Last month, I attended the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) annual Dean's Meeting, and I was struck by how much our plans for D'Amore-McKim and the University's academic plan are at the forefront of where b-school deans foresee the future of business education.
Successful business schools will need to break down silos and engage in interdisciplinary partnerships to solve problems, place humanity at the heart of leadership, and provide businesses with the leaders they need for the future. They also need to move beyond “this is what we offer” to addressing business demand for “this is what we need.” Experiential education, applied learning, and an accessible path for lifelong skills development will be key. While we cannot be complacent, our experience-powered approach, our interdisciplinary programs and research, and our global network put us on the cutting edge of where business education needs to go.
We're in the spotlight, and big things are happening right now. Let me share just a few:
Earlier this month, the annual Poets&Quants Best Undergraduate B-Schools ranking was released, placing us at #15 overall. While rankings aren't something we usually promote to boost our reputation, they do give us perspective into how our admissions and academic outcomes stack up. Something I found particularly interesting is our #14 ranking in Admissions Standards. A portion of this rankings factor is acceptance rates, and D'Amore-McKim was only one of two schools with a rate below 6% in 2021, making us the second most selective business school on the P&Q list (with Cornell in the top spot). We clearly have something special here that high school students and their parents desire, and it means our student body is among the best of the best.
We continue to add new and innovative opportunities to our graduate portfolio that leverage our global network. For instance, around 100 of our graduate students just returned from Global Field Study trips held over spring break. They went to Northeastern network locations in Seattle and San Francisco as well as to Ireland and Mexico City, and each trip included several company visits. In addition, Ravi Sarathy took a large team of Full-Time MBA students to Lisbon to work with a multinational firm as part of a semester-long Global Consulting Project.
The celebration around the 100th anniversary of the business school is in full swing with a series of upcoming big events. Our D'Amore-McKim 100th Anniversary Faculty Showcase is being held Wednesday, March 22, 2023, when some of our top faculty experts will be sharing what they're working on now and how it impacts Northeastern, its global network, and our society. Please register if you'd like to join us in person for lunch and networking or follow the panel presentations on the livestream. We're also hosting a signature event for university leaders, donors and friends, and other D'Amore-McKim community members this month, highlighting our impactful research and student experiences. Other events are being planned for faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students. Stay tuned!
And last but not least, we have a new Dunton Family Dean – David De Cremer will join us on July 1. As noted by Provost Madigan, “By combining the university's signature focus on experiential learning and David's unique expertise at the intersection of business innovation and technology-driven transformation, David will carry forward the ethos of Northeastern University to prepare graduates for careers of the future. I look forward to D'Amore-McKim's continued growth and expansion as a global business leader in a digitally convergent world under his leadership.”
To move forward, D'Amore-McKim needs leadership that can build upon our reputation as a top-tier business school while also effectively helping to shape our university for the future. I think David De Cremer holds great promise as a leader who brings the fresh ideas and outside-the-box thinking we need for this future. I know that we are all looking forward to welcoming David and working with him to ensure the future success of D'Amore-McKim and Northeastern. This is an exciting time for us all!
Emery Trahan
Interim Dean
D'Amore-McKim School of Business