It did not always feel this way, but as I look back, the past two years seem to have flown by. And as of July 1st, I've shifted from Interim Dean to Acting Dean. While this may seem to be a subtle change, it signifies that David De Cremer has joined as the Dunton Family Dean. I will continue running the school operations over the summer months as David makes his significant move and begins to fully engage as we head into the fall.
I'm now reflecting on what we have accomplished over the last two years while searching for our new Dean. I remain most proud of our incredible community of faculty and staff. The work you all do to move us forward, serve our students, build our research reputation and brand, and grow our programs is awe-inspiring. Thank you!
We have accomplished much, and I cannot discuss all of it, but allow me to list a few things that stand out.
- We have been celebrating the 100th anniversary of D'Amore-McKim with many exciting events while including all members of our community. We celebrated on the quad in October 2022 when we opened the time capsule with our faculty, staff, and students; we had a signature event in March 2023 with President Aoun, Rich D'Amore, and Alan McKim, senior leadership, alumni, and many of our faculty, staff, and students. We also hosted a research showcase in March 2023 to highlight the work of many of our faculty across the university. And we had other pop-up events to celebrate with students, and our staff members had a great time on our 100th-anniversary staff harbor cruise. Our centennial is a significant milestone, and I think we have celebrated it to the fullest! Please watch for more information about a final event in the fall to prepare and seal a new time capsule to be opened in 50 years.
- We have advanced and built several new graduate programs. These include innovative new digital programs such as the new experience-powered Online MBA, the MS in Digital Healthcare offered with Mayo, and the MS in Accounting Analytics offered to PwC. We have also significantly grown the MS in Quantitative Finance and MS in Business Analytics programs. Our latest work in progress is the MS x in Technology Management and Digital Leadership.
- We have worked to integrate into the broader global campus network. We will have hundreds of D'Amore-McKim students in Oakland and London this fall and are working on graduate programs for the new Miami Campus. I know this is just the beginning of our involvement in the global network!
- We have continued to hire world-class faculty at the junior, senior, and full-time non-tenure-track levels, as well as amazing new staff.
- We continue to work with and owe a debt of gratitude to the many alumni and volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to helping advance D'Amore-McKim. I am especially grateful to our tremendous Dean's Executive Council, Board of Visitors, and our newly launched D'Amore-McKim New York Executive Leadership Council.
- And we have done all of this while coming out of COVID two years ago and going into a time when we are attracting and serving record numbers of undergraduate and graduate students.
After David De Cremer fully integrates into our community over the summer, I will be on sabbatical, where I look forward to spending more time on research (and better supporting my patient co-authors) and preparing to reengage in teaching (it has been nine years, so I need to prepare for all the changes). I will still be around and look forward to being back in the Finance Group and rejoining all of you as faculty colleagues. Thank you to everyone who guided me through this transition, and in particular, the members of the Dean's Cabinet who all work incredibly hard and smart to advance the school. I have enjoyed seeing a different side of our “business,” and I know that the work our faculty/staff community does every day can be challenging, but it's all essential and drives our success.
This is my last Dean's Corner installment. I look forward, along with all of you, to welcoming David De Cremer as our Dunton Family Dean. As I concluded in my last Dean's Corner, 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
Acting Dean
D'Amore-McKim School of Business