-time 490H faculty advisor, Dr. Hassan Ibrahim, was welcomed aboard as Interim Executive Director.

Dr. Ibrahim, who is also a Clinical Professor of Information Systems, was drawn to QUEST because of his passion for giving students exposure to both academic and real-world work in the fields of business and technology. He began at the Smith School of Business, attending orientation with Dr. Bailey around 20 years ago, and is excited to continue to support students in this position. 

Dr. Hassan Ibrahim

“Joe Bailey has done a great job setting high standards for QUEST in terms of the academic side as well as the student service,” Dr. Ibrahim said. “One of the things I really appreciate is that they told me one of the reasons I was picked for the job was that I am student-centered— that in QUEST the students come first. So that is something that I definitely want to maintain. That students should always feel like that will continue— students first.”

Dr. Joseph Bailey

The transition came as Dr. Bailey, known for sharing his bowtie collection with students and inviting the community to Thanksgiving dinner, was given the chance to share similar opportunities found in QUEST with other students who do not have access to the program, such as sophomores and juniors. 

When speaking about the transition, Dr. Bailey, who is continuing to teach BMGT/ENES 390H, Designing Innovative Systems, and the BMGT 438A/ENES 489Q, Applied Quantitative Analysis, said, “Let’s just say there were some tears. I never wanted to stay longer than I was welcomed, but I just have a new opportunity that I was very excited about, and I know QUEST is in very good hands and will do amazing things. But I will miss it.”

While Dr. Ibrahim is serving in the interim— with a permanent director to be selected about a year from now by a committee likely made up of deans and members of the Quality Guild — Dr. Bailey praised leadership’s selection. He said that Dr. Ibrahim is a great fit because, among other qualities, he embodies the student-first approach that is at the program’s core.

“Whenever we have difficult decisions [and] we’re not sure what to do, we recognize that primarily our responsibility is to the students in the program,” Dr. Bailey said. “I think it’s important for any type of leader within the QUEST program to really understand what that means and know how to translate that or interpret it depending upon the context.”

Alumna Hadas Elazar-Mittelman (Cohort 30) experienced Dr. Bailey’s commitment to students when she and around four other students had a time conflict with a mandatory class and could not take BMGT438A at its scheduled time. After coming to Dr. Bailey with the conflict, he designated a separate time each week to hold a class dedicated to those students, which left a lasting impact on Elazar-Mittelman.

“I would describe Dr. Bailey as one of the most personable, caring, and very highly motivated individuals that I know,” she said. “I want to highlight the caring piece especially because I feel like he is someone that always has a true open-door policy. I was able to go into his office and just talk about really anything and everything and he was there and gave a very honest opinion.”

As a faculty advisor and professor with the Smith School of Business, Dr. Ibrahim has also had a profound impact on students, such as senior Simran Chertara (Cohort 33). Chertara has taken three classes with Dr. Ibrahim— who she now thinks of as a friend— and said he is easy to talk to, caring, and very invested in helping students succeed. 

“I’d say we have a very joking relationship with each other, and he is just super nice to all of his students honestly,” Chertara said. “I feel like he has no bad bone in his body. Genuinely, he has such a big heart for all of his students, and you can tell he cares a lot.”

We wish nothing but the best for both Dr. Ibrahim and Dr. Bailey as they start their new roles!