Dear GWSB Community,
We are well into the second month of the fall semester; the campus is full of students and classes are in progress. I can feel the energy at GWSB. After much anticipation, it is energizing and enjoyable to experience the challenges and rewards of getting down to the day-to-day of what we are here to do: educate the next generation of global business leaders.
Since classes began, each day has confirmed my initial impressions of GWSB, our faculty, staff, students and alumni. In fact, in many ways, my expectations have been exceeded. It has been fulfilling to stack up many "firsts," including: the first full faculty meeting, first staff meeting, first orientations for our various programs, first meetings with student groups and alumni, first visits to our corporate partners, and first tour outside Washington, D.C. (New York and California) to meet with alumni and parents. I am looking forward to my upcoming travel to other cities.
It has also been wonderful to learn about many of our unique student-focused programs such as the Global BBA, the Capital Markets Graduate Certificate, the Consulting Abroad Programs (CAPs), and the Communities of Practice (CoPs — including MIPC, REFA, and marketing). I think I am getting the hang of how every initiative or program has an acronym befitting the GW culture! I invite you to learn more about these initiatives. It is safe to say that we have begun our work to build on the great foundation that is already in place.
Anticipating and responding to the changing demands of business education will be key going forward. We will need to embrace a culture of adaptability and agility. As the market for business education continues to shift, we will work harder than ever to build on GWSB’s customizability and flexibility in program design to set ourselves up for continued success. I fully expect us to be well-positioned by putting our students’ interests first in everything we do. I am grateful that professors Vanessa Perry and Liesl Riddle have joined the leadership team as associate deans for faculty and graduate programs, respectively. We will continue to reorganize our management structure as needed to align with our strategy.
There are many initiatives under discussion. Plans are underway to expand our portfolio of modular and flexible programs as well as enhance the programs that have served our students well. We will also soon announce several initiatives that will provide our alumni with additional opportunities to engage with us and continue their learning. Our committed faculty, staff, advisory council members, and the leadership team are very excited to take on these initiatives, and we look forward to working closely with all stakeholders. Please keep your input and feedback coming — it is very important and most welcome.
I hope you will join us during Colonials Weekend later this month as we experience together my first GWSB “homecoming” — with all the programming and festivities planned, it is sure to be an exciting weekend.
All the best,
Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D.
Dean