Lifetime Achievement Award In MBA Admissions: Shari Hubert At Duke Fuqua

MBA ADMISSIONS IN THE AI AGE

Fuqua was one of the first schools to acknowledge that applicants might use AI assistance. “We just tell them, ‘Make sure the voice we hear is authentically you,’” Hubert says. “The value of management education — and of leadership itself — is judgment. That’s what we’re cultivating.”

Hubert believes the MBA remains as valuable as ever — but the motivations have evolved. “This generation wants ROI, but they also want values alignment,” she says. “They’re looking for global agility, AI literacy, and humane leadership. They want to work for purpose-driven organizations. That’s a good thing for business education.”

She also sees today’s students pushing schools to evolve faster. “We can’t wait an entire admissions cycle to pivot anymore,” she says. “The environment is changing, and so are the students. They’re demanding more — and rightfully so.”

A CAREER IN THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF TALENT

Hubert’s passion for people predates her time in academia. Before joining Fuqua in 2017, she led MBA admissions at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, where she grew applications and raised both the size and quality of the entering class. Earlier, she held talent and leadership roles at the Partnership for New York City, NBCUniversal, GE, and Citi. Each step, she says, “taught me something about how opportunity works — and who gets it.”

Her move into higher education more than a decade ago felt like destiny. “I realized a career in admissions would bring everything full circle,” she recalls. “I’d always been helping companies find great talent. Now I could help individuals transform their lives.”

When she came to Fuqua to interview for the job, Hubert wisely chose to open her half-hour talk by answering the school’s iconic MBA essay question that invites applicants to list 25 random things about themselves. Among those revealing tidbits, she fessed up to once bringing a pair of pink silk pajamas and a curling iron to a weeklong camping trip in the wilderness of Mount Moosilauke and the fact that she enjoys Karaoke but is tone deaf. She also coughed up the fact that she is deathly afraid of horror movies and roller coasters. And when she got the job, her first move was to share her 25 random things publicly for everyone to see, including prospective applicants, students, and alumni.

“She was the absolute perfect person at the perfect time,” recalls Russ Morgan, senior associate dean of operations. “She is everything we want in our students and leaders: high IQ and EQ. “When we met her, it was clear she had these great talents and that she embodies the values we stand for.”

Hubert’s empathy and sense of service are grounded in her own story. Born in Chicago and raised in Indianapolis, she grew up in a family that embodied both grit and generosity. Her parents, Hubert says, emphasized the importance of “education and traveling to explore new cultures and countries.”

EARNED AN MBA AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

It was a Dartmouth alum who first inspired her college dreams by visiting her public high school. “Not many people from my school went out of state or to Ivy League universities,” she recalls. “That alum changed everything. They flew me to campus in the summer and made me feel so welcome. That was my first real glimpse of access.”

At Dartmouth, she started in economics but switched to French after discovering a love for language and culture. A semester abroad in Lyon cemented her curiosity about the wider world. “It opened my eyes to how big and interconnected everything is,” she says. “That appreciation for other cultures has shaped everything I’ve done.”

After college, she joined Merck in sales and marketing roles over a five-year timeframe. Once the company knew of her interest in an MBA, it wanted to send her to the Executive MBA program at Wharton. She felt strongly in a full-time, residential experience and applied to Harvard, Columbia, and Wharton. She ended up at the Harvard Business School, where she became co-president of the African American Student Union, a board member of the Women’s Association, and also helped organize the healthcare conference. She found her HBS experience daunting but truly transformative. “I am an introvert so putting myself in spaces that are uncomfortable was important to do,” she says. “The Socratic method of learning at Harvard was important.

“While I got to focus on my studies, I do tell prospective students that they need to focus on their academics but they also need to be known and to know others. You need to build trust with your classmates and doing those things outside the classroom are just as important. It is self-reinforcing when you enter the classroom. You feel that people have your back when you go into that classroom. You are more confident. Business school gave me my voice. It taught me that success isn’t just about individual performance — it’s about trust, collaboration, and courage.”

Armed with her Harvard MBA, her first job was in consulting in BCG’s New York office. It didn’t last long: only one year. “I admit freely that I got sucked into the herd and it was fun and exciting at first,” recalls Hubert. “I thought this would be beneficial for me to do. But in your first year of consulting you are not with clients. You are in the backroom, crunching numbers, doing beautiful decks, and interviewing. It didn’t play to my strengths. I am someone who likes facts and likes to make decision about facts and you need to be more intuitive and conceptual. At the end of the day my skill sets and interests were aligned differently. It wasn’t the company or the people. It was the work.”

‘THERE AREN’T ENOUGH SEATS TO ADMIT EVERY DESERVING PERSON’

What does she dislike about admissions? “I do believe that there is an MBA program for every person out there seeking it,” she says. “Unfortunately, it isn’t always Fuqua. There aren’t enough seats to admit every single person who applies, especially when there is not a seat for someone you know who is just as deserving.”

Under Hubert, applications for Fuqua’s full-time MBA class have been surging, from 3,292 in the Class of 2025 to 3,808 in the Class of 2026, and then a record 4,032 in the Class of 2027 — the highest in Fuqua’s history. But the school could only admit 862 of those 4,032 candidates to ultimately enroll just 426 of them, roughly 21% of the total applicant pool. The average GMAT for this class was the highest in Fuqua’s history–722.

Despite the relentless pace and constant uncertainty of admissions work, Hubert radiates joy when she talks about her role. “I really enjoy this work and would probably do it for free,” she says. “It has changed my life. Helping others see that they, too, can do this — that’s a wonderful privilege.”

To her, every acceptance letter is more than an offer; it’s an invitation to join a lifelong community. “We are fortunate to have students who believe in our values and live them every day,” she says. “Team Fuqua isn’t just a slogan. It’s how we behave, how we lead, and how we care for one another.”

POETS&QUANTS 2025 HONORS

DEAN OF THE YEAR: RICE BUSINESS’ PETER RODRIGUEZ

BUSINESS SCHOOL OF THE YEAR: ESCP BUSINESS SCHOOL

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR MBA ADMISSIONS: DUKE FUQUA’S SHARI HUBERT

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN BUSINESS SCHOOL BRANDING: ILLINOIS GIES’ JAN SLATER

MBA PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR: MICHIGAN ROSS’ ANDY HOFFMAN

2025 BEST IN CLASS AWARDS FOR TEACHING QUALITY, CAREER SERVICES & MORE  

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