People and Places: April 11, 2023
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 Wen Mao has been appointed the next Helen and William O’Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business (VSB) at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. A faculty member at VSB since 1995, Mao currently serves as vice dean. She was previously the school’s associate dean of faculty and chair of the department of economics. She also has been a member of the university’s academic policy committee, data governance board, Asian studies committee, university council for information technology, and provost’s search committee. In addition, she has directed the school’s Asian Internship Program, an immersive learning experience that places VSB students in internships with global firms in cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong. She becomes dean on August 1.
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 Francisco Veloso has been appointed the new dean of INSEAD Business School, which has locations in Fontainebleau, France; Singapore; Abu Dhabi; and San Francisco. He joins INSEAD from Imperial College Business School in London, where he has served as dean since 2017. Previously, he was the dean at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics in Portugal. During his tenure at Imperial College, Veloso led the development of a 10-year strategy to bolster the school’s standing as a research institution, focusing in particular on digital innovation. Drawing on his expertise in entrepreneurship and innovation, he has served as an advisor to the Portuguese government, to European Commissioner Carlos Moedas, and to several startups and established firms. Veloso will officially take up his new position at INSEAD on September 1, succeeding Ilian Mihov, who has served as dean for ten years. |
 Sean Edmund Rogers has been named dean of the College of Business at the University of Rhode Island (URI) in Kingston. Rogers, who joined the URI community in 2018 as associate professor of management, is currently professor of management, Spachman Professor of Human Resources and Labor Relations, and vice president for community, equity, and diversity. In the latter role, Rogers manages the university’s community, equity, and diversity division and its four diversity-enhancing centers: the Multicultural Student Services Center, the Gender and Sexuality Center, the Women’s Center, and the Military and Veteran Education Center. He also has been executive director of inclusive excellence, interim director of the Charles T. Schmidt Jr. Labor Research Center, and director of the healthcare management graduate programs, all within the College of Business. He becomes dean on June 4. |
 Seung Bach has been named dean of the College of Business at Minnesota State University in Mankato, effective July 1. Bach is currently the interim dean of the School of Business and Public Administration at California State University in Bakersfield (CSUB), a position he has held since September 2022. He also has served as CSUB’s associate dean, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and professor of entrepreneurship and strategic management. At CSUB, Bach was instrumental in developing a master of science degree in accountancy and structuring the school’s first-year seminar for business students. He played the lead role in establishing two new centers and fellowship grant programs, raising approximately 7 million USD in endowments. In Minnesota, Bach will succeed Brenda Flannery, who has served as dean since July 2011 and plans to return to the College of Business faculty after a sabbatical. |
 Ken Colwell will become the next dean of the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Colwell is currently a professor and former dean at the College of Business at the University of Houston–Victoria (UHV). During his tenure at UHV, the college launched three new degree programs, five advanced certificates for the MBA program, and one new minor. He also oversaw the development of a five-year strategic plan and led the college’s successful AACSB reaccreditation effort. Prior to joining UHV, Colwell served as professor and dean of the School of Business at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. He also has held positions at Long Island University in Brooklyn, the University of Miami, and Drexel University in Philadelphia. He becomes dean of the Monfort College on July 1. Colwell is replacing department chair and professor of management Keiko Krahnke, who stepped into the role of interim dean last July. |
 On July 1, Cathy L.Z. DuBois becomes the next Bryan Dean of the Miller College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. DuBois joins Ball State after 20 years at Kent State University’s Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship in Ohio, where she has been a faculty member, associate dean for administration, and associate dean for graduate and online programs. Under her leadership, the Ambassador Crawford College has become an advanced signatory to the Principles for Responsible Management Education and an associate member of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative. DuBois launched the Crawford College Responsible Leadership Initiative designed to embed responsible management and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into research and teaching throughout the college. She also has served in leadership positions on several AACSB affinity groups. DuBois succeeds Stephen Ferris. |
 Joyce Heames has been announced as the new dean of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro. Heames currently is dean of the Campbell School of Business at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia. Previously, she was an associate dean of innovation, outreach, and engagement at West Virginia University in Morgantown. As someone who was a first-generation college graduate and a transfer student from the community college system, Heames is particularly interested in MTSU’s efforts to cater to those student populations. Heames starts her new role at MTSU on July 1, taking the reins from David Urban, who is returning to a faculty position.
New ProgramsStarting May 8, Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K. will be offering new flexible, stackable, online courses on topics such as climate change, leadership resilience, and ethical problem-solving. The microcredential courses are offered over global platform Future Learn. All courses include a formal online assessment and lead to credits that can be put toward a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Management Practice. This fall, the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans will launch a revamped full-time MBA curriculum. The product of more than a year of development, the new curriculum is built on three pillars: data-driven decision-making, cross-functional experiential learning, and preparation for the business world of the future. The format divides semesters into seven-week terms to expand the breadth of program content without increasing the total number of credit hours. The new curriculum also includes an integrated data sequence; two weeklong intensive immersion courses; a consulting practicum; a semesterlong capstone course; a focus on environmental, social, and governance issues; new concentrations in analytics, sustainability, and strategy and marketing; an optional global trip; and joint-degree options. CollaborationsIÉSEG School of Management is partnering with RUBIKA, a creative arts school that focuses on animation, design, and video games, to launch a joint Bachelor’s in Management and Tech Design. The program will be offered on IÉSEG’s campus in Lille, France, and RUBIKA’s campus in Valenciennes, France. Students also will have opportunities for international experiences at RUBIKA’s locations in Pune, India, and Montreal. The three-year program, taught in English, will combine technological expertise and business management through a project-based approach. Mandatory internships at the end of each year will provide students with nine months’ worth of professional experience. The new program, which will begin in September 2024, expands on previous joint projects and student exchanges between the two institutions. Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and RV University in Bengaluru, India, have signed a memorandum of understanding in which they will exchange students, faculty, and research scholars, as well as enter into joint research collaborations. The partnership also will offer students at both institutions the opportunity to apply for dual- and joint-degree programs. Leaders of Bryant and RV described the MoU as a step toward internationalizing the scholarship and raising the global awareness of students at both institutions. The School of Business at the College of Charleston in South Carolina is partnering with Lowcountry Local First, a nonprofit that works to strengthen community support of independent businesses. In this collaboration, the Business as a Force for Good Speaker Series, presented by the College of Charleston MBA program, will be recorded in front of a live audience, rebroadcast on a local radio station, and made available on the podcast “Small Talks, Big Ideas with Steve Fletcher.” Each interview in the Good Speaker series will serve as an opportunity for audience members to interact with presenters from previous Good Business Summits, which are annual one-day events hosted by Lowcountry Local First and dedicated to spotlighting workable solutions for companies. Former Good Business Summit presenters will have opportunities to speak at MBA events and join the MBA program’s pool of executive partners who serve as mentors for MBA candidates. The goal of the partnership is to expose Charleston MBA students to career paths in the area and increase the local talent pool. Grants and DonationsConcordia University in Montreal is receiving a 1.4 million CAN investment from Scotiabank to advance programs initiated by the Office of Indigenous Directions and Career Management Services at the John Molson School of Business. The donation will help Indigenous and international students succeed through the Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke Indigenous Bridging Program and the Career Roadmap for International Student Excellence (C-RISE). Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke—a Kanien’kéha term which translates to “the four winds” or “the four directions”—is open to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who do not meet the standard admissions requirements to enter postsecondary education. C-RISE is a platform for international students to forge careers in Canada after graduation. The creation of the Indigenous Bridging Program was one of the steps outlined in Concordia’s Indigenous Directions Action plan, which offers concrete guidelines on how to decolonize and indigenize the university. Other NewsINSEAD Business School has unveiled a new 10-year-long vision for its campus in Fontainebleau, France. The master plan will encompass 20 buildings and incorporate elements that emphasize the power of technology as well as the importance of human connection with spaces that facilitate group collaboration, informal exchange, classroom discussion, and use of technology. The master plan also will promote planetary well-being by establishing spaces that integrate the setting of Fontainebleau Forest. Construction on the first new buildings is scheduled to start in July of 2023. Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago has launched its Discover+ program, which allows students to explore multiple disciplines before declaring a major. At Illinois Tech, all programs—including business, engineering, computing, science, humanities and social sciences, architecture, design, and law—incorporate technology. Discover+ recognizes that STEM undergraduates are significantly more likely to change majors than students in non-STEM fields. Students receive personalized coaching from academic advisors and gain exposure to various disciplines while they complete general education requirements. The Discover+ program also integrates Illinois Tech’s Elevate program, which guarantees hands-on experiences such as internships, research, competitions, and study-away opportunities. If you have news of interest to share with the business education community, please send press releases, relevant images, or other information to AACSB Insights at [email protected]. |
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