Dilip Kumar Shome, professor emeritus of finance, died Dec. 7, 2018, of sudden cardiac arrest in the hospital in Reston, Virginia. He was 75. 

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1983, Shome retired from the university in 2014 and had been living in Charlottesville, Virginia, since then.

He served as head of the Department of Finance, Insurance, and Business Law in the Pamplin College of Business from 1996 to 2000. During this term, the department achieved some of the highest levels of research productivity in elite finance journals due to Shome’s focus on retention, rewards, and resource allocation for faculty who were active researchers.

As the chair of the committees charged with restructuring the curriculum for the undergraduate and MBA programs, he led the major curriculum revisions implemented in the department in the past 10 years.

Shome contributed to the college’s international programs by leading study-abroad groups, developing exchange programs, and teaching abroad.

He directed his department's Ph.D. program for two three-year terms, helping to recruit and advise Ph.D. students and to implement curricular revisions.

An award-winning teacher, Shome received the college’s Warren Holtzman Outstanding Educator Award on two occasions, its Ph.D. Teaching Award, and two Certificates of Teaching Excellence, as well as a University Certificate of Teaching Excellence.

Shome “always had a genuine concern for the success and welfare of his students, continuing to help and guide them in their academic and career plans long after their graduation,” said finance professor Raman Kumar. “Dilip’s help and guidance have played a key role in my professional and personal life. It has been a privilege and an honor to have known him as a colleague, mentor, and a friend. He will be deeply missed.”

Noting that Shome was his “valued friend of 35 years,” finance professor George Morgan said “Dilip was very influential on me as a collaborator, advisor, role model, and personal friend.”

Gregory Noronha, who received an MBA and a Ph.D. in finance from Virginia Tech, recalled Shome’s “deep and lasting impact on the lives of those of us who were privileged to call him teacher and friend.” Now a professor at the University of Washington, Noronha said: “As students, we appreciated his cheerful countenance and the humor with which he imparted his knowledge and ideas to us. His guidance over the many years since we graduated only strengthened our affection, respect, and regard for him. We mourn his loss.” 

Shome received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and an MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Susan; his daughter, Shonali; his son-in-law, Raj; and his granddaughter, Paloma, as well as many relatives and close friends in the U.S. and India.

No memorial service is planned at this time. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations could be sent to either Heifer International or the Association for India’s Development.

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