People and Places: May 2025

New Programs

Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in New York has announced the launch of four new graduate certificate programs in healthcare management. The seven-week certificates are tailored for working professionals and will offer specialized instruction curated from Simon’s Master of Science in Medical Management (MMM) program. Credits earned in up to two certificates may be applied toward completion of the 18-month part-time MMM degree program, providing professionals the opportunity to stack credentials along their educational journey. Earned credits may also be applied toward Simon’s Professional MBA or Executive MBA programs. Three of the new programs are scheduled to begin in August, with the Graduate Certificate in Health Care Analytics and Artificial Intelligence starting in March 2026.

The Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, California, has introduced a new MS in Business Analytics. The program is designed to meet growing workforce demand for data-driven decision-making across a range of industries, including healthcare informatics, digital advertising, and nonprofits. Minder Chen, a professor of management information systems and co-designer of the curriculum, said generative AI tools will be an integral part of the curriculum, aiming to prepare graduates for the ever-expanding role that big data plays in business and industry. The 16-month cohort-based program is offered in a flexible format that blends in-person evening classes with online synchronous and asynchronous coursework.

The University of Birmingham Business School has launched the United Arab Emirates’ first PhD program in artificial intelligence at the school’s Dubai campus. Students will receive personalized academic supervision and advanced research skills training and will have access to AI labs, incubators, and government innovation initiatives. The program aims to create a unique platform for innovation that bridges global expertise with regional opportunity.

This fall, the Andreas School of Business at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, is launching a new specialization in artificial intelligence strategy within its MBA program. The specialization will offer new courses, including those dedicated to AI governance, automation, and data-driven strategy. Working alongside the university’s Digital Transformation Lab, students will audit businesses and design AI strategies to deliver results for real-world business scenarios. Classes will begin in fall 2025.

The Ivy College of Business and the Department of Computer Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University in Ames have designed a new Master of Financial Technology degree that will begin enrolling students for the fall 2025 semester. To complete the interdisciplinary program, students will take a total of 10 classes—five in computer science and five in finance and business analytics. The curriculum is designed to give students employable technical skills in areas of high demand, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, software development, and quantitative portfolio management.

The Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany is expanding its Master of Finance program to include a concentration in central banking and financial regulation. The new concentration will start in fall 2025 and provide participants with in-depth knowledge of the activities of central banks and their critical role in the global financial system. The program will draw on the expertise of Frankfurt’s professors—namely Emanuel Mönch and Jens Weidmann, co-directors of the school’s Centre for Central Banking, and Michael Ehrmann, head of the European Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Research Department—to produce content that aligns with real-world challenges in the public and private financial sectors.

The Menlo College School of Business in Atherton, California, will offer a new undergraduate major in artificial intelligence and analytics, a redesign of a previous business analytics program. The new degree integrates applied artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and ethical decision-making in business settings. The School of Business also announced that its MS in financial technology program will begin in fall 2025. The new program blends finance, blockchain, AI, and entrepreneurship to prepare students for success in the ever-changing landscape of financial technology.

Collaborations

Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China and AIM Global Foundation recently signed an agreement aimed at advancing trade, promoting sustainable investment, and developing global leadership. Together they will create a CEO leadership program, a series of master classes, and business forums that facilitate meaningful dialogue and mutual growth across China and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Imarticus Learning have launched Cybersecurity for Business Leaders, a program that trains Indian business leaders to enhance their organizations’ cybersecurity positioning. Delivered entirely online, the masterclass can be completed in seven weeks with roughly five hours of content completed per week. The curriculum is designed for mid- to senior-level professionals with at least 10 years of industry experience. The program incorporates strategic frameworks, real-world case studies, and a peer learning environment. Graduates will earn a certificate of attendance from Saïd.

The Creative Destruction Lab and Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary has announced a new three-year partnership with Ivey Publishing to create a regional hub focused on the success, failure, and knowledge of operating businesses in Canada’s western provinces. One of the primary goals of the initiative is to support the development of cases on entrepreneurial firms in agriculture and technology that reflect the real businesses, innovations, and challenges students see in nearby communities. As part of the partnership with Ivey Publishing, Haskayne is aiming to publish 20 new cases that contribute to a longer-term vision for the business school.

NEMOA Business School has announced a partnership with Mistral AI, a French startup specializing in open-source generative AI models. Starting in September, Mistral AI will provide roughly 3,000 NEOMA students, faculty, and staff access to a custom version of Le Chat, a multilingual conversational assistant based on Mistral models. The program will assess learners’ comprehension to provide enhanced support, offer practical training through a personalized negotiation simulator, and help inform internal processes.

Grants and Donations

The Executive MBA program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business has received a 100 million USD gift from alum Konstantin Sokolov. In honor of his generosity, the program will be renamed the Sokolov Executive MBA Program. The gift will fund a new clinical professorship and allow the school to refine its curricular offerings in response to developments in the modern business environment. In 2024, the student lounge for the program’s Chicago cohort, housed at the Gleacher Center where Sokolov completed his Executive MBA, was also named in recognition of this gift.

The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has received a 15 million USD gift from alums Rob and Jean Estes to establish the Estes Center for Excellence in Accounting at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business. The couple hopes that through the Estes Center, the gift will help expand perceptions of what students can do with an accounting degree. The center will offer career treks, weekend seminars, and networking through alumni and corporate partner involvement. It will also provide experiential learning through case competitions and specialty courses. Rob Estes is chairman and CEO of Estes Express Lines, North America’s largest privately owned freight carrier. Rob also served on the Mason School’s Foundation Board from 2004 to 2020.

The Mitch Daniels School of Business at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, received an 8 million USD gift from longtime supporters and alumni Marsha and Sam Allen. Five million USD of the gift will establish the Allen Family Innovation and Integration Business and Engineering Lab, and 3 million USD will name the directorship of the Brock-Wilson Center for Women in Business. The new business and engineering lab will combine business acumen, engineering insight, and technological proficiency to form curriculum at the Daniels School. Covering more than 3,000 square feet, the space will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies designed to address current and future societal problems in areas including healthcare, manufacturing, semiconductors, and microelectronics. Further, the current women’s center director, Cara Putman, and all future directors will now be named the Marsha Allen Director of the center.

Centers and Facilities

HEC Paris Business School has launched the Dieter Schwarz Foundation Center for Family Business, aimed at creating research that empowers business leaders and policymakers to foster family businesses’ contribution to the economy and society. The center will focus on deepening the understanding of the unique dynamics of family businesses across Europe and their contributions to sustainable prosperity. The new initiative will function as a standalone center but will be fully integrated into the HEC Paris academic and alumni ecosystem, ensuring that the center's research and educational programs are relevant to industry challenges.

The Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will expand its entrepreneurial ecosystem by opening the Origin Ventures Office of Entrepreneurship, which will be led by Melissa Graebner, associate dean for entrepreneurship and the Robert C. Evans Endowed Professor in Business. The new center is to be supported through a nearly 5 million USD commitment from The REAM Foundation, a previous 2018 gift that renamed the now Origin Ventures Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership. The Academy has since helped infuse entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking across every academic discipline at Gies, supporting hundreds of students and budding entrepreneurs. The creation of the Origin Ventures Office will expand that mission by more broadly supporting the entrepreneurial activities of learners, the knowledge creation and dissemination of faculty, and the curricula needed to bring that knowledge into the classroom.

The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge was recently renamed the MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship. The donation and renaming represent an evolution in the center’s mission to advance prosperity through entrepreneurship and innovation across global growth markets. Under its new name, the center will continue to expand its flagship programs, including the MIT Student Fellowship and Foundry Fellowship, while forging new strategic partnerships to mobilize capital, scale ventures, and embed entrepreneurship and innovation as core components.

Troy University’s Sorrell College of Business in Alabama has established a new Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education at Troy’s Montgomery campus. The center will use a business-first approach to equip business professionals and executives with the knowledge to evaluate AI opportunities, implement machine learning models, and manage AI-driven transformation. The center will also work in conjunction with regional businesses, government agencies, and industry partners to ensure AI adoption drives economic growth.

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