Message From the Dean — October 2021


October 30, 2021

Dear GWSB Community,

In October, our community remembered the life of General Colin Powell (MBA ‘71). In reflecting on his life and his legacy, I’m reminded of one of the values that our school shared with our distinguished alumnus General Powell - his passionate commitment to international education. 

As Secretary of State, Powell championed the connections made through people-to-people relationships developed through international student mobility and study abroad programs. In August of 2001, Powell explained his support of international exchange, stating, “...it is important for American students to learn other languages, experience foreign cultures, and develop a broad understanding of global issues.”

The month ahead features International Education Week (November 15-19) and it is a great opportunity for our GWSB community to come together and recognize our focus on international business in the classroom and through our global and experiential education, inclusivity in our teaching and relationships, and celebrate our international students, scholars, faculty and staff who make GWSB an innovative and impactful school and community. November also marks Native American History Month and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee has recommended kicking off the month with a radio interview with David J. Silverman, GW Professor of History.

Awards & Recognition

  • ISTM Excellence - Congratulations to our faculty in the Information Systems & Technology Management (ISTM) department for several remarkable achievements. This outstanding scholarship in the ISTM field is a credit to the school and we are #GWSBproud of these accomplishments and well earned recognition. 
  • Chad Ho, Associate Professor of Information Systems, and Yixin Lu, Assistant Professor of Information Systems & Technology Management, were awarded the prestigious INFORMS ISS Sandy Slaughter Early Career Award. 
  • Yixin Lu, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Technology Management, will be joining Professor Wendy Duan as associate editor of Information Systems Research (ISR).
  • YoungKi Park, Associate Professor of Information Systems & Technology Management, has been appointed as associate editor of MIS Quarterly. 
  • The ISTM department will have the rare honor of three associate editors in two premier journals starting January 1.
  • First Place Case Competition Finish - GW Business MBA students were awarded first place in the Marketing Case Competition hosted by the Georgetown McDonough Business School. Congratulations to Aditya Jaju, Natasha Roque, Aabha Sachar and Elana Snyder. The GWSB team delivered an innovation and communication plan to help Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages better resonate with younger and more diverse consumers. The judges were impressed with the way the team thoroughly researched the issue and presented the solution in a clear, easy-to-understand presentation.
  • GW Recognized as No. 1 for Study Abroad Scholarship 
  • For the Gilman International Scholarship's 20th Anniversary, GW was ranked #1 Top Producing university among medium sized institutions. This recognition demonstrates our long-term commitment to increasing equity, diversity, and accessibility in study abroad for undergraduate Pell Grant recipients through the Exchange Programs - U.S. Department of State's Gilman International Scholarship Program.

GWSB Good News

  • Entrepreneurial Solutions - GW Today featured interviews with GWSB student entrepreneurs of W!pe and MELA while highlighting the upcoming 2021 Pitch George Competition. “No one has really challenged the product or the product design of pregnancy testing,” Miriam Zara said in describing her collaboration with Isabel Meizoso Quetglas and Emma Danziger to advance women’s health rights with technology in developing W!pe. “We saw an opportunity here and developed it forward.” The W!pe and MELA teams profiled in the article competed in GWSB Mini Pitch George competition and the university’s New Venture Competition last spring.
  • Establishing the Indigenous Tourism Collaborative of the Americas (ITCA) - Travel Weekly highlighted the launch of the ITCA on October 11, Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The GW International Institute of Tourism Studies worked in partnership with the Office of Indian Economic Development at the U.S. Department of the Interior to form the ITCA, which was endorsed by Kathryn Isom-Clause, deputy assistant secretary of Indian affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior. 
  • Finance Educational Partnership for Local Impact - The D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), led by GWSB alumna, Commissioner Karima Woods (MBA 2011), announced their new partnership with GW Business. “Partnership with DISB’s Financial Academy provides our students with the opportunity to apply lessons learned in the classroom to solve real-world problems in our Washington, D.C., neighborhood,” said Vice Dean for Strategy, Liesl Riddle. Read more about the partnership in the Washington Informer article. 
  • Hacking for Defense - Beginning in the spring semester, GW students will be able to take Hacking for Defense, a course with an entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary approach to solving national security challenges. Read the GW Today article. 
  • Imagine Innovation - GW October Entrepreneurship Week brought together the Washington, D.C. community - including city leadership and partners as and drew upon faculty expertise and the ICSB to focus on GW students receiving hands on seminars and connections to further their entrepreneurial ambitions. The week culminated in a celebration of learning outcomes and new partnerships. 
  • Sustainable Textiles - The GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, GWSB Alumni Relations team hosted alumna Brianna Kilcullen (BBA ‘11), founder and CEO of ANACT, a global sustainable hemp textile company, on campus for a conversation with students.  Brianna walked the audience through important aspects of how to build an e-commerce business, how to fund it, and how her company is paving the way to reintroduce hemp textile manufacturing in the United States and globally. 

Faculty Expertise

  • James Bailey, Hochberg Professorial Fellow of Leadership Development and Professor of Management, was featured in an interview on the shift in workplace expectations for WTOP,  and offered expertise on Facebook regarding VIPs avoiding mediation for Forbes and on the name change for both Forbes and Sputnik International .  
  • Lisa Delpy-Neirotti, Director of Sports Management Programs and Associate Professor of Sport Management, provided insight in a  CGTN panel discussion about the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics COVID precautions.
  • Ayman El Tarabishy, Deputy Chair of the Department of Management and Teaching Professor of Management, was interviewed by NPR for their All This Considered program on how the WhatsApp outage affected small businesses worldwide and discussed with NPR how important WhatsApp is globally in another interview. 
  • Donna Hoffman, Louis Rosenfeld Distinguished Scholar, Professor of Marketing and Co-Director of The Center for the Connected Consumer, discussed Black Friday buyer behavior predictions for the Washington Post
  • Annamaria Lusardi, University Professor of Economics and Accountancy and Academic Director of GFLEC, made a significant impact through her research which was cited sixteen times by the Congressional Research Service in a report to the U.S. Congress on Financial Literacy and Financial Education Policy Issues. 
  • Larry Yu, Professor of Hospitality Management, provided insight for NPR regarding the way that tourists have adapted to a new travel reality. 

Events & Reminders

  • October 30 (Saturday) - Boo Bash is open to all GW students starting at 8 p.m. ET in the University Student Center. RSVP in advance for free pizza, pumpkin painting and other fun activities. 
  • November 3 (Wednesday) - Join a live George Talks Business and the annual Richard W. Blackburn Endowed Lecture on Civility and Integrity with our guest this year Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean, GW Law. Register to participate in the event that begins at 6:15 p.m. 
  • November 5 (Saturday) - Industry Roundtables will host executives from Citi, Deloitte, Disney Streaming Services, EcoSoul Home, Inc., Ernst & Young, Este Lauder, Freddie Mac, General Dynamics, Guidehoue, Intralox, Mastercard, and PMD International in interactive discussions from 5:45 - 7:15 p.m. Graduate Students register to participate by Wednesday, November 3 so you do not miss this signature GWSB event.
  • November 6 (Sunday) - Dazzling Diwali will be hosted in the Elliot City View Room starting at 7 p.m. ET. RSVP to participate in the celebration with free food, activities and dancing. 
  • November 10 (Wednesday) A live and in-person George Talks Business interview with Marty Rodgers, market unit lead of U.S. South at Accenture, will be on campus starting at 12:30 p.m.. RSVP to reserve your seat or stream live on the GWSB YouTube channel
  • November 10 (Wednesday) - What Conscious Chocolate Tastes Like  is an ESG focused event with John Forrer, Associate Research Professor of Strategic Management & Public Policy Associate Faculty and IRC Director, and D.C. chocolatier River-Sea. Register to participate in the interactive virtual event. 
  • November 11 & 12 (Thursday & Friday) - Angela Davis - scholar, educator and activist - will be the keynote speaker for The Audacity of Hope, The Power in Community. The GW 6th Annual Diversity Summit will take place virtually. Register to participate by November 10 at noon ET to participate. 
  • November 11 (Thursday) - Join the Veterans Day Ceremony on Kogan Plaza at 10 a.m. as part of your participation in the Diversity Summit or independently of the summit’s program. 
  • November 17 (Wednesday) - Live in the Smith Center, Mayor Muriel Bowser will be interviewed on George Talks Business by Dean Mehrotra starting at 12:30 p.m. ET. Register to participate in person and submit questions in advance. And stream live on the GWSB YouTube Channel.
  • Reminder - Application Closes on November 5 for One-Time Grant to Help Cover Educational Expenses Incurred During the Pandemic: GW received federal funds to distribute one-time non-taxable monetary grants to any student who was enrolled at any point between March 13, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021 that demonstrates they have experienced financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic and who may have exceptional financial need. (Students received a dedicated application link via their GW email on October 7. If students cannot find the application link, email [email protected] to confirm eligibility and request a new application link.)

We have a lot of fun ahead in the coming month - and with that, one of my favorite activities kicks off: basketball season! I had the chance to chat with GW Men’s Basketball Coach Christian recently about D.C. and GW Athletics. I invite you to check out our fantastic sporting events we have at GW. #RaiseHigh

Stay well and stay strong,

image - Dean Anuj Mehrotra signature

Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D.

Dean