An influential, respected French intellectual, and one-time candidate for the Kellogg School deanship, Pierre Tabatoni died April 10. He was 83.

His passing was mourned by those who knew him over his long career as an academic who also played a role in cultural affairs. Kellogg School Dean Emeritus Donald P. Jacobs recalled his friend in glowing terms, calling him “a Renaissance man, an extraordinary person with an extraordinary mind who made fantastic contributions to management education.”

A scholar of the humanities, law and economics, Tabatoni began his career as a law professor at the University of Algiers in 1950. Over his illustrious professional life, he was instrumental in founding educational institutions, such as the Institute for the Administration of Enterprise at the University of Aix-Marseille and the University of Paris IX Daupine. His accomplishments were many, and included service in numerous educational posts in France, such as rector of the Academy of Paris and Chancellor of Universities. In 1995 he was elected to the Académie des Science Morales et Politiques, holding the seat once occupied by Talleyrand-Périgord.

He was also instrumental in establishing the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, which played a critical role in the development of management research throughout Europe. Considered a leading candidate for the Kellogg School deanship in 1973, Tabatoni turned down the opportunity, preferring to remain in France, although he occasionally taught at Northwestern University.

Jacobs, who first met Tabatoni in 1965 and spent many summers sailing with him, remarked on his friend’s encyclopedic knowledge, saying, “Pierre was a student of history, sociology, psychology — anything you wanted to talk about.”