Now he has the opportunity to use this insight to unite UNC's and Duke University's business schools.
On July 1, Breeden, a finance professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, is leaving UNC to become the next dean of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
Breeden taught at Fuqua for 14 years before joining the UNC faculty in January 2000. Breeden also has taught at Stanford, Yale and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Breeden co-founded and is chairman of Smith Breeden Associates Inc., a consulting and money management firm with $28 billion in assets under management.
Breeden, who has season tickets to both UNC and Duke basketball games, said he is sorry to be leaving UNC so soon. But he and his family will continue living in their Franklin Street home, where they have resided for the past 15 years.
"I thought I would be at UNC for many years," said Breeden. "These positions don't come along very often. We're very sad to be leaving, but we're also very excited by the possibilities."
He said he is particularly excited about exploring joint initiatives between Kenan-Flagler and Fuqua. "I want to see us work together in a way Duke and Carolina have not, in a way that is better than it ever has been," Breeden said.
Fuqua chose Breeden following an international search that narrowed to 200 candidates. "Breeden has a wonderful scholarly record, and he also has superb business experience," said Peter Lange, provost of Duke. "We weren't expecting to get such a good balance of both at such a high level."
Lange said Breeden's quality business experience and his vision for business education made him the ideal candidate. Spending the last 15 years in the Triangle area didn't hurt, however. "His knowledge and long-term commitment to the area was an asset," Lange said.
