Associate Deans Conference

Begin your day by networking over coffee. This is an excellent opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, make new connections, and discuss the sessions ahead.

The transition from college to career can be filled with uncertainty, stress, and self-doubt for graduating seniors. Launch courses, sometimes called senior seminars or off-boarding experiences, can help students build the resilience and life skills needed to navigate this pivotal moment with confidence. In this session, presenters will share practical models for designing and implementing these courses, drawing on successful examples that foster reflective growth, emotional readiness, and long-term adaptability. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to integrate resilience-focused learning into existing curricula and inspiration for piloting launch initiatives at their own institutions.

Leadership from the middle isn't just about navigating the present, it's also about building the future. As an associate dean, your unique cross-functional perspective positions you to identify and mentor emerging leaders across your institution. This session explores how to intentionally approach succession planning, both for your role and others across the college. You'll reflect on your evolving leadership journey, learn how to spot and support potential successors, and begin crafting a personal action plan to ensure leadership continuity and institutional strength. Whether you're planning your next step or just getting started, this session will help you lead with a legacy in mind.

Join Stephanie Bryant, AACSB’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Accreditation Officer, and Libby Rozell, Regional Head of the Americas, for a dynamic listening session focused on the revision of the AACSB Business Accreditation Standards, with an opportunity to provide input on the Accounting Accreditation Standards as well. This interactive session is your chance to engage directly with AACSB leadership, share your perspectives as associate deans, and help shape the next generation of standards that reflect the evolving landscape of business and accounting education. Your voice will influence how AACSB ensures global relevance, academic quality, and societal impact in our accreditation processes. Whether you have feedback on the current standards, suggestions for improvement, or ideas to make the standards more agile and accessible, we would like to hear from you. This is more than a listening session—it’s a collaborative dialogue about the future of accreditation.

Ready to play your way into deeper thinking? This highly interactive session transforms the classic card game “Go Fish” into a creative exploration of how curiosity can drive innovation in business education. In small groups, participants will “fish” for cards representing themes like teaching strategies, technology, assessment, scholarly inquiry, and leadership. As you collect sets, you’ll engage in reflective discussions designed to surface practical and inspiring ways to embed curiosity into your classrooms, research, and administrative leadership. Leave energized—with new ideas, strategies, and a fresh perspective on cultivating curiosity as a tool for meaningful change.

Today’s business students enter the classroom with diverse identities, experiences, and learning needs. How can business schools evolve to meet them where they are? This session highlights innovative approaches to align student support services with inclusive teaching practices. Learn how institutions are implementing systemic changes through experiential learning, cross-functional collaboration, and inclusive pedagogy. You’ll gain actionable insights to create a cohesive and high-impact learning environment that supports all students—both inside and outside the classroom.

Business education challenges often span borders, but solutions are shaped by context. This session features associate deans from non-U.S. institutions discussing how global trends—AI integration, societal impact, and learner expectations—play out in their regions. Explore leadership strategies, policy constraints, and partnership innovations from around the world.

Relax and enjoy the company of your colleagues. This reception is the perfect opportunity to unwind and continue the day’s discussions in a more informal setting.

Begin the final day with networking over breakfast. Reflect on the insights gained and prepare for the final sessions.

Discover how AACSB Business Membership connects your institution to a global network of schools and industry partners, providing access to thought leadership, benchmarking tools, and collaboration opportunities. This session highlights the strategic benefits of membership—enhancing curriculum relevance, employer engagement, and institutional visibility. Learn how joining AACSB’s business community can help shape the future of business education.

Over the past decade, resumes and LinkedIn profiles have become saturated with certificates, badges, and other micro-credentials, creating challenges for hiring managers tasked with identifying qualified talent. A recent survey of over 100 hiring managers was conducted to gain insight into how non-degree credentials are assessed and valued by these key decision-makers. This session presents actionable recommendations to inform the development of future non-degree offerings—covering content, categorization, and structure—through the lens of a Director of Executive Education at a Big Ten institution and a strategic consulting firm.

Are we preparing students for yesterday’s jobs or tomorrow’s challenges? In this eye-opening panel, business leaders deliver an unfiltered look at the persistent disconnect between higher education and the workforce. From critical thinking and digital fluency to adaptability and real-world collaboration, what competencies are employers actually seeking and not finding in today’s graduates? Join us as business leaders share sharp insights and actionable recommendations to help associate deans bridge the gap between academic outcomes and market realities.

Assurance of Learning (AoL) is more than a compliance exercise—it’s a strategic opportunity to enhance educational quality. As an associate dean, you play a pivotal role in managing this complex process. This interactive session reframes AoL through the lens of project management, focusing on how to gather stakeholder input, build faculty buy-in, design meaningful assessments, and turn data into curricular improvements. You'll explore practical strategies for creating and documenting an effective AoL plan, while balancing both direct and indirect assessment methods. Walk away with a clear framework for leading AoL as a catalyst for continuous improvement and innovation.

Associate Deans of undergraduate programs have a unique vantage point to foster powerful alumni connections. By sharing authentic student experiences and cultivating purposeful collaborations, Associate Deans can play a vital role in deepening alumni engagement and supporting development goals. This session explores strategies for partnering with deans and advancement teams to align academic and alumni relations efforts. Learn how to create impactful alumni involvement opportunities—such as mentoring, speaking, and student support—and walk away with actionable ideas, lessons learned, and space to brainstorm new approaches to alumni engagement.

Associate Deans often find themselves in a unique position—caught between institutional vision and operational reality. This interactive session explores what it means to lead constructively from the middle. Through real-world examples and facilitated peer discussion, participants will unpack common leadership dilemmas: championing top-down initiatives they may not fully support, challenging upward when necessary, advancing their own ideas amid skepticism, and managing their own professional growth. The session will offer practical strategies for influencing across levels, building peer support networks, navigating difficult conversations, and identifying high-impact areas for associate dean leadership. Come prepared to share, reflect, and leave with insights to strengthen your leadership impact.

This fast-paced, hands-on workshop is designed for associate deans who want to drive AI integration across their institutions. In just 90 minutes, participants will assess their school’s AI readiness, identify high-impact opportunities in curriculum, faculty development, operations, and partnerships, and build a 30/60/90-day action plan. Using guided frameworks and digital tools, attendees will collaborate in small groups to stress-test ideas and leave with practical, institution-specific strategies. Whether new to AI or already exploring its potential, associate deans will gain strategic clarity and actionable next steps to accelerate transformation and enhance their school’s relevance in the AI era.