‘A Crucial Role To Play’: Top B-School Deans Share 2022 Resolutions

At Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, Dean Mark Nelson boils down his 2022 resolutions to two categories: momentum and support.

“Regarding momentum,” Nelson says, “I resolve for Johnson to build on a year of remarkable admissions, placements, and programmatic innovations. We won competitive grants to support a new BioEntrepreneurship Fellows program as well as build out our Big Red Ventures Investor Network to support startups, and I look forward to those efforts complementing everything happening at Cornell Tech in entrepreneurship next year.

“Our 2021 placements in Consulting, Investment Banking and Tech were very strong, and I want us to complete 2022 with even greater success. It’s exciting to have so much momentum as 2022 commences. Regarding support, I resolve for every student at Johnson to know that our amazing Cornell community is focused on their success and welfare.

“With Covid continuing to create stress for us all and our families, we need to make sure that we take the time to take care of ourselves and each other. That has characterized how our community has dealt with challenges in the past, and I know that will continue in the New Year.”

AT GEORGETOWN McDONOUGH, ENSURING ‘WE LIVE OUR JESUIT VALUES’

Paul Almeida, dean of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, says 2021 proved at least one thing: predictions for 2022 must be predicated on the notion that change is the only sure thing.

“This past year carried forward the unpredictability of 2020, proving once and for all that change is a constant in our current environment,” Almeida says. “At Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, we made the decision long ago to embrace moments of change as opportunities to reimagine the future of business education. We continued to push forward on important initiatives, we remained steadfast in our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we kept our Jesuit principles in focus as we pursued ventures of purpose.

“Looking back at the past 12 months, I am filled with pride at what our community has accomplished in such a short period of time. We launched two interdisciplinary initiatives – the AI, Analytics, and Future of Work and the Business of Sustainability — to advance thought leadership and student learning in two critical fields of business. These initiatives are complemented by the new M.S. in Business Analytics and M.S. in Environment and Sustainability degrees, and we are already seeing important contributions in these areas.

“McDonough also made significant strides in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts this year. Across all of our undergraduate and graduate programs, our admissions teams accomplished the amazing feat of growing our programs, increasing selectivity, and broadening our diversity – enrolling more women and underrepresented minority students than ever before. These are important milestones, but they are only the beginning of a long journey to transform DEI at our school. We will continue to work within our community to facilitate important discussions, create meaningful programs, and ensure we live our Jesuit values by enacting meaningful change in these areas that can expand outward into the world.

“It is my resolution that we use this time of perpetual change to our advantage — we keep asking questions, we keep breaking barriers, and we keep building programs that serve our communities around us. Now is the time to think boldly about the future of business. I hope we stretch our potential to new lengths in 2022 and emerge from today’s challenges with more clarity and focus than ever before.”

AT SANTA CLARA LEAVEY, A 3-PART PROMISE

Ed Grier, dean of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, has marked the conclusion of his first quarter in the job. Previously he was dean at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business after nearly three decades with the Walt Disney Company. Grier says his 2022 resolution has three parts: importing Silicon Valley’s talents to the Leavey School, increasing access to the school’s programs through outreach to under-represented communities, and diversifying the school’s faculty.

“During my first quarter as dean of Santa Clara’s Leavey School of Business, I have met with hundreds of our constituents — students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the school,” Grier says. “Listening to their experiences and perceptions, I’m excited to get a running start in the New Year. From thinking creatively about the challenges we may face to working together to achieve new goals, there are many collaborations and innovations ahead for us. As the education and business landscapes evolve, we must evolve with them and embrace trailblazing and sometimes untested solutions. I’m looking forward to building on our excellent curriculum and value-driven culture as we prepare our students for success in 2022 and beyond.

“My promise for 2022 has three parts. First I intend to leverage the prime location of Santa Clara University to propel our strategies and promote the values of Leavey School of Business. Our location, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is a gateway to building meaningful partnerships with the numerous business ventures in our backyard. I am committed to sharing the talents and expertise of Silicon Valley with our students and campus community while increasing placement and experiential opportunities for our extraordinary students.

“Increasing access to our excellent Santa Clara University programs is my second resolution. Outreach and scholarship for underrepresented communities will be a primary focus. Third, the diversity of our faculty must increase to ensure our students are exposed to a variety of perspectives and are well prepared to enter a diverse and inclusive workforce.”