Meet North Carolina Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Class Of 2027

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSOCIATE DEAN

The big news on campus? Come January, the school will open the Steven D. Bell Hall, adding nearly 400,000 square feet for student classes and events. This comes on the heels of Kenan-Flagler launching a Master’s In Management program. What else can MBAs expect in the coming year? This summer, P&Q reached out to Michael Stepanek, Associate Dean of MBA Programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Here are his updates on Bell Hall, along with details on support services offered to first-years, international students, and alumni.

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?

Stepanek: “We are very excited about the expansion of our campus and redesign of the Full-Time MBA Program.

1. We have been preparing for a new era in UNC Kenan-Flagler’s 100-plus year history with the opening of our new building in January 2026. Steven D. Bell Hall will become the state-of-the-art learning environment and vibrant hub for Carolina business students. It is named in honor of Steve Bell (BA ’67), who with his wife, Jackie Bell, pledged $26 million for what he calls the greatest investment in real estate and in people he has ever made.

Bell Hall’s four levels will double the available space for learning and student life. Our students will benefit from innovative classrooms equipped with advanced technology. The building design will foster collaboration, creativity and real-world problem solving. Collaborative spaces encourage teamwork, networking and engagement with classmates, faculty, staff, and industry leaders.

Bell Hall also prioritizes student well-being, offering dedicated areas to connect, reflect and recharge, supporting academic success and personal growth.

Sustainability is a design hallmark of Bell Hall. It incorporates energy-efficient systems, renewable materials and water conservation measures, significantly reducing its carbon footprint and operational costs. Surrounded by green spaces and natural light, Bell Hall leverages the wooded environment to create a serene atmosphere for learning. It is the first UNC building to target all three goals of the University’s Three Zeros initiative: net-zero water, zero waste to landfills and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Photovoltaic solar panels provide fossil-free electricity. We are aiming for top sustainability certifications, including LEED Platinum and Fitwel three stars.

Bell Hall’s design standards be applied when we renovate McColl Building (our current home), creating a cohesive and expanded campus that supports exceptional learning, collaboration and community engagement.

2. We are embarking on an ambitious redesign of our Full-Time MBA Program, set to launch in the 2026-27 academic year. This transformation is driven by a reimagination of graduate business education, a commitment to innovation, and the opening of our impressive new building – Bell Hall.

We will expand upon our abilities to deliver a world-class, top-ranked experience by further maximizing student return on investment and career success.

The benefits are substantial. The program will move beyond traditional curriculum updates to offer a fully integrated journey from application to graduation, ensuring students receive proactive guidance and support at every stage.

Students will experience a more coherent pathway, with structured career tracks in fields like consulting, energy, healthcare, corporate finance, investment management, marketing and real estate. These tracks are designed to build industry-relevant skills through sequenced courses, new experiential coursework, and exposure to cutting-edge research and technology. These program enhancements mean students will increasingly work with real data from real firms, gaining hands-on experience that directly translates to the challenges they’ll face after graduation. Additionally, research and industry seminars will connect students with thought leaders and practitioners, giving them access to knowledge and networks that set them apart in the job market.

The first-year curriculum will be more flexible and tailored, allowing students to choose electives and core classes that match their career goals and the demands of their chosen industries. Essential career-skills courses, expanded internship preparation, and updated data science sequences will ensure students are well-prepared for interviews and professional challenges. Industry councils will foster transformative networks, connecting students with alumni and employers and ensuring that both curricular and co-curricular activities remain relevant and impactful.

Overall, the redesigned MBA program at UNC Kenan-Flagler will empower students to take control of their academic and professional journeys, and offer them the skills, experiences and connections needed to thrive in a rapidly changing business landscape.”

P&Q: What do you see as the main differentiator that distinguishes your MBA program from other schools? How does it enhance the student experience and make them more attractive to employers?

Stepanek: “From day one, you feel it. Students show up ready to lean in, lead, and support each other. The Carolina Way mindset isn’t a tagline; it reflects how our students work together in class, on teams and in their careers.

We’re lucky to call a place like Chapel Hill home. It’s a classic college town full of Carolina spirit (our fire trucks are even Carolina Blue). And yet, we’re just 20 minutes from a major airport with nonstop flights to major U.S. cities and global hubs.

North Carolina is one of the best-kept secrets in business education. Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh form the Triangle region, long known for innovation, technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship and some of the fastest growing companies in the world. Just a few hours drive away is Charlotte, the second-largest banking center in the U.S., after New York. CNBC again named North Carolina the No. 1 state for business in 2025, and the Triangle region routinely ranks among the best places to live and best places for careers. Our students benefit from that access to these innovative business hubs, including for summer internships, alumni connections and deep industry engagement.

Our small class size means students know all of their classmates by the end of the fall. We rotate sections in the core curriculum so students take classes with their entire first-year cohort, which builds relationships quickly.

Leadership here isn’t just a buzzword; students learn to lead and hone their skills in and out of the classroom. Our MBA Student Association (MBASA) is a student-run nonprofit that reports to a board of alumni, faculty and administrators. Serving as elected leaders for the MBASA and student clubs are incredible opportunities to develop leadership skills and contribute to our community.

Experiential learning is a hallmark of a UNC Kenan-Flagler education. Classroom to practical application can be found opportunities that include real estate development projects, student-led investment funds in real estate and private equity, and 20 years of student consultants solving real business challenges through our unique STAR program.

At the end of the day, what makes UNC Kenan-Flagler special is the people – bright, driven, humble –and the culture we’ve built together. Students lift each other up, and our culture makes them stronger leaders and even better teammates out in the world.”

P&Q: What types of services do you provide to first-year MBAs to ease their transition into business school?

Stepanek: “We start foundational preparation before orientation (and before students arrive in Chapel Hill) with access to Business Foundations, which are pre-matriculation, fully asynchronous online courses that cover key business topics such as analytics, statistics, finance, accounting, and math essentials. Developed by the same faculty they learn from in the core curriculum, the courses ensure students are academically prepared when they start taking classes on campus.

Upon arrival on campus students participate in orientation activities designed to foster community and develop essential skills. We organize them into study teams and “Legacies,” where they receive coaching on teamwork, goal setting and conflict management. They meet throughout the fall semester, building soft skills, learning to manage stress and benefiting from peer support. Orientation also includes academic modules like “Executive Presence” and “Thinking Like an MBA,” which focus on communication, problem-solving and teamwork.

We provide additional support through planned interactions with second-year students, who offer guidance and mentorship. A variety of events and activities introduce first-year students to different aspects of student life, including clubs and affinity groups centered on career, social, and shared interests, helping them integrate into the broader UNC Kenan-Flagler community.

Our Business Communication Center (BCC) offers personalized coaching to enhance students’ professional and job-search communication skills, ensuring they are equipped to navigate the MBA journey and their future careers.

We also prioritize student well-being. Our dedicated wellness coach provides guidance on mental health, stress management, and physical wellness and connects students to resources to support their’ overall health and success.”

P&Q: What types of support do you provide to international students before and during business school to enable them to better acclimate to your country?

Stepanek: “UNC Kenan-Flagler offers a comprehensive, collaborative approach to supporting international MBA students as they transition to living, studying, and working in the U.S. We provide targeted pre-arrival programming through our admissions team that includes webinars, events, and workshops tailored to our international admitted students. Upon arrival, they participate in the “Thriving Together” orientation, which features addresses from senior school leaders, keynote speakers, introductions to key staff and resources, career strategy sessions, and guidance from our global programs team on living in North Carolina.

Our MBA Career Services team helps international students build lifelong, globally relevant career skills. Support includes personalized one-on-one coaching, guidance on U.S. networking norms, alumni engagement strategies, interview preparation, and advice on internships and workplace culture. The services emphasize resilience, adaptability and self-direction, preparing students for both U.S. and international career opportunities.

Our student engagement team focuses on fostering belonging, well-being and cultural exchange through a variety of programs: cultural and community events such as etiquette dinners, arts series, and celebrations of global cultures, and wellness and leadership development initiatives. We offer wellness coaching, executive presence workshops, club involvement and group coaching sessions to promote psychological flexibility, cross-cultural connection and support for first-generation and international identities.

Our global programs team supports international students with orientation programming, peer panels and guidance on global learning opportunities that align with visa requirements and long-term goals. Resources and workshops are provided to help students confidently navigate academic, social and cultural life in the U.S. Across all of our departments we create a welcoming environment where international students adjust, build community and thrive academically, professionally and personally throughout their MBA experiences.”

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Stepanek: “As a STEM-designated MBA degree program, we have a large and increasingly diverse set of courses that integrate analytics, digitalization and AI into traditional academic disciplines such as accounting, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior and strategy. Developing courses that reflect changing technology trends in business is central to what we do at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Additionally, as part of a major research university, there are significant opportunities for students to learn from and collaborate with experts from other disciplines. Whether it’s pursuing a dual degree, taking an elective outside the business school or joining an interdisciplinary seminar, our MBAs are plugged into the full UNC experience from day one.”

P&Q: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Stepanek: “We are keenly focused on how technology and data are shifting the business landscape and the pace of innovation to develop both leaders and specialists – experts in collecting large amounts of data and transforming it into actionable insights – to drive positive business results.

We have developed a large and increasingly diverse set of courses, integrating analytics, digitalization and AI into traditional academic disciplines such as accounting, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behavior and strategy. Developing courses that reflect changing technology trends in business is central to what we do at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty actively integrate generative AI into classroom experiences, equipping students with hands-on skills to leverage cutting-edge tools for business analysis, decision-making and innovation. In addition to technical proficiency, faculty emphasize responsible and ethical AI use, guiding students to understand data privacy, how to mitigate bias and the broader societal impacts of emerging technologies.

Additionally, we are rolling out BlueChipAI to all of our students, faculty and staff in August. This new platform is designed for UNC Kenan-Flagler to use in our research, teaching and operations. It provides students with a sandbox for foundational AI skills development, such as understanding how to create agents, how different models operate and how to critically evaluate AI outputs. By combining practical instruction with a strong ethical framework, students learn to harness GenAI’s potential thoughtfully and effectively.”

P&Q: What types of educational and career do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their career?

Stepanek: “UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA alumni benefit from a lifelong commitment to their professional development through a variety of educational and career services. These resources are designed to help alumni stay competitive in a dynamic job market, whether they’re seeking promotions, transitioning into new functions or taking on expanded leadership roles within their organizations. Alumni have lifetime access to the following:

• One-on-one career coaching with a team of expert coaches, focused on our proven three-phase coaching model: Know Yourself, Know the Market and Market Yourself
• The CareerLeader® assessment paired with personalized coaching to interpret results
• Online tools and just-in-time resources, including access to VMock resume review, interview prep guides, salary data and exclusive job boards
• Elective MBA coursework, enabling them to refresh and sharpen existing capabilities or develop new, in-demand skills as their careers evolve
• Career workshops and in-person coaching offered during our annual Alumni Weekend and special events
• Strategic networking opportunities with our key recruiting employer partners and fellow alumni in targeted cities

This ongoing support empowers our alumni to make confident, strategic career moves at every stage of their journeys. It reinforces their value to employers by ensuring they remain equipped with the latest business knowledge and tools as the world of work evolves and has a profound impact on the competitiveness of our MBA graduates in the marketplace.”

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Miluska Andrea Alvarado Alarcon	Lima, Peru	Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru	Banco de CRÉDITO del Peru
Alfonso Duarte	Lima, Peru	Universidad de Piura	Banco de Crédito del Perú
Carson Fletcher	Seattle, WA	Walla Walla University	Apex Real Estate Partners
Akosua Gyan Bandoh	Kumasi, Ghana	Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology	Amgen
Ethan J. Hughes	Cary, NC	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	WebMD Ignite Data and Analytics
Daniella Kapural	Winston-Salem, NC	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Herspiegel Consulting
Alyssa Maita	Laguna Niguel, CA	Emory University	American Express
Shantanu Marwaha	New Delhi, India	Delhi College of Arts and Commerce	Grant Thornton
Ramya Meenakshisundaram	Jacksonville, FL	University of South Florida	Creative Arts Agency
Matthew Mundorf	San Luis Obispo, CA	United States Merchant Marine Academy	Crowley Maritime Corporation
Jeffery Obiagu	Abuja, Nigeria	Seton Hall University	EY-Parthenon

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