Meet The Michigan Ross MBA Class Of 2026

A ‘MAP’ TO A FUTURE CAREER

Along with several funds, MBAs can pursue sustainability-related programming through the Erb Institute, which sponsors Impact Projects and a Climate Week. Many times, sustainability projects are also part of MAP – Ross’s legendary Multidisciplinary Action Projects. Lasting seven weeks and held during the second half of the first year, MAP brings together 4-6 member teams to lead a consulting project on behalf of a company sponsor. In recent years, Ross MBAs have completed engagements for the likes of Microsoft, Tata, Amazon, and General Motors. As a whole, Ross estimates that employers sponsor over 75 projects annually, with over 40% involving overseas excursions. When it comes to the culminating presentation, where student teams make recommendations, Ross has found that three-quarters are conducted in front of c-suite level leadership.

“Projects range from helping a startup company develop a licensing strategy for a proprietary technology to helping Microsoft assess artificial intelligence opportunities to helping a Korean company author a sustainability accounting plan,” explains ’24 alum Adam Brewster. “Some projects took people to Europe or India to help companies develop market entry plans. Others took people across the United States to advise companies on marketing strategies, film industry strategy plans, and healthcare device market. Bottom line: There is a wide range of projects and sponsors that allow you to tailor your MAP to fit the experience that you’re seeking.”

For Desha Dike, a self-described “career switcher,” MAP is a chance to “gain real-world experiences” and step “completely out of [my] comfort zones.”  Even more, she adds, the experience allows career switchers to hone “transferrable skills like adaptability and problem-solving.” Adam Brewster echoes Dike’s sentiments.

“If you’re a career switcher you can tackle a project that might be similar to your internship. For those who aren’t sure if a particular industry is something they’re passionate about, this is an opportunity to get a high-level taste of something new. MAP can also be a chance to get some international experience or test the waters on an industry you’re interested in pivoting to further along in your career.”

At the same time, MAP serves as more than just a pre-internship and testing ground, adds Kohei Shima. “I [was] able to complete most of the core courses before jumping into the MAP project. I can use this opportunity to test and apply the knowledge and skills I will gain through the program. The experience at Ross is well-guided but has a lot of flexibility and freedom to customize for my goals.”

ACTION-BASED LEARNING

Like MIT Sloan and USC Marshall, Michigan Ross’s MBA program is rooted in hands-on, experiential learning. For example, the school offers a Living Business Leadership Experience (LBLE), where student teams run a division of a company, handling functions ranging from finance to sales to logistics. In the Impact Studio – which is available as an incubator, course, or workshop – students devise commercialized solutions in areas like green energy and equitable funding. In addition, MBAs can take part in the Detroit Initiatives, where students work alongside Motor City non-profits like the Urban Development Corporation and Mend on the Move.

“Bringing my business experience to support these organizations in making a greater impact aligns with my passion for using business as a force for good, while also honing my consulting skills,” explains Chloe Pham. “The combination of practical learning and meaningful community involvement is something I find truly inspiring.”

The Sanger Leadership Center is known for distinctive action-based programming like Story Lab, where students heighten their abilities to communicate and influence through storytelling, and Collaboration Lab, where students take a deeper dive into team-building skills like establishing culture and spurring creative solutions. Maybe the center’s most popular activity is its Leadership Crisis Challenge. Held during the spring, the Challenge brings together over 400 MBAs and undergraduates – not to mention faculty, alumni, and coaches to support them. A 24-hour simulation, student teams receive notice one afternoon of an issue, such as a public relations faux pas or a potentially-costly lawsuit. Under time pressure, team members hone their strategic response across constituencies like board members, employees, clients, reporters, and regulators.

The Sanger programming resonated, in particular, with Saron Mechale. “I am excited to explore the Sanger Leadership Center and particularly participate in two programs: The Crisis Challenge so I can grow my skills as a leader when working with a team to respond to a business crisis to solve an unprecedented challenge within a limited time. I am also excited to participate in the Legacy Lab because one of my goals for the MBA is to have time to reflect on my personal strengths and weaknesses with the goal of intentionally aligning myself with my future vision and goals.“

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MANAGING DIRECTOR

When it comes to personal and career development, Ross deploys an array of coaching support. One of the school’s best-known programs is its FACT Groups. Standing for Functional Accountability Career Teams, FACT groups consist of second-years working in tandem with the Career Development Office. Providing weekly coaching sessions, FACT members can share what works and what’s valuable as first-years navigate a deluge of demands and opportunities.

“Having an assigned MBA2 coach who was in the exact position as me one year ago and who takes on the responsibility willingly is also a huge plus,” observes Michael Yang.

A new campus In downtown Los Angeles and a new ESG concentration: These are a couple of headlines at Ross over the past year. What else can MBAs expect in the coming year? Here is P&Q’s conversation with Matt Ganderson, managing director of the Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Ganderson: “At Ross, we develop leaders who can make an impact on the world, not just in the boardroom. As such, we are constantly evolving and evaluating the programs and offerings available to our students and the larger MBA community. Over the past year, we’re proud to have launched a new ESG concentration and hosted the ClimateCAP MBA Summit. Both initiatives have helped unite students to tackle some of the biggest environmental challenges that businesses and the world face. In addition, Michigan Ross recently hosted the inaugural Equitable Opportunity Conference, bringing together researchers, academics, students, policymakers, and industry leaders to share ideas “related to equity and opportunity across business and related domains.” Through curricular, co-curricular, and conference programming, Ross is building a community with a shared vision to change the world.”

P&Q: Every January, P&Q publishes a “10 Business Schools to Watch” feature that highlights how schools are raising the bar and enhancing the student experience through innovation or expansion in programming or resources. What is one innovation that sets your school apart from your peer programs and makes you a business school to watch? Why is it so groundbreaking?

Ganderson: “Ross strives for excellence in everything we do, from research to teaching and from learning to doing. As such, Ross has created a Director of Student Wellness position to support all business students at Ross, a first-of-its-kind role in a top 15 business school, to embed wellness into the comprehensive student experience. With a focus on people, places, and the planet, Ross Student Wellness ensures all Ross students are equipped with long-lasting well-being skills. New initiatives include providing the Calm app as an individual wellness tool, a school-wide focus on the Michigan Model of Well-being, faculty and staff training in supporting student wellness, and inclusion of wellness programming and support at each critical junction or the MBA program (orientation, career services, MAP, support materials, etc.).”

P&Q: What types of programs do you offer to sharpen your students’ soft skills? What areas do you emphasize and how do you instill these skills in your students?

Ganderson: “At Michigan Ross, we believe that in order to be a successful and influential leader, one must have high emotional intelligence, or EQ, balanced with strong business acumen and technical skills. There are a plethora of opportunities for students to sharpen their communication, leadership, and empathy abilities through the Sanger Leadership Center, which accelerates leadership development through bold ideas, transformative experiences, and inclusive communities. Sanger recently expanded its leadership development-focused Collaboration Lab for MBA students in their first year, offering enhanced collaboration skills training and expanded coaching hours in orientation and curricular programs. In addition, Sanger honored 69 graduates with the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement credential, recognizing those who completed a sequence of intentional leadership training and experiences. Also, flagship programs, such as the Leadership Crisis Challenge, saw record participation in 2024, broadening MBA students’ leadership ability from theoretical to practical.

P&Q: What types of programming – through classroom instruction, extracurriculars, and treks – does your school offer to expose students to country-specific and global business practices? What have students told you were the most educational and fun aspects of these activities?

Ganderson: “The Office of Global Initiatives has created partnerships with universities around the world, which have provided 270 Ross students with learning experiences in 17 countries spread across four continents. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Ross Global Initiatives offered three short-term experiences for MBAs, in which 28 students participated.

The three courses were titled:

Creating the New in an International Context in Sweden at Stockholm School of Economics

• “The SSE program broadened my interest in working in international contexts such as Sweden post-graduation. I’m now very keen on targeting the country for future opportunities specific to the responsible retail/fashion sector.” – Mackenzie Mock, MBA/MS ’24

Doing Business in China at Peking University Guanghua School of Management

• “I absolutely loved this program, where I got to learn and experience a bunch of new things as well as travel and connect with some brilliant MBAs from schools around the world. The program was so well-structured and smoothly implemented. I want to give a huge shout-out to the program director and coordinator, Venus and Poppy. They are amazing!” – Riya Cherian, MBA/MPP ’25

Special Topics at the European MBA Summer Institute in Germany at WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management

• “I loved learning from top-rated European professors in a diverse, multi-national cohort of fellow MBA students. It was a great way to contextualize what I learned during my MBA1 year within a more international context.” – Grant Potts, MBA ’25

In addition to opportunities through the Office of Global Initiatives, second-year MBA students coordinate multiple MTreks before the academic year begins, allowing incoming MBA students to join them in cultural and social immersions worldwide. One particular MTrek is secret, so new students pack their bags and passports but don’t actually know where they’re going until they arrive at the airport.

P&Q: What are the most exciting new courses that your school is offering to MBAs this school year? What makes them so unique and valuable?

Ganderson: “Two courses have been added to the Fall 2024 calendar: Management as a Calling and Retail Strategy.

Taught by Andy Hoffman, Management as a Calling is a course that consists of a series of immersive retreat experiences designed to help students discern their calling and shift the focus from a direct business impact to a societal one. This course is unique in its design and pushes MBA students to think beyond profit.

Retail Strategy is exciting, given the ongoing disruption in the retail industry over the past few years. Taught by Jessica Fong, she will help students better understand how to connect a product to consumers and how e-tailers can craft impactful strategies.”

P&Q: Who are two new professors who’ve joined your faculty in the past year? What do they teach and how will they be difference-makers in your MBA program?

Ganderson: “We have nine new professors joining the faculty team in the Full-Time MBA Program this year. Each will make an impact in their own way. Two to highlight are Kunal Sachdeva, who will be teaching Financial Management, and Aparna Joshi, who will be teaching Management.

Kunal’s research focuses on the real effects of financial markets, with a particular emphasis on how financial instruments and regulations can influence climate and social outcomes. With our focus at Michigan Ross on climate and social change, Kunal will be able to bring his research into the classroom.

Aparna’s research focuses on how differences translate into inequality in occupational contexts and how obstacles still exist. Aparan’s contribution will bolster the Michigan Ross focus on DEI and equity research, teaching, and learning.”

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.