Closing out the 2021–22 academic year

As the 2021–22 academic year comes to a close, we have much to look back on and celebrate here at the Broad College of Business. The year was filled with new accomplishments, top rankings and progress in continuing to bring our strategic themes and initiatives to life every day.

In the fall, we welcomed a new generation of leadership to fill a blend of newly created and existing positions, including our inaugural chief of staff. We also established key partnerships, hosting events such as the Michigan DECA Leadership Conference, which enables us to better support emerging leaders’ transition into college and positively influence their careers in business.

We reached new milestones among U.S. News & World Report’s national rankings, showcasing a few of our unwavering strengths. Our world-class supply chain management programs continue to hold the No. 1 rank for undergraduate programs and graduate programs, marking 11-year and 6-year streaks, respectively. Our Full-Time MBA program also reached a new high, ranking No. 15 among U.S. public universities — its best placement in five years. Finally, the college reached an all-time high among the Best Online Master’s in Business Programs, landing at No. 7 among U.S. public schools.

Speaking of online master’s programs, I’m proud of the hard work our Department of Marketing has done in launching our brand new Master of Science in Customer Experience Management — the first of its kind in North America — which is a win that enhances our position in the digital transformation space.

The success of our academic programs is a direct reflection of the dedication and prowess of our Broad faculty and staff, and this was manifested in other significant ways this year as well — none more so than in our efforts to bring ethics and social responsibility to the forefront of higher education. In the fall, we were proud to host the first MSU Ethics Symposium, and in spring, we launched the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, which will elevate the importance of ethics across our curriculum, research, scholarship and more.

As we continue to ramp up our efforts in ethics and social responsibility, we look to our sustained excellence in and emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation as a shining example of what can be achieved. The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was recognized as a leader in entrepreneurship education by The Princeton Review for the fourth consecutive year, ranking No. 17 in the nation. Year over year, participation in the Burgess Institute’s programming has seen exponential growth from talented, motivated students and alumni. This came to life this spring at the fourth annual Burgess New Venture Challenge, where 15 student teams competed to further their startup ideas — and Broad Spartan Olivia Gargett took home first place.

Rounding out our program highlights, I’d like to recognize our Executive MBA staff for leading a group of 90 students to the United Arab Emirates for their Global Marketplace international residency — MSU’s largest education abroad experience and an exemplary outcome for our commitment to fostering a global mindset.

Engaging in meaningful ways with Broad alumni was another high point this year. At the annual Sylvan T. Warrington Visiting Lectureship in Ethics and Leadership, I was joined virtually by Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail + people, where we discussed the values she brings to life in her leadership. We were also thrilled to welcome Andrea Downing, president of PBS Distribution, and Dalana Brand, chief people and diversity officer at Twitter, to campus for our fall Advancing Women in Business event.

To top it off, our alumni were also recognized for their extraordinary impact in business, both locally and around the world. Dalana Brand was honored by AACSB International in its 2022 Class of Influential Leaders for being a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion. And at MSU’s 75th Alumni Grand Awards, four Broad alumni were recognized for making a difference and changing the communities around them.

As with our alumni, our students also stood out amongst their peers this year. Broad Spartans took home first place in both the 2022 National Undergraduate Supply Chain Case Competition as well as the 30th Big Ten MBA Case Competition, showcasing their innovative problem-solving capabilities. And at MSU’s 24th annual University Undergraduate Research & Arts Forum, three research projects delivered by Broad undergraduate scholars secured first-place recognition.

The welcoming of our graduating students to the ranks of our alumni is an occasion I will always cherish; this year especially so. We celebrated commencement this past week with more than 1,200 undergraduate and 380 graduate students from the Broad College. Of the undergraduates, 19 earned Board of Trustees awards, marking the highest scholastic achievement, a 4.0 GPA, at the close of their last semester. We sent off a truly accomplished and inspiring class of Broad Spartans, including James Piot, finance senior and 2021 U.S. Amateur Golf Champion.

We were also honored to have some of our most outstanding alumni join us for commencement. Linda Hubbard, Carhartt Inc. president and chief operating officer, was the university’s speaker for master’s and educational specialist degree recipients. Jerome Behar, Workiva and Grand River Solutions founder, addressed business undergraduates, and Mala Kashyap, senior director of HR mergers and acquisitions at Honeywell, and Blake Kreuger, executive chairman of Wolverine World Wide, were recognized with our Broad College Alumni Achievement Awards.

As I reflect on these wins, I also keep an eye to the future, eager for what lies ahead for the college. Of note, I am looking forward to seeing the research outcomes from our first behavioral research lab, which we finished this spring. I am also eager to welcome our inaugural managing director for our Center of Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, before we begin next fall. And as always, I am excited at the prospect of welcoming new faculty into the fold, who will enable us to further both our thought leadership impact and development of students prepared for the future of business.

Lastly, I am grateful to begin a three-year term with the AACSB board of directors on July 1, where I’ll have the opportunity to participate in discussions on pivotal topics for business education and higher education. The Broad College was well represented at AACSB’s 2022 International Conference and Annual Meeting, where we gained perspective about peer business schools in the U.S. and around the world; I am pleased to say the state of our college is strong. In my role on the board, I look forward to sharing our best practices with others and continuing to bring innovations and lessons learned back here to the Broad College.

As always, THANK YOU to our Broad faculty, staff, students and alumni for all that you do. I am especially grateful for your empathy and grace as we continue to work, learn and adjust throughout the pandemic. It remains to be seen if the future landscape of higher education will continue to change, but we are now better prepared to deal with whatever change comes our way. Given what we have gone through, however, we are reminded that there are some amongst us who need our continued support.

Let me end by acknowledging that our Broad Spartan community is truly special, and I hope you take as much joy in celebrating this academic year’s collective successes as much as I do.

In Spartan spirit,