Dear GWSB Community,
I am delighted to welcome our students, faculty, staff and alumni to our fall semester at the school of business! Guided by our commitment to put student interests first and safety of our community, we have worked thoughtfully to tailor both the curricular as well as co-curricular programming for a virtual environment.
Our faculty and staff have leveraged our expertise in virtual learning and instructional design to focus on student learning — adjusting technology, teaching spaces and methodologies to offer content in reimagined ways. Student engagement, co-curricular learning and employer outreach have all moved online as well. Our signature programming from Global & Experiential Education, the F. David Fowler Career Center and our colleagues from graduate and undergraduate programs have designed bespoke opportunities for our students to connect with alumni and business leaders. I share our GWSB sprit and commitment to keep learning, adapting and innovating to continue providing the best experience possible for our students.
Welcome New GWSB Faculty & Staff
This fall we are excited to introduce eight new faculty members for the 2020-21 academic year. Please join me in welcoming:
- Gil Appel, assistant professor of marketing
- Helet Botha, visiting professor of strategic management and public policy
- Ben Bronner, teaching assistant professor of strategic management and public policy
- Erhan Erkut, visiting professor of decision sciences
- Johnson Hall, visiting assistant professor of decision sciences
- Keehea Moon, visiting assistant professor of accountancy
- Jungho Suh, visiting teaching assistant professor of management and tourism
- Cevat Tosun, Eisenhower Chair and Professor of Tourism Studies and Management
In addition, we welcome Sarah Lee as our newest senior career coach in the Fowler Career Center.
DHS Center of Excellence Update
During the summer, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Technology Directorate recognized GWSB to lead a new Center of Excellence. GWSB will deliver an MBA program focused on transitioning security technology from homeland protection applications to security uses in other federal agencies and the private sector. Students for this program will be recruited from across federal agencies, including DHS, as well as from private-sector organizations to create cross-sector, cross-industry learning and collaboration.
Creating this custom new program reflects our strength to offer academic customizability, flexibility and accessibility. You are invited to join us on Wednesday, September 23, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m for an online information session that will provide details on the Center of Excellence and the MBA in Security Technology Transition program. Professor Richard Donnelly, chairperson of the information systems and technology management department will serve as the faculty director for this program that will commence in January 2021.
ELEVATE: Executive Education for Local Leaders
Executive Leadership Education Venture Advancing Talented Entrepreneurs
In partnership with the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development (CNHED), GWSB will offer an educational program to increase training for local Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) in Washington, D.C. The “Elevate” curriculum, developed by the GWSB Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence (CFEE) and led by faculty members Professor George Solomon and Professor Ayman El Tarabishy, will provide training to minority small businesses in the DMV area to prepare them to more effectively and efficiently manage their business’ products and services; and increase revenue and employment.
The first cohort in the program, commencing in January 2021, will be part of JPMorgan Chase’s National Ascend Program, which supports minority-owned small businesses with the goal of formalizing business education, consulting services, and partnerships with anchor institutions that are committed to increasing spending with minority-owned firms over the next three years. CNHED administers the Ascend program in the D.C. area.
Virtual Career Week
The F. David Fowler Career Center launched Career Week on September 8. The misnomer that it is, Career Week lasts ten days and offers GWSB students unique events including employer info sessions, coffee chats, nine industry panels, 15 visiting executives-in-residence and a career fair. It is exciting to note that Career Week with support from more than 50 alumni and employers has attracted over 600 student registrations.
George Talks Business Continues Virtually
The George Talks Business online interview series returns for the new academic year on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 12:30 – 1:00 p.m., when I will interview special guest Ellen M. Zane, CCAS ’73, CEO emeritus of Tufts Medical Center. Other scheduled GTB guests include:
- Sept. 23 – Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, Board Chair and President, Charles Schwab Foundation
- Sept. 30 – Sandeep Dadlani, Chief Digital Officer, Mars, Inc.
- Oct. 5 – Afsaneh M. Beschloss, Founder and CEO, RockCreek
- Oct. 8 – Baroness Joanna Shields, CEO, BenevolentAI
- Oct. 14 – A. Michael Spence, Nobel Laureate in Economics
- Oct. 22 – Larysa Kautz, Interim President & CEO, Melwood
- Oct. 28 – Eric Hylton, Commissioner of the Small Business/Self-Employed Division, Internal Revenue Service
- Nov. 5 – Sam Priyadarshi, Principal and Global Head of Portfolio Risk and Derivatives, Vanguard
- Nov. 18 – Nate Morris, Founder and CEO, Rubicon
- Dec. 2 – Stephanie von Friedeburg, Chief Operating Officer, IFC
I hope you can join us for what are sure to be informative and engaging sessions this fall. Please visit the George Talks Business page for the full schedule details and to register.
Once again, welcome back. We have a lot of exciting initiatives planned for this fall and beyond, and despite the necessary changes to the way we normally do things, I look forward to a great semester.
Stay well and stay strong,
Anuj Mehrotra, Ph.D.
Dean