People and Places: October 25, 2022

New Programs

Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business in Atlanta has developed a certificate program in partnership with Delta Air Lines. Delta Analytics Academy, designed for frontline personnel, will put airline employees on the path to becoming analytics experts. Students first complete 24 weeks of virtual programming—12 weeks acquiring foundational learning with Georgia State, and 12 weeks applying their learning to Delta-specific data and concepts. After completing coursework and building skills in using tools such as Excel, Python, SQL, and Tableau, students will participate in immersive analytics internships.

In September 2023, emlyon business school and the engineering school École Centrale de Lyon will debut a Bachelor of Science in Data Science for Responsible Business in Lyon-Ecully, France. The hybrid program, which is taught in English, interweaves engineering and management science to train students in sustainable development. In the first two years of the program, students acquire skills in artificial intelligence, data science, and responsible management. In the third year, students choose one of three specialization tracks in data science, research, or entrepreneurship. Students also participate in 15 to 18 months’ worth of internships spread over the four years of the program.

In fall 2023, Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York will launch a PhD in business administration, marking the university’s inaugural social sciences doctoral program. The program is designed to inspire scholars to identify and solve business challenges that influence business and society, particularly technological changes. The program will integrate technology and innovation in three areas: digital transformation, finance and accounting, and strategy and innovation. According to Jacqueline Mozrall, dean of the Saunders College, “The program looks at both humans and technology—and how the two interact in the business world. Throughout the doctoral program, students will explore the ‘what,’ the ‘how,’ and the ‘why’ of business opportunities and challenges brought on by technological innovation.”

This semester, the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business and Technology at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville introduced two new undergraduate degree programs. In the Bachelor of Science in Data Science, a cross-campus collaboration with the math department, faculty and students collaborate on data analysis and predictive modeling to make business decisions. In the Bachelor of Science in Finance, students take courses in financial management, financial forecasting, and payment processes. The Bunting College also has recently launched a Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an entrepreneurial incubator for student and community businesses. The center will host pitch competitions, offer learning consultancies for local organizations, and act as an interdisciplinary resource for students, faculty, and the community.

Edith Cowan University Online in Perth, Australia, has launched an accelerated online MBA degree that emphasizes transformational strategies and human-focused leadership skills. Through seven-week study periods, the online MBA focuses on one unit at a time, so students can immerse themselves in their studies while continuing to work full-time. Students can opt for specializations in people and culture, project management, or human resource management. They also can take electives in all three specializations as well as in fields such as digital marketing, finance, and cybersecurity. Students who have bachelor’s degrees in business or commerce and three years of relevant management experience can earn the MBA degree even more quickly because recognition of their prior learning will reduce the 12-unit course to nine units. Students who are not ready to pursue the advanced degree can enroll in a Graduate Certificate of Business Administration program as an alternative pathway into the MBA.

Collaborations

The University of Exeter in the U.K. has underscored its commitment to the circular economy by becoming the first University Partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The organization promotes the circular economy by helping organizations and governments eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature. The University of Exeter first worked with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as a Pioneer University. In 2017, Dame Ellen MacArthur officially launched the Exeter Centre for Circular Economy, a research center within the University of Exeter Business School. Currently, hundreds of academics at the university work on research and innovations related to climate change, natural capital and ecosystem services, water systems, and business entrepreneurship and innovation.

The Lubin School of Business at Pace University in New York City has launched the Pace Entrepreneurship Studio (PES) in collaboration with AnD Ventures, an Israeli venture capital firm. The studio offers workshops, mentorship, training, professional sessions, an open workspace, and access to resources and funding to entrepreneurs who are students, faculty, and alumni.

Grants and Donations

Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has received a 121 million USD gift from university trustee Kimberly K. Querrey and the estate of her late husband, Louis Simpson. Ten million USD will be used to expand executive education at the Kellogg School of Management, where Simpson had served as senior fellow, adjunct professor of finance, and member of the school’s Asset Management Practicum advisory council. The rest will go toward advancing biomedical discovery at the Feinberg School of Medicine. Over the past two decades, Querrey and Simpson have made contributions to the university that total more than 379 million USD.

Other News

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, has announced plans to reimagine its current School of Management into a new Purdue School of Business. The effort will require a substantial investment and result in doubling the size of its existing building and expanding both faculty rosters and student enrollment. To support the new school, the university plans a major fundraising campaign, which has been kicked off by a 10 million USD gift from alumnus Marshall Larsen and his wife, Susan. The new school will build on existing programs in business and engineering, business analytics, real estate, and leadership.

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