Dear GWSB Community,
The fall semester is in full swing, classes are in session, and we have kicked off a number of exciting new programs, particularly in the area of student engagement. I’d like to take a few minutes to give you a brief rundown of some of those programs, both new and previously existing.
In June, the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship launched the Summer Startup Accelerator, a nine-week program designed to help student/alumni startups attract investors. The program’s Showcase and Demo Day attracted 21 angel investors and venture capitalists. Four of the 10 business ventures in the program were from GWSB: Last Call Food (Erin McGeoy, ’18), District Connect (Winona Francis, ’18), Viva Vita (Carleigh Berryman, ’19) and Pocket Palette (Lynda Peralta, MBA ’17).
On a related note, GW recently announced a partnership with MakeOffices to provide student business innovators with a collaborative workspace, the GW Innovation+Entrepreneurship (I+E) Lab at MakeOffices. The GW I+E Lab is located at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and is open for business!
I recently traveled to New York City for a reception for mentors and students in our Real Estate and Finance Alliance (REFA) Mentorship Program. It’s a great program, made possible by GWSB alumni mentors who give generously of their time, talent and expertise to help students prepare for successful careers in these demanding and competitive fields.
I also had the honor and pleasure of joining the GWSB Undergraduate Business Association for their recent leadership breakfast meeting.
The GWSB Office of Graduate Programs is hosting a full schedule of meet-and-greets, roundtables and online happy hours for students, alumni, faculty and staff. The inaugural meet-and-greet event, with special guest Rachel Goldstein, MBA ’03 and global sustainability senior manager at Mars, Inc., was a terrific success! View the complete schedule of events here.
And finally, George Talks Business has returned for a second season this fall, kicking off with special guest and GWSB alumnus Mark Lerner, owner of the Washington Nationals, followed by sessions with Nelson A. Carbonell, Jr., chairman emeritus of the GW Board of Trustees, and David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group. I hope you can join us in person or online. View the schedule of events here.
At the start of a new academic year, we are excited to welcome both new and returning students to GWSB. We are also proud to welcome back our faculty and staff members.
As you know, our top priority at GWSB is to put students’ interests first in all that we do. And one of the ways we do that is to search for, recruit, and retain the best business faculty in the world. Joining GWSB this year is a distinguished group of new faculty. Please join me in welcoming the following new members of the GWSB faculty for the 2019-20 academic year:
- Linda Ambrosie, visiting assistant professor of tourism;
- Riddha Basu, assistant professor of accountancy;
- Simon Boylen, visiting instructor of international business;
- Wei Chen, visiting assistant professor of information systems and technology management;
- Laura D'Antonio, teaching assistant professor of international business;
- Johan Ferreira, visiting assistant professor in marketing;
- Shraddha Gawankar, visiting assistant professor in decision sciences;
- Bumsoo Kim, visiting associate professor in decision sciences;
- Lisa Lewin, visiting assistant professor in strategic management and public policy;
- Neli Loewenthall, visiting teaching assistant professor of international business;
- Zhengling Qi, assistant professor of decision sciences; and
- Ariel Weinberger, assistant professor of international business.
In addition, two members of the GWSB faculty have taken on new responsibilities this fall: adjunct Professor Michael Naor becomes a visiting associate professor in decision sciences, and Professor William Stromsem of the Accountancy Department becomes a teaching assistant professor.
A new annual tracking survey, crafted to gather feedback about the GWSB student experience, has been sent to all of our graduate students. The responses are due on September 23, and we will use the data to continue to improve all aspects of the student experience, including student services and curriculum. I encourage you to participate!
I’d like to close with a bit of news that underscores the excellence of a GWSB education. In the latest U.S. News & World Report undergraduate program rankings, released earlier this month, GWSB is ranked 8th for international business (and 43rd overall). This reflects our pride in being an international institution with an international outlook. Congratulations to our outstanding faculty and staff, and our accomplished alumni, whose achievements helped us earn this important recognition.
See you around campus!
All the best,
Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D.
Dean