Dear GWSB Community,
Reflecting on the past two months, it is difficult to not realize how much change has taken place here at the School of Business. I remain grateful for how we have collectively responded to the challenges presented by the pandemic. This gives me the confidence that, as we plan for an uncertain future, together we will continue to innovate and reimagine the higher educational experience for GW’s bicentennial in 2021 and beyond. Our faculty and staff are already planning how we can best educate and support our students simultaneously on-campus and online to ensure learning-outcome quality, experiences, engagement and community.
The resilience and renewal in our DNA enable us to maintain our commitment to putting our students’ interests first and delivering quality education. I fully expect us to lead in innovation as we anticipate and adapt to the post-pandemic “new-normal.” And we of course remain committed to providing a best-in-class educational experience in the short-term as well.
Regardless of what scenario we experience this coming fall — whether our classes are held online, on-campus, or a mix of the two that enables us to best accommodate our students’ circumstances — we will continue to work hard through the summer months to ensure that we provide the best business education and prepare our students to compete and contribute.
Our continued innovation is also reflected in the exciting new changes we have implemented in the GWSB curriculum that I have shared before. I want to also share another exciting change: starting in the Fall 2020 semester, GWSB will offer full-time MBA students the option of a STEM designation for their Global MBA and Accelerated MBA programs. The STEM-designated MBA will allow students to significantly expand their career options through the combined strength of a world-class education in business and science-technology-engineering-mathematics. Please visit the GWSB website to learn more about our STEM-designated MBA programs.
I want to give a special shout-out to our most recent graduates, their families and friends! Last week, we held our virtual commencement ceremonies with extraordinary speakers Trianna Downing, BBA ’20, Victoria Abril, BAccy ’19 and MAccy ’20, and our keynote speaker, John G. Samuel, MBA ’14, head of LCI Tech at LCI Industries. It was a fun and delightful opportunity to bring our GWSB community together virtually to celebrate the Class of 2020. You can still view the online celebrations.
I also want to congratulate Professor Annamaria Lusardi, who has been appointed as one of only eight University Professors. As founder and academic director of the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, Dr. Lusardi has established a well-earned worldwide reputation as the expert in her field through her tireless research and promotion of financial literacy education. It is particularly fitting that she should be so honored at a time when her work is so vital to the millions whose personal finances have been threatened or disrupted by the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
We are also committed to providing lifelong learning opportunities for all members of our community, including our students and alumni. We are now offering the GWSB Grants for 2020 GW Graduates program to our recent graduates from any school within GW. This program provides tuition grants of 25 to 50 percent for those who enroll in GWSB graduate certificates or specialized master’s degree programs in the Fall 2020 semester.
Finally, I invite you to remain connected and join us online again soon for the George Talks Business series. On Monday, June 1, from noon to 12:30 p.m., our guest will be Jane Mosbacher Morris, founder and CEO of TO THE MARKET, who was recently named by Fortune magazine as “One of World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of the Pandemic,” and on Wednesday, June 10, from noon to 12:30 p.m., we will be joined by the prize-winning GWSB team from this year’s GW New Venture Competition, People Powered Doors.
With gratitude, admiration, and appreciation for our GWSB community,
Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D.
Dean