Meet The UC Riverside School Of Business MBA Class Of 2024

P&Q: How does the MBA program integrate DEI in its MBA programming? How does the program leverage the larger university’s commitment to diversity in building its MBA program and what dividends does this commitment provide to its students?

Dean Yunzeng Wang: “Of all the UC schools, UC Riverside is known for being the most diverse and the most inclusive, and a home for many first-generation students. More than half of our domestic student population identify with an underrepresented group and students can find opportunities to connect with affinity groups across campus. This academic year, our MBA class is represented by 54% female-identifying candidates who are supported and empowered by our newly formed, student-led Women in Business organization which hosts female leaders to discuss topics including gender equity in the workplace and what is means to create an inclusive environment, all while providing networking and mentorship opportunities. Additionally, our international student populations are celebrated through events like our Lunar New Year and Color Festival celebrations.”

Dr. Rami Zwick: “Our diverse student body is built through intentional efforts. Our graduate students offer mentorship services through gender and ethnic centers on campus and through groups like the Latino Student Business Association. We offer business leadership programming to engage students from historically underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds through the University of California’s Summer Institute of Emerging Managers and Leaders (SIEML) program and our home-grown Accelerated Business Leaders Experience (ABLE) program. The school also supports its students by participating in the NBMBAA conference. Although an MBA price tag can be quite hefty, we offer generous scholarship funding at the time of admission. In fact, 96% of our admitted students receive some form of scholarship funding. Our student services and advising team is available to support students in online and in-person functions. This supports students who have tighter schedules balancing school and work commitments to still get the support they need.”

Dean Yunzeng Wang: “Our faculty are also diverse in terms of race, gender, country of origin, experience, and subject area, and we are continuously working to enhance our faculty representation. We recently received a grant from the University of California to increase our visibility and market our faculty positions toward recruiting and hiring faculty from historically underrepresented groups in business.

Dr. Rami Zwick: “From a curriculum and programming standpoint, we are preparing our MBA candidates to be advocates and inclusive leaders in the business world. Our faculty teach from a framework of shareholder AND stakeholder values and with consideration to incorporate decision-making impacts on people, planet, and profit. From this lens, DEI is easily incorporated into the classroom learning through case studies, TED Talks, news articles, and speakers – all of whom reinforce the importance and value of diversity in the workforce, the difference between equity and equality, and the push towards social justice. In marketing classes, representation for different demographic groups is discussed as well as access when considering a particular product or service’s design, price point, and advertising. In management classes, discussions are created around managing a diverse workforce, team-building and inclusive leadership, accommodating diverse needs, creating inclusive corporate cultures and climates, emotional and cultural intelligence, decision-making biases in hiring and promotion practices, and the dangers of algorithms incorporating implicit human biases.

The DEI experience is particularly appropriate and relevant for our capstone course. As part of the course’s requirements, our MBA student teams are expected to work directly with a local/regional client and help them develop short-term and long-term business strategies. It is often the case that teams work with small and medium-sized businesses from historically marginalized communities. These field experiences are highly educational, enriching, and fulfilling. Given that our students are incredibly diverse, and willing and able to draw on their own uniquely lived experiences, this type of project design is not only appropriate, but also quite easy to implement. It is highly effective both for our students’ personal development and the impact they have on the businesses with which they work.”

P&Q: The UC-Riverside MBA program is known for strong teaching and scholarship. Who is a standout in your faculty – the kind of person who graduates talk about a decade after they leave? How does he or she personify your school culture and the best of your MBA program?

Dean Yunzeng Wang: “In 2020,  two professors from UC Riverside School of Business were selected for the Poets & Quants 40 Under 40 Best MBA Professors, Drs. Ye Li and Marlo Raveendran, from among 2,000 nominations world-wide. That year, UCR was one of just five schools globally to boast two awardees. The 40 Under 40 list identifies ‘educators who have demonstrated research acumen, teaching prowess, and impact students, former students, their colleagues and administration.’

Ye Li’s instruction reflects true admiration for his students and their diverse experiences.

Let me share what we wrote about Dr. Li and Dr. Raveendran  in a 2020 press release.

Receiving nearly 100 nominations, Associate Professor of Management Ye Li was lauded by the Poets & Quants evaluators: “Ye Li wowed us as much as he has students who have had the luck to see him in action in a classroom,” they stated in their announcement of the professor of management’s inclusion on the 40 Under 40 MBA Professors list. “What impressed us more than his mountains of research was the feedback current and former students gave, particularly about how much he genuinely and truly cares for those he teaches.”

With an impressive body of research, Li studies ‘the reasons people make various kinds of decisions, especially ones involving tradeoffs between sooner and later consequences, and the descriptive reality of how business decisions and mistakes are made.” Some of his most influential work has looked at the role of emotions and cognitive ability at influencing these types of decisions. “For example,” he says, “sadness makes people less patient, while gratitude – but not happiness – makes them more patient. (Dr. Li’s decision-making research can be explored at this link).

True to the observation of the Poets & Quants judges, Li’s passion in the classroom shows, and he’s particularly interested in the diversity of the students he teaches. “UC Riverside leads all major U.S. universities in students with Pell Grants, and more than half of students are first-generation college-goers,” he says. “So, I consider my efforts to make the class resonate with them, time well spent.”

He admits to being lucky to teach a subject he’s passionate about, but he adds, “My favorite moments are when students report using class concepts in their lives and jobs.” In addition, in May 2022, graduate students awarded him a “Golden Apple” for excellence in teaching graduate elective courses.

Associate Professor of Management Marlo Raveendran’s interactive teaching style and emphasis on critical thinking makes her a favorite among our students.

Perhaps one of the highest compliments a professor may receive is “I wish I could take her class again.” This statement from a student was among many declarations of support that the Poets & Quants editors published as evidence of Marlo Raveendran’s effectiveness in the classroom.

Raveendran’s research explores the way in which organizational structure and design decisions are influenced by individuals inside a firm. “The most practical discovery I’ve made is just how much our human nature influences organizational decisions,” she says. “When studying how groups of strangers approach division of labor … we were struck by how quickly they took newly formed group structures as given, even when the task allowed for more efficient choices.”

With a pronounced interactive teaching style, Raveendran integrates the deep knowledge she’s acquired through her research into her courses, including the core strategy class she teaches: “The concepts and frameworks are extremely simple. Instead of focusing on the content, I try to teach my students to think more analytically and to question what they read and what I say,” she says. “I love seeing my students’ minds grow. Over 10 weeks, our conversations deepen, and their responses and reasoning become more and more analytical and sophisticated.”

That strategy’s effectiveness is borne out in the student’s further observation of Raveendran’s teaching style: “[She] makes the topics she teaches interesting and shows she cares about students. It makes even the quiet students speak up and participate.” In addition, graduate students awarded her a “Golden Apple” in spring 2020 for excellence in teaching graduate core courses. Find out more about how Dr. Raveendran shares her love for learning, diversity, and real-world applications at this link.

Both Dr. Li and Dr. Raveendran received promotions this year to Associate Professors.”

To learn about the Class of 2024, click on the links below.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Harman Dhillon	Diamond Bar, CA	California State University, San Bernardino	Ayres Hotels
Jiabei (Bay) Hu	Huangshi City, China	Guangxi University of Nationalities	Johnson Controls
Stephanie Jimenez	Fontana, CA	University of California, Riverside	Charles Schwab
Pujith Sai Kumar Reddy Nooka	Andhra Pradesh, India	Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology	Amazon
Evelyn Lazo	Murrieta, CA	University of Redlands	Navy Federal Credit Union
Yiqun Li	Yiwu,  China	Beijing Foreign Studies University	Tianhua Enterprise Management Group
Khue Ngo	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam	California State University, Northridge	Allstate Insurance Company
Snigdha Ojha	Rewa, India	Institute of Excellence in Higher Education	SHEIN International
Sean Payan	San Clemente, CA	Excelsior College	U.S. Army
Grant Rueca	Foster City, CA	University of California, Riverside	University of California, Riverside
Joanna Alice Sippetts	London, United Kingdom	University of Nottingham	Lawn Tennis Association
Nadia Witt	Keizer, OR	University of California, Riverside	University of California, Riverside