Dear GWSB Community,
As the year comes to a close, I want to wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday season and hope we all take the time to rest and recharge. I know my wife and daughters and I are looking forward to some virtual trivia game nights and a cup of chai with our family and friends in the U.S. and across the world!
While it has been a remarkable year with unprecedented challenges, I am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together and feel inspired by the perseverance, support and care demonstrated by our GWSB community during this difficult time. And I believe we will come back from this stronger to continue our innovation and creativity with renewed energy in 2021.
Within this letter, the final Dean’s Message of 2020, I am delighted to share a lot of good news and updates as well as a few reminders before the end of the term.
GWSB Good News
- Four is our favorite number: Our online MBA programs moved up 21 spots to #4 in the Poets & Quants 2021 ranking. Recognition for our professional and hands-on experiences played a key role in the rise over the last year. Read the GW Today coverage to learn more about the rise in the rankings.
- Congratulations: Luana Eid Piva Bertoletti (MS in Project Management, ‘21) received the Clayman C. Myers, Jr. Memorial Scholarship for the 2020-2021 Academic year! The scholarships awarded from the PMI Educational Foundation advance the project management profession and help students achieve their dreams through education and build a better prepared workforce of the future.
- Up to the Challenge: We’re proud of our team of three GWSB undergraduate students, Meher Sahni (Finance and Accounting, ’21 - and recipient of the Best Speaker Award of the competition), Paul Vernick (Finance and International Business, ’20 Fall), and Winston Zhong (Finance and Organizational Sciences, ’21), who made it to the top 25 semi-finalists of the annual McGill International Portfolio Challenge (MIPC). Thank you to the team coaches: Rodney Lake, Co-Chair of the GWSB Department of Finance and Director of the GW Investment Institute, Bojana Jankovic, Program Manager, GW Investment Institute, and Andrew Robinson, Program Associate for Leadership and Engagement, GWSB Office of Undergraduate Programs, on these outstanding accomplishments.
Awards & Recognition
- Making a mark: University Professor Annamaria Lusardi and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center were recognized as one of Barron's top three Financial Empowerment initiatives of 2020. Read about the award in Barron's.
- Impacting business & society: Yixin Lu, Assistant Professor of Information Systems & Technology Management received this year's Association of Information Systems (AIS) Impact Award as part of the team that researched ‘AI in the Floriculture Chain’ (iFlow). The project explored the potential value of AI and developed AI applications with value for growers, auctioneers, transporters, and supply chain managers of flower products.
- Women advance technology: Supporting women leaders in STEM business, GWSB sponsored the inaugural Globant Women that Build Awards in December. Dean Mehrotra and Associate Dean Riddle were both judges in the competition.
- Competing to change the world: The 14th Annual — and first virtual — Pitch George Competition saw participants compete across the month of November. Finalists received awards across three tiers of recognition and prizes. The final awards empowered the three top teams to receive an automatic bid for the 2021 New Venture competition. Read more in GW Today's coverage.
Faculty Expertise
- James Bailey, Hochberg Professional Fellow of Leadership Development and Professor of Management provided insight on How to market to a divided America to Business of Fashion and authored a piece for the Legal Executive Institute on Meeting a lawyer’s need for psychological security: Why safety is more important now than ever. Forbes interviewed Bailey for their article on the History of Influencer Marketing Predates Social Media By Centuries - But Is There Enough Transparency In The 21st Century?
- Annamaria Lusardi, University Professor of Economics and Accountancy and Academic Director of the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) released new research in conjunction with the TIAA Institute in November and was subsequently quoted in the Financial Times’ article Why financial literacy matters more than ever, CNBC’s article The Biggest Financial Challenge Women Face in the Covid Crisis, WTMJ-TV Milwaukee's story on Increasing racial diversity among nonprofit leadership starts with achieving financial literacy South China Morning Post's opinion piece Now, more than ever, we need to know how to manage our money. Yet many of us are financially illiterate, and the GW Today’s article GFLEC Report: Women Unprepared for Pandemic’s Financial Impact. Additionally, Professor Lusardi was quoted in the CGTN’s article Global Business Daily: U.S./Italy flights?, fake Starbucks, ski debate.
- Vanessa Perry, Associate Dean for Faculty and Professor of Marketing was cited in the Los Angeles Sentinel in the article Historical Barriers and Structural Inequalities Still Account for Black-White Homeownership Gap.
- Paul M. Swiercz, Professor Emeritus of Management provided insight on Korea set to crackdown on chaebols with corporate reform for Bloomberg.
- Robert Van Order, Oliver Carr Chair in Real Estate and Professor of Finance & Economics, was interviewed by GW Today as part of its series on what to expect in the Biden Administration.
Reminders & Events
- Spring 2021 class registration is open: To consider your options and your schedule please connect with your academic advisors for graduate and undergraduate education.
- Catch up on GTB: Our final George Talks Business of 2020 was on December 2. It was an exciting conversation with impact powerhouse, Stephanie von Friedeburg, Interim Managing Director and Executive Vice President (MD EVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Stephanie shared her advice on investing in women to boost economic performance. On November 18, Nate Morris (CCAS '03) Founder & CEO of Rubicon provided his insight on entrepreneurship opportunities during a recession. Read the GW Today interview with Morris.
- New Venture Competition application process is open: GWSB students don't miss your chance to pitch your ideas. Applications close on February 3, 2021 at 1 p.m. ET. Increase your excitement by watching our 2020 George Talks Business with the People Powered Doors Team
- Office Hours: It was a pleasure seeing you in December! Thanks to all who joined the Dean's Drop-in Hours. I'm looking forward to seeing you again in the new year.
For those of you that traveled in advance of the holiday break, and everyone with future travel plans, please continue to use the resources from the university to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy as we finish the semester.
I wish our students success on exams. Have a wonderful winter break. See you in 2021!
Stay well and stay strong,
Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D.
Dean