Tepper School of Business: “After nearly two decades of serving the Tepper School of Business as an educator, researcher, and academic leader, Laurence Ales has been appointed Interim Dean, effective July 1, 2026.

Ales has served on the faculty since 2008 and most recently served as Senior Associate Dean for Education, where he has worked closely with faculty and staff to strengthen the school’s educational programs and enhance the student experience across its degree offerings. His leadership has helped advance initiatives that support the Tepper School’s continued growth and impact.

A member of the Tepper School Executive Committee, he has also played a key leadership role in advancing the school’s strategic priorities and will provide continuity and continued momentum for the school.

“The Tepper School has been my professional home for the last 18 years, and it is a great honor to serve as Interim Dean,” said Ales. “The school is in an excellent position to seize the opportunities offered by a rapidly transforming landscape in business and higher education. In the months ahead, it will be important for all of us to build on our momentum and sustain the school’s progress.”

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DON’T MISS: EXIT INTERVIEW: ‘WE DON’T KNOW WHAT JOBS WILL EXIST’ — TEPPER DEAN ON AI, MBA RESILIENCE, & LEAVING THE SCHOOL STRONG

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Michigan Ross Launches Deferred MBA Pathway

Ross School of Business: “The Ross School of Business is introducing a new Deferred MBA pathway to its Full-Time MBA Program for applicants interested in early admission as they plan their career paths.

This new pathway is designed for college seniors and recent graduates who have not yet begun their professional careers and know they want to earn an MBA after gaining several years of work experience.

Through the Deferred MBA pathway, these prospective students can now apply to the Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA Program before starting their first full-time job after graduation. Once accepted, they will defer MBA enrollment for three to five years, using that time to intentionally build their careers while taking advantage of Michigan Ross resources before joining a future Full-Time MBA class.

This differs from the traditional application path, in which students typically have a few years of work experience before applying and beginning the program in the fall following admission. The multi-year deferral period between acceptance and the start of the program is a major benefit for students who want to optimize their professional growth and plan for their future.”

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DON’T MISS: MEET THE MICHIGAN ROSS MBA CLASS OF 2027

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Chicago Booth Establish A New Center for Supply Chain Innovation and Applied Technologies

Booth School of Business: “The University of Chicago Booth School of Business today announced it will establish the GEP Center for Supply Chain Innovation and Applied Technologies to bring together scholarship in the burgeoning field of supply chain management, and leverage the rising impact of agentic AI and data to improve the world’s value chains. This new center has been made possible by a generous commitment from GEP, a leading AI-native procurement and supply chain firm. It is Chicago Booth’s thirteenth research center.

The GEP Center will be housed within Booth’s operations management area. The group’s world-renowned faculty study how disruptions and financial shocks propagate through global supply chain networks, how firms can build resilience through rerouting and flexible network design, and how optimization can improve real-time demand fulfillment, inventory management, and the matching of supply and demand.

The center will advance and promote research and education focused on supply chains, seeking to establish and foster connections among faculty, students and industry leaders. It will support the development of innovative curricula and explore how emerging technologies are reshaping supply chain practices and operations management. The center will help apply knowledge from Booth’s leading scholars to address supply chain challenges and accelerate advancements in the field.

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DON’T MISS: CHICAGO BOOTH JUST BLEW UP ITS MBA ESSAYS. APPLICANTS GET 300 CHARACTERS TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES

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Maryland Smith Cuts Required Credits to 48 For MBA Programs

Smith School of Business: “The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business has strategically redesigned its Full-Time, Flex and Online MBA programs to deliver greater value, flexibility and relevance for today’s professionals.

Beginning with the Fall 2026 cohort, degree requirements will be reduced from 54 credits to 48, providing a more efficient and cost-effective path to an MBA while preserving the academic rigor, immersive learning and leadership development that distinguish the Smith experience.

The redesigned curriculum reflects the evolving expectations of employers and the accelerating pace of technological change. By embedding AI fluency throughout the core curriculum and electives, Smith equips graduates with the strategic insight, analytical capabilities and adaptive leadership skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex global economy.”

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DON’T MISS:

2026 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBA: ANUJ YADAV, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (SMITH)

2026 BEST & BRIGHTEST ONLINE MBA: LISA SCIANNELLA, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (SMITH)

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ADDITIONAL STORIES

Blackstone’s Amit Dixit Establishes MBA Student Fellowship At Harvard Business School

Wake Forest Names Norma Montague Interim Dean Of The School Of Business

Missouri College Of Business Dean To Step Down

Imperial Launches UK’s First Master’s Degree Focused On AI’s Economic And Policy Impact

Why an MBA? Introducing the Application for the MBA Class of 2029

Walton Family Foundation Donates $10 Million For Building At UA’s Sam M. Walton College Of Business

University Of Miami Business School Welcomes 10 Tenure-Track Faculty

Darden Event In Tel Aviv Draws Condemnation From Pro-Palestinian Group On Grounds

The Challenges of Going Directly From College to an MBA Program

Hybrid Policies Fail If Line Managers Are Bypassed

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