“ Dear Ann, NIkisa, and Kia,
On behalf of all Canadian Business School Deans, I want to express our profound sympathies on the loss of such a caring, loving, and wonderful leader. Ali was our guide through all challenges, and our inspiration for always creating bigger, better, and more caring versions of ourselves and our schools. No one had more respect or deserved more admiration. Even through the pandemic, Ali was the one who took charge and surveyed all Canadian deans to determine best practice going into this fall. He was a true friend to all of us, and we have each lost a friend we could always rely on for the most thoughtful, wise, and loving response to any situation.
This is a very sad moment for so many, and I want to reach out to all our colleagues at the Beedie School of Business, who must be shocked beyond imagination to have lost their deeply beloved leader.
Ali's smile is forever etched in our memories. His kind and gentle manner, reinforced with decisive and positive action and energy, provide a memory that distinguishes Ali Dastmalchian as the dean of all deans, the gentleman of all gentleman, the scholar of all scholars, and no doubt a husband and father above all others. He was a true friend and leader to all. ”