“This rise in the rankings is proof positive of the Whitman School’s continuing commitment to providing innovative programs in entrepreneurship at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Our success has been supported by the entrepreneurial spirit that runs throughout the entire university,” says Maria Minniti, Bantle Chair of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy and chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises (EEE). “This upward movement in the rankings is the result of the hard work and commitment of the Whitman School’s leadership, faculty and students, and we are proud to be acknowledged for this level of success.”

The graduate programs were also ranked at No. 24 this year. “These rankings are a quantifiable reflection of the quality of our program and our commitment to giving our students experiences that continue to spark their entrepreneurial spirit,” says John Torrens, deputy department chair and professor of entrepreneurial practice. “Our faculty are truly committed to helping our students bring their ideas to life through mentoring, coaching and sharing their own professional experiences in this space. In addition, students have many opportunities to obtain funding through our various competitions, like the Orange Tank business pitch competition and our Panasci Business Plan Competition, many of which are supported by generous alumni who appreciate the work we do at the Whitman School.”

The rankings are based on data collection that takes into account 40 points about schools’ entrepreneurship programs, faculties, students and alumni. The Princeton Review conducted the data collection in summer 2024 with administrators at nearly 300 schools.

“Since we debuted these rankings nearly two decades ago, the number of colleges and universities offering entrepreneurship courses has grown tremendously,” says , The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “We highly recommend the schools that made our lists for 2025. Their faculties are outstanding. Their programs have robust experiential components. Their students have access to extraordinary mentors as well as networking contacts that will serve them well into their careers.”

For more information on Whitman’s undergraduate entrepreneurship major visit: or for the graduate program visit:

The Salzberg Program is made possible by the support of the Whitman School’s H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management, co-directed by Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Practice Gary La Point and Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management Julie Niederhoff.

“We are honored to have some of the best industry leaders join us for the Salzberg Memorial Lecture Program to speak to our students and faculty about topics that are a timely intersection of supply chain management, continuous improvement, globalization, sustainability and well-being,” says Whitman School Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “In addition, we are privileged to present the Salzberg Medallion, which has come to be one of the most esteemed awards in the field of supply chain management since 1949. It is with great pride that the Whitman School, which has the oldest supply chain program in the country, dating back to 1919, showcases some of our top industry leaders, innovative scholars and talented students, who will surely help to inspire the next generation of supply chain leaders—many of whom I’m certain will be products of our own Whitman program.”

Award Recipients

This year’s recipients of the Salzberg Industry Medallion was Toyota Motor Corporation. From left are Whitman School Interim Dean Alex McKelvie; Steve Brown, vice president of parts and logistics and operations at Toyota Motor North America; and J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School.

This year’s recipients of the Salzberg Industry Medallion was Toyota Motor Corporation, which has built a reputation as a global pioneer for the Toyota Production System (TPS), its manufacturing practices that set the standard for optimizing processes, reducing waste and creating a culture of continuous improvement that has essentially redefined manufacturing standards globally across multiple industries. Steve Brown, vice president of parts and logistics and operations at Toyota Motor North America, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

The Salzberg Academic Medallion was presented to Charles Corbett, Ph.D. Corbett is the IBM Chair in Management and professor of operation and management and sustainability at UCLA. He also holds a joint appointment at the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability. His current research focuses on sustainable operations, time management and well-being, and his work has been featured in the media and through keynote lectures around the world.

The Salzberg Medallion award winners were selected from nominations received from past recipients and other highly regarded practitioners in the transportation and supply chain fields.

Five awards were also given to Whitman undergraduate students. Those students pursuing a supply chain management major were given the opportunity to submit a paper and video about their ideas for consideration by the members of the H.H. Franklin Supply Chain Advisory Board. This year’s recipients were the following:

• Taylor Nicole Feiden ’25, marketing management, real estate and supply chain management, who received the $10,000 Brethen Scholarship.
• Gabrielle Goldman ’25 (Whitman/School of Information Studies) ’25, supply chain management and information management and technology, who received the $10,000 Brethen Scholarship.
• Amelia K. Thorn ’25 (Whitman/Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), finance and supply chain management, who received the $1,000 Zinsmeister Award.
• Connor McHugh ’25, business analytics and supply chain management, who received a $5,000 Recognition Award.
• Odette A. Sherk ’26 (Whitman/Maxwell School), supply chain management, marketing and environmental and sustainability policy, who received the Empowering Women in Supply Chain Award, presented on behalf of the Didier Family, who received a $1,000 award.

Industry Presentations

A number of speakers rounded out the event, sharing their perspectives on topics relevant to supply chain management.

Toyota’s Brown and Jeff Cawyer, group manager, Toyota Motor North America, outlined the history and methods of TPS, which has become the standard for the auto manufacturing industry through an organizational culture of highly engaged people solving problems or innovating to merge with the latest technology. TPS is focused on the idea that the customer comes first and that people are the company’s most important resource. The company follows the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, where problems are solved by going right to the shop floor or at the individual dealerships, and the role of managers is to motivate and develop people by building a greater organizational culture where employees feel empowered, supported and recognized.

Toyota is also strongly committed to one of today’s top supply chain challenges: carbon neutrality, which the company is aggressively targeting to reach by 2050. Cawyer also explained how his division handles planning and parts logistics with the Just in Time mindset of “building what people need right now only in the right quantity,” while also making sure that estimated delivery times are met at the dealership level.

The Salzberg Academic Medallion was presented to Charles Corbett, Ph.D. Corbett is the IBM Chair in Management and professor of operation and management and sustainability at UCLA. From left are Whitman School Interim Dean Alex McKelvie; Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School; Corbett; and Julie Neiderhoff, associate professor of supply chain management.

Corbett presented “The Operations of Well-Being,” which outlined his research on how processes interact with happiness, equity and sustainability. He talked about “stimulating the best effort of all” and “helping individuals make the most of themselves,” while also addressing how individuals can waste valuable time or make “lazy decisions” that can impact safety and operations, as well as seemingly trivial decisions that can collectively impact whether a person is happy or unhappy.

Corbett emphasized that those who truly use lean manufacturing practices well and give their employees the tools they need to thrive, while those who don’t implement lean well often wind up in chaos. Corbett also addressed the impact of the “new” supply chain created by gig work, as well as the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) on operations.

Adam B. Cunha, head of global key client sales-North America, for A.P. Moller-Maersk, addressed global logistic challenges due to political conflicts and environmental activities surrounding key shipping areas, such as safety concerns in the Suez Canal due to tensions in the Red Sea, fluctuating water levels in the Panama Canal, recent hurricanes in the southeastern U.S. and accidents like the bridge collapse blocking much of the Port of Baltimore. Not only limited to shipping, the company moves almost 20% of the world’s food, materials and goods every day to reach people across the globe. Today, it is creating “the network of the future” to find alternate ways to overcome delays and work around unexpected obstacles. He expressed his hope that Whitman students will remember Maersk not only for shipping “but as a company that is connecting and simplifying global supply chains.”

Sarah Day Kalloch, co-founder and executive director for the Good Jobs Institute, presented “Help Companies Thrive by Creating Good Jobs” based on 20 years of research from “The Good Job Strategy.”�� One topic she spoke about was how critical pay is for low-income, frontline workers—like those working in call centers, warehouses, retail or service.

The Good Jobs Institute has worked successfully with companies, like Costco and Trader Joe’s, to invest in their workers by offering wages greater than their competitors and creating great teams with stable schedules, pay that can support a family, benefits, clear career paths, security and safety. This, in turn, has minimized stress on employees and typically results in much lower turnover, which in itself is a huge cost saver. In addition to improving employee turnover, these employees offer better customer service, better store experiences, and overall higher performance with sales and other metrics, therefore giving a strong return on the investment.

Gartner sent out individualized request for information links to supply chain program contacts at universities in the U.S. and Canada. The ranking of university programs in Gartner’s relative comparison is based on a composite score of three categories: program scope, industry value and program size.

The report is intended to support chief supply chain officers, heads of supply chain strategy and supply chain HR partners to identify the programs best equipped to support their growing talent needs.

“We are proud of the educational excellence in our program, which offers plenty of experiential learning opportunities. Students engage with companies through internships, corporate partnerships, seminars and networking events,” says��, Steven R. Becker Professor of Supply Chain Management and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence at the Whitman School. “Our program is known to be a leading institution in supply chain risk management, a skill set that became influential during disruptions that are caused by global health issues and during economic downturns. We are also the first program to institute supply chain finance as a required course and is one of the leading programs when it comes to the integration of financial and operational planning. Our students are trained rigorously in their analytical capabilities, which helps place our students.”

The Whitman School of Management is home to the nation’s first SCM program. A specialization in traffic and transportation was first offered in 1919 when the School of Management was founded. Currently, the SCM program offers rigorous degrees, as well as executive education. Whitman’s award-winning SCM faculty is renowned for teaching, research and outreach partnerships.

Whitman’s SCM program hosts two outstanding centers:�������Ի����ٳ��. �ճ���� accomplished executives and scholars to campus in order to share their insights and expertise.

“Major corporations, such as Amazon,��BAE,��BASF, IBM��and��Pratt & Whitney,��look to Whitman for their companies’ future supply chain leaders,” says Kazaz, who is also director of the Robert H. Brethen Operations Management Institute.

The undergraduate business program at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management is now ranked No. 40 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The U.S. News & World Report undergraduate business rankings are based solely on a survey of deans and senior faculty members (the “peer ranking”) at each of the 532 undergraduate business programs accredited by AACSB International, all of which were ranked. ��These deans and faculty members—two at each AACSB-accredited business programs—were asked to rate the quality of all programs with which they were familiar on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished).

Whitman is currently tied with the University of Rochester, the University of Pittsburgh, South Carolina and George Washington University, among others. All of these schools received a peer ranking of 3.5 out of 5. Whitman was rated 3.4 last year.

In addition to Whitman’s strong undergraduate business ranking, peers have also ranked Whitman’s Entrepreneurship program as No. 21 this year, up from No. 27 last year. U.S. News & World Report polled the same above respondents to nominate up to 15 of the best programs in specialty areas.

“We are pleased with this latest achievement for the Whitman School and appreciate the further validation from our peers. The addition of this strongest ranking in more than a decade, along with our other programmatic rankings, are continued proof points that Whitman is a school on the rise,” says Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie.

Whitman’s Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Lindsay Quilty says, “Whitman is a school to watch. I’m confident that the investments we have made to our undergraduate program place our academic student community among the best in the nation. Our new placement in the U.S. News ranking is external validation of the success of our future-focused curriculum and high-impact student experience.”

“We are pleased to once again be listed as among the best MBA programs in the country. Those who have been following Whitman’s upward trajectory over the past few years can see that we are on the right track and investing in the right things to support our students and their success. These [rankings are] evidence of that,” says Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “While we recognize that rankings are not ends to themselves, the fact that the Bloomberg Businessweek rankings take into consideration a variety of factors that matter to us helps to reinforce that what we are doing is making an impact.”

Bloomberg Businessweek rankings rely on incoming student data (including diversity), placement success at graduation and surveys of the most recent graduating class, MBA alumni from 2016-2018 and recruiters. The recent graduates and alumni evaluated Whitman on such topics as their learning experience, opportunities to network and emphasis on entrepreneurial skills in their programs.

In August, Bloomberg launched its��. In addition to ranking No. 1 for ROI among private universities, Whitman also had the second-highest ROI among all schools in the U.S. With the help of the business schools, Bloomberg Businessweek surveyed 5,292 students, 9,222 alumni and 734 employers for this year’s ranking.

View the����of the 111 full-time MBA programs, and learn more about the��.

“Entrepreneurship is a centerpiece of academic excellence at ���ϲ�����. As entrepreneurship scholarship continues to grow globally, achieving this No. 2 in the world ranking is a significant acknowledgment of the standing of our entrepreneurship faculty and program at the Whitman School,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School and professor of entrepreneurship. “The productivity of our team represents important investments we have made over a number of years, as well as the team’s ability to work collaboratively and creatively. This latest ranking offers further validation of our commitment to rigorous scholarly work in the discipline of entrepreneurship. It’s a huge achievement for ���ϲ����� and the Whitman School.”

“I am delighted to see the department recognized for our collective research achievements. We have a fantastic group of dedicated scholars working on exciting, diverse and timely topics. Our research is rigorous and impactful, and we are being recognized for our thought leadership in the field. I couldn’t ask for a better group of colleagues,” says Maria Minniti, professor and L.A. Bantle Chair of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, and chair, Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises.

Launched in 2009 by the at Texas Christian University (TCU), the TCU Global University Entrepreneurship Research Productivity Rankings track research articles in entrepreneurship journals according to authorship and university affiliation. ���ϲ����� and the Whitman School were ranked based on publications by its faculty in three of the top-entrepreneurship journals—Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal—from 2019-2023.

The data for this ranking is not adjusted for faculty size. All counts are made at the university level; differentiations are not made between departments or other units. Only one affiliation per article is counted.

According to Bloomberg, its new, innovative����helps students determine whether pursuing an MBA is a financially viable path, and, if so, what are the best choices available to them. They based this on full-time MBA programs in the U.S.

The ROI calculator helps students make this decision using a standard measure of financial success: profit relative to initial principal, or ROI, built on the data reported to Bloomberg from surveys distributed for annual rankings. The calculator, which advances Bloomberg’s efforts to help potential MBA students make the best decision they can, is accompanied by reporting that considers the factors increasingly recognized as an important part of this assessment — though not easily quantifiable.

Whether or not an MBA will increase their earnings is a big concern for prospective students, since that is often a main reason for pursuing an MBA. The ROI Calculator demonstrates that the Whitman program does provide that return on investment, with an ROI of 22%. This is based on median cost (tuition and expenses), interest, net forgone income and the total MBA investment.

“Prospective MBA students often emphasize that ROI is crucial when selecting a business school,” says Mary Collier, Whitman’s executive director of graduate recruitment. “That’s why providing an exceptional educational experience and maximizing ROI for our students is a top priority at Whitman. We are delighted that our dedicated efforts have earned us the No. 1 national ranking among private schools for ROI among MBA programs. At Whitman, we embrace a holistic approach to student success with a strong focus on achieving outstanding career outcomes.”

“Whitman is thrilled to once again be recognized as an outstanding investment for our students to pursue an MBA,” says Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “Return on investment should be one of the main criteria for anyone considering an MBA, and our No. 1 national ranking for private schools and No. 2 overall reflects Whitman’s emphasis on high-quality education, personal touches, outstanding student experience, leveraging the strong ���ϲ����� network and our commitment to our students’ career success. It is these factors that really translate into this ROI measure. We are pleased that the student-focused investments into our MBA program are paying off for our MBA graduates.”

The ranking is based on a combination of institutional and student survey data, including career outcomes, technological infrastructure, academic rigor, cost and affordability, among others. The survey also incorporates student opinions that The Princeton Review collected through its online MBA student survey and institutional data reported by administrators at the business schools. This year, the data reflects surveys of administrators at 165 business schools offering online MBAs and more than 10,700 online MBA students.

According to The Princeton Review, online MBA programs have become as rigorous as their on-campus counterparts. For many business school candidates, an online degree might even be the smarter choice. Online programs offer flexibility, affordability, access to innovative technologies, students from a diverse career backgrounds and global opportunities.

Here are some of the highlights of what Whitman students said:

• The online MBA program provides “a solid educational and professional core,” “online interaction with classmates and the professor” and “flexibility of an online format instead of going part time attending classroom lectures.”
• The school also offers immersion events “so that online students still have the opportunity to network with their peers.” This makes them feel as though they are “a part of the institution and not just a number.”
• The majority of topics cover “current business practices and can be applied to current business problems.” While the amount of work can be “a lot to manage,” according to many students, “the way the classes are laid out makes it very easy for students to access, since there are many different days and hours students are able to choose from to accommodate their own work schedules.”
• The asynchronous and synchronous classes “are often taught by two different people.” This often “helps students hear the same information in two different ways.” Supplementary “resources and videos” are also provided as extra support.
• Discussions in class are “always thought-provoking” due to classmates who are “driven, intelligent and strive for excellence.”

“We are very happy to once again have validation of our programs from an outside rankings organization. This continues our school’s upward trajectory for being recognized as providing a highly valuable educational experience,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School. “We also appreciate the comments on the student-focused part of our program. Whitman has continuously concentrated on the online students’ experience, and we appreciate them highlighting this aspect.”

“This is the second ranking survey where students have highlighted the academic experience we provide. Whitman achieved an overall ranking of No. 29 this fall in the Poets&Quants ranking of online MBA programs. Recent alumni ranked us No. 15 overall on academic experience. Of particular note was alumni satisfaction with live synchronous classes (ranked No. 10 nationally) and professor quality (ranked No. 7 nationally),” says Amy McHale, assistant dean for graduate programs at Whitman.

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Lynne Vincent and Craig Nicols

The Whitman School of Management announced the appointment of two new department chairs, effective July 1. ��has been named chair of the Management Department, and����has been named chair of the Lubin School of Accounting at Whitman.

“I am honored to continue the progress the Management Department has made over the past years,” says Vincent of her new role as department chair. “The workplace is changing incredibly rapidly. How technology shapes our work, how and where employees work, how organizations engage with the environment and community, and how employees identify and engage with their work is shifting and will continue to do so. The Management Department is dedicated to examining these issues and preparing our students to manage these challenges and opportunities.”

Vincent joined the Whitman faculty in 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Cornell University. Vincent’s research examines the moral and social implications of creativity. In contrast to the status quo view of creativity as being inherently positive, she investigates the potential dark side and unexpected consequences of creativity. Her research reveals that creativity, and the perception of it, influences decisions to engage in dishonest behaviors, how people handle negative experiences and even how people judge others. Her research has appeared in the Academy of Management Journal; Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes; Journal of Experimental Social Psychology; and Journal of Experimental Psychology: General and Psychological Science.

“I’m looking forward to continuing the great work Professor Joe Comprix has done with the accounting team, and I look forward to supporting our faculty to help them reach their goals in research and teaching,” says Nichols of his new role as department chair of the Lubin School of Accounting. “In addition, I am eager to guide students in exploring the diverse career options within the accounting field that will be available to them after completing their Whitman education.”

Nichols, who joined the Whitman faculty in 2011, has worked as a tax accountant at Arthur Andersen, LLP. He holds a Ph.D. in accounting from Indiana University and taught MBA students at Cornell University before joining the Whitman School. He currently teaches financial accounting and financial statement analysis to undergraduate and graduate students at Whitman.�� Nichols has published in the Journal of Accounting Research; Journal of Accounting and Economics; Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis; Contemporary Accounting Research; Review of Accounting Studies; Accounting Horizons; Financial Analyst Journal, among others.

“I very much appreciate Lynne and Craig’s eagerness to take on these important leadership roles at the Whitman School. They are award-winning professors who care deeply about student success and I’m excited about the new ideas and approaches they will bring to their respective departments. The confidence that their colleagues have shown in them bodes well for their success in these leadership positions. I would like to thank Joe Comprix and Ravi Dharwadkar for their work as department chair over the past few years,” says Alexander McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School of Management.

Natarajan Balasubramanian

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management has recently named Professor Natarajan Balasubramanian the inaugural Albert & Betty Hill Professor, effective July 1.

With a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, Balasubramanian joined the Whitman School in 2009. His research focuses on understanding economic value creation by new and existing firms, using large-scale data to uncover generalizable facts and how competition, innovation and learning affect the entry and performance of firms. Balasubramanian’s teaching includes areas of strategic management, firm performance, technological change and industry evolution to undergraduate and graduate students at the Whitman School.

Balasubramanian has an impressive list of publications in leading journals, including Management Science, Review of Economics and Statistics and Strategic Management Journal. He has received a number of awards: the prestigious Kauffman Junior Faculty Fellowship, a finalist at the Outstanding Dissertation Award Competition of the Business Policy and Strategy Division of the Academy of Management, and several from the Whitman School, including the Edward Pettinella Associate Professorship of Business and the Whitman Research Fellow. Balasubramanian was recently named associate editor of Strategic Management Journal.

The professorship was established through a $1 million bequest from the late Robert S. Hill ’69, a graduate of the School of Management, in memory of his parents, Albert and Betty (Grossman) Hill, and in thanks for the personal attention he received from the University and his desire to continue to “elevate the stature and quality of the institution.”

“It is quite rare that a school installs a new endowed professorship, but when we do it’s to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our best scholars and world-class thinkers who are significantly influencing their field,” says McKelvie. “Professor Balasubramanian is very deserving of this achievement, and this professorship will provide him resources to further his research and positively impact the reputation of the Whitman School.”

Lisa Fontenelli

The Whitman School of Management is proud to announce that Lisa Fontenelli ’86 (Whitman School/S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications) will be the school’s Class of 2024 convocation speaker. Fontenelli retired in 2017 as partner and managing director of Goldman Sachs, a world-renowned investment bank. She is a University Trustee and was chair of the Whitman Advisory Council for several years. Her support of Whitman has focused on experiential learning opportunities with an emphasis on immersive experiences in New York City.

During her decorated career, Fontenelli was global head of securities research and deputy head of the Global Investment Research Division, overseeing all equity and credit research globally. After starting her career in equity securities sales and research, she was named a Goldman partner in 2006 and served on the firm’s partnership committee.

Fontenelli holds an honorary doctorate of business administration from Georgian Court University, where she served as a trustee for 12 years, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Misericordia University. These honors were awarded for her long-standing philanthropic support of the educational mission of the Sisters of Mercy, including initiatives around the world that provide educational opportunities for young women to build skills in critical thinking, leadership, collaboration and philanthropy. Throughout her career, Fontenelli has mentored many on the path of management and leadership development.

“We are delighted to have Lisa Fontenelli speak with our graduating class this year. This is the first convocation speaker that Whitman has had in some time, and Lisa brings a wealth of experience from a variety of global leadership roles,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School. “She has been very active in providing advice and support to Whitman and ���ϲ����� and has a strong understanding of the current challenges graduating students face. She has sage advice about motivation, value creation and what it means to be Orange. I think her message will resonate well with the graduating class.”

The convocation for the Whitman School is Saturday, May 11, at 4 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Thomas Constable and John G. Dean IV

The at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management welcomes Thomas Constable G’04, G’04, as its director and Ltc. (ret) John G. Dean IV�� G’04 MBA, G’04, as associate director.

Both Constable and Dean are both graduates of the Defense Comptrollership Program (DCP) and earned dual master’s degrees—an MBA from the Whitman School and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs—as classmates in 2004.

Thomas Constable, director, Defense Programs

From 1987 to 2008, Constable was on active duty with the U.S. Army and is a retired civilian senior executive with the Department of Defense. He was the associate director of the Defense Program from August 2023 through February 2024 before moving into his current role.

Constable had a long career as a member of the senior executive service with the Department of Defense. Prior to joining the Whitman School, he was the principal assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs from 2022 to 2023 and the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness from 2019 to 2022, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Constable also held the position of director of resource integration for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence and as the associate director for military operations/comptroller for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, as well the senior financial official for the U.S. Army, Africa, and as a senior budget analyst for the Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller.

As he settles into his role as director of Whitman’s Defense Program, Constable says, “I loved my own experience with this program, and the opportunity came at a time when I had 35 years with the Department of Defense,” he says. “I really wanted to teach but never had the chance. So, it all came together beautifully, and I haven’t looked back.”

Ltc. (ret) John G. Dean, associate director, Defense Programs

Dean started in his new role as associate director of Defense Programs in the Whitman School on April 1. He retired from the U.S. Army after 25 years of active duty service. Before joining the Whitman School, he was the chief of the Agency Contingency and Coordination branch of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in Alexandria, Virginia, from 2002 to 2024.

He worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as a regional chief of regulatory compliance and chief of chemical security in New York City from 2017 to 2022.�� Before DHS, he served as the regional program manager for the Radiological Assistance Program, National Nuclear Security Agency in Idaho Falls, Idaho, from 2013 to 2017. He is also a freelance writer, organizational consultant and training developer.

“I am very pleased to come back to ���ϲ����� and the Whitman Defense Programs after 20 years,” says Dean. “I’m thankful for the knowledge I received here, and I’m eager to share my years of military and federal experience with students and Defense Program future leaders.”

“The Whitman School is fortunate to welcome Tom and John to the Defense Programs,” says J. Michael Haynie, executive dean at the Whitman School and the University’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, as well as a 14-year veteran as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. “Their collective experience both as active duty military and with various agencies within the Department of Defense will not only greatly benefit our students but will help our programs continue to reach a broader audience across the DOD and the national security community.”

Frank Marin, Natasha Brao, Tosin Alabi, Motolani Oladitan and Jessica Grace McGhee

This semester, five University students working at the Couri Hatchery Student Business Incubator at the Whitman School of Management made it through the regional level of the New York State Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), an intercollegiate event designed to help prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs in New York state.

The hatchery, led by Program Manager and supported by faculty from the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises (EEE), assists students in preparing for this highly competitive event. They will compete for up to $100,000 in cash prizes to support their ventures.

The following students are currently competing for a place in the statewide competition to be held in Albany, New York, on April 25:

Tosin Alabi G’25 (MBA) is an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Couri Hatchery and a student in Whitman’s MBA program. She is competing with her business venture DiabeTech, an electronic bandage created for diabetic foot ulcers.

The bandage not only protects the wound but has sensors that check temperature and glucose levels in real time, providing vital information for the patient and physician. This information can be used to ward off dangerous consequences of diabetic foot ulcers like gangrene or amputation.

From Nigeria, Alabi appreciates the support she has been given at the Hatchery, particularly as an international student.

“International students are already dealing with acclimating to both the culture and the rigors of the education here. Sometimes I feel like an octopus juggling so many things at once,” she says. “It took courage for me to go to the hatchery, but the resources there have helped me understand the rules, legalities, licenses and visa limitations that impact my business. And, I could not go a day without the support of Indaria. She has put a light in the Couri Hatchery and made it the place for me. DiabeTech is not just a business idea for me. It’s helping people have a better life, even those in my own family who are diabetic.”

Natasha Brao ’22 (College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)), G’23, G’24 (MBA) first discovered the deliciousness of the classic Mediterranean dish Shakshuka on a trip overseas in 2019 and soon realized it was a compilation of many Mediterranean backgrounds and cultures. Having always loved experimenting with cooking, she created , a spiced tomato sauce with the idea of “mixing and melding cultures to promote creative cooking” and formalized her business in 2023. The product quickly gained attention this March when she started selling the sauce. Brao recently acquired a spot at New York State’s International Taste Festival where upwards of 7,000 attended and had the chance to try Shooka.

“My entrepreneurial side comes from my creative background [Brao earned a bachelor’s degree in design]. I was an idea machine and very passionate about food and culinary businesses,” she says. “I’ve been hanging out at the hatchery for quite a while, planning the future of the business, considering strategic partnerships and creating a road map so I can stay on track as a busy student and entrepreneur. I have weekly meetings with the advisors at the hatchery and that has kept a fire under me to keep progressing week to week.”

Frank Marin ’23 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), G’24 (MBA) is enrolled in a dual program earning an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and supply chain management. He is working on a business opportunity called , which involves the removal of debris in space through innovative techniques. Marin is creating a general process for the spacecraft to follow that will give it maximum efficiency in debris removal.

“I am incredibly passionate about science and its growing importance, and I have a lot of ideas on how to make the world a better place, starting with removing debris,” he says. “The Couri Hatchery has been a place for me to talk with like-minded, entrepreneurial people, including members of the EEE faculty who challenge me and also help me stay on track. I hope that one day my ideas can make a difference in people’s lives.”

Jessica Grace McGhee ’19 (VPA), G’24 (VPA) is a fine artist with her own online gallery, who is also a creative arts therapy graduate student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She is entering her business venture Sacred Art of Rising (SAOR) in the competition. will engage survivors of chronic and complex trauma on three different platforms: the Resource Center in ���ϲ�����’s South Side, an area of the city with a high poverty level; the Retreat Center, a safe space with a myriad of nonverbal and verbal therapeutic platforms with access to restorative rest; and the Sacred Art of Rising mobile app with sliding scale access to psychoeducational, motivational and self-care content with a platform for telehealth therapy.

As a survivor of complex and chronic trauma, McGhee has created SOAR as an alternative, non-verbal therapeutic platform to help others recover, especially those who are underserved, as a means of “symbolic investment.” She wants SOAR to create a full-circle investment in marginalized communities that heals and uplifts people to reach their own self-directed goals. And, McGhee hopes it will be a place to provide safe outdoor space for individuals and families to build healthy attachments, get social rest and also reach people in need of a place to heal and decrease the chronic toxic stress that accompanies poverty.

“I knew SOAR would be amazingly helpful but, financially, I couldn’t see how I could make it happen. Linda Hartsock just lit up that path for me,” she says. “I moved from Los Angeles to ���ϲ����� in 2008 and was promised a very healthy existence but then endured several kinds of abuse before I got up the courage to leave. But, ���ϲ����� and the people at the Couri Hatchery have rooted for me and done their best to uplift me and help me reach my dreams.”

Motolani Oladitan ’24 (A&S), a psychology major, has created , an online marketplace for African entrepreneurs to sell their beauty products collectively online. From Nigeria, Oladitan is starting with six to eight products and hopes to expand from there, becoming the premier destination for African beauty and wellness by helping get these brands into mainstream U.S. markets. She has tested and used every product she offers, and when people kept asking to borrow her products, Oladitan knew she was on to something.

“Traci Giesler, Indaria Jones, Linda Dickerson Hartsock and all the mentors at the Couri Hatchery and the Blackstone LaunchPad have been so good to me and are always ready to help me practice my pitch or offer recommendations on how to tackle the things I’m facing,” she says. “I’m looking to put together a marketing plan, and even if I don’t win the competition, I know it’s a learning experience. ���ϲ����� has been a learning experience, too, and I will take the feedback and implement that into the future of the business. I am in this for the long run.”

The Couri Hatchery is named for John Couri ’63, co-founder of Duty-Free International and president of the Couri Foundation.

The Inspiring Programs in Business Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the field of business. The Whitman School will be featured, along with 27 other recipients, in the April 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.

Inspiring Programs in Business Award winners were selected by Insight Into Diversity based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in business through mentoring, teaching, research and successful programs and initiatives.

”Whitman has made tremendous inroads in supporting our students of all backgrounds over the past few years. We’ve provided financial support to allow our students to maximize their experience while at Whitman. We have impressive work in the community, and we’ve created new programs to engage, mentor and support our diverse student body. We also welcomed our most ethnically diverse and largest female incoming class ever this fall. This award from Insight into Diversity magazine is a tangible recognition that we’re developing a more inclusive environment at Whitman,” says interim Whitman School Dean Alex McKelvie.

Insight Into Diversity magazine selected the Whitman School’s Multicultural and First-Generation Student and Parent Resource groups for this award. The goal of these resource groups is to ensure that both students and parents are aware of all the opportunities available to them to help break down barriers and foster greater inclusion.

The Multicultural and First-Generation Student Resource Group meets bimonthly throughout the academic year to provide programming to students. These include opportunities for community building, learning from and supporting each other and accessing professional development from faculty and alums of color.

To further support students, Whitman launched the Parents Resource Group, which meets virtually once a month. Parents are presented with information on topics related to undergraduate advising services/tutoring information, career services, study abroad, financial aid, campus housing and health and well-being services. This helps ensure that parents are equipped to assist their students in navigating their academic journey.

Diane Crawford, the executive director of institutional culture at Whitman, says, “These programs are beneficial for our underrepresented and first-generation students and their parents. The resources provided assist the first-gen parents with necessary information and the knowledge to be able to coach and support their student. The students have an opportunity to build community and have access to professional development and mentorships in ways that help them navigate their academic careers and beyond. The programs help our student to overcome some of the knowledge gaps that might exist and to ensure equitable access to what the Whitman School has to offer.”

“We know that many business programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication and mentorship for underrepresented students,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in business. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”

Joe Comprix

In the role of associate dean for faculty affairs, Comprix will provide leadership of faculty issues and efforts, including faculty development and mentoring, workloads, and reviews, leaves and contract renewals. He will work closely with Academic Affairs, department chairs, Human Resources and the Office of Research, among other offices. Comprix previously held the role of interim associate dean and has been the long-standing chair of the accounting department. He is also an award-winning teacher.

Willie Reddic

In the role of associate dean for business education, Reddic will provide leadership over the residential and online undergraduate and master’s programs, including student attraction, coordination of instructional needs, programmatic innovation and feasibility studies, and oversight of assurance of learning processes and teaching effectiveness. He will work closely with the faculty curriculum and teaching committees, department chairs, students and staff. Reddic is also one the Faculty Oversight Committee for Athletics and is a highly accomplished teacher and administrator. He held a similar position to this current role at DePaul University.

“I am very appreciative to both Joe and Willie for their willingness to take on these additional service roles for Whitman. Both have outstanding track records in these areas. Having them both as associate deans will help Whitman pursue our bold goals and expectations,” says Alexander McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School of Management.

Poets&Quants’ methodology relies on three equally weighted (33.3%) sources of data: Admissions Standards (e.g., acceptance rate, SAT scores, diversity), Career Outcomes (e.g., placement at 90 days, compensation, internships) and Academic Experience (e.g., survey of recent alumni across a variety of satisfaction and experience scores).

Whitman’s rankings in each of these categories is:

• Admissions Standards—No. 39 (No. 41 in 2022)
• Career Outcomes—No. 38 (No. 32 in 2022)
• Academic Experience—No. 53 (No. 56 in 2022)

Poets&Quants slightly altered its calculations this year, taking into consideration three years of data to help smooth out year-over-year fluctuations.

“We are proud to maintain our top 40 ranking of the best undergraduate business programs. It’s another tangible acknowledgement of Whitman’s strong national reputation and where there is evidence of our solid progress in priority areas to us,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School. “While we fell slightly in the rankings from our highest on record last year, we were excited that some of the metrics used this year in the final rankings were at an all-time high for Whitman. This shows that we’re in a very competitive space. Overall, this top-tier national ranking is another notable accomplishment for Whitman’s faculty, staff and students.”

“The Whitman School has made incredible investments in the academic experience over the past several years through curricular innovations, opportunities for leadership development and an emphasis on providing an inclusive environment to all,” says Lindsay Quilty, assistant dean of undergraduate programs. “We continue to see a rise in applications and our current first-year class represents the largest female cohort in program history. The Poets&Quants survey results are further validation that we are investing in areas that resonate with our alumni well beyond graduation.”

According to Poets&Quants, 91 schools participated in 2024’s ranking, including two schools that have not been previously ranked. They go on to say that, all 91 undergraduate business programs ranked by��Poets&Quants��are at the leading edge of business education, delivering a learning experience that transforms students’ sense of who they are and what they can do in the world. In fact, the ranked schools in this report reflect the top 12% of the more than 840 business schools accredited by AACSB International, the main accrediting body for business education.

Learn more about the Whitman School’s undergraduate programs on its .

This joint program leverages the national reputations and programmatic strengths of both schools in preparing students to be versatile, multidisciplinary, forward-looking experts and leaders ready to take on the important challenges across the globe related to sustainability.

This program can be completed in one year as a full-time student and is composed of a minimum of 30 credits. Central to this program is that students take courses from both the Whitman and Maxwell schools, ensuring that students learn about sustainability from a variety of perspectives, such as economics, entrepreneurship, environmental studies, international affairs, public administration, political science, statistics, sociology and supply chain management.

Students also have great flexibility in their elective course choices, allowing them to customize their own unique approach to sustainability by sector, industry or policy area. The first student cohort will be on campus in the fall of 2024. Applications to the program opened earlier this month.

Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie says, “The world is increasing its appreciation for a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability that embraces the importance of private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Our students and their future employers also recognize the benefits of well-rounded students who possess the skills and abilities to navigate the complex topic of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) and that requires students to understand both business and policy.”

This program is designed for those who are passionate about sustainability and seek an interdisciplinary approach that features experts in business, policy, governance and entrepreneurship and will prepare students with the knowledge and skills to manage programs and lead organizations in addressing the challenging issues of sustainability in a complex global environment.

Students will come from a variety of undergraduate and professional backgrounds, including from the social sciences, humanities, sciences, engineering and business. This is a STEM-designated program, allowing international students to have 36 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) upon completion of the program.

David M. Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School says, “Sustainability is one of the great challenges of our time and requires understanding across disciplines, with economic, social, environmental and business considerations at its core. Graduates will be well-prepared to work in a global community where sustainable business practice and policy are intertwined across many career pathways and industries.”

Core courses will be taught by world-renowned faculty from both schools, which includes Whitman’s Maria Minniti, director of the Institute for an Entrepreneurial Society (IES) and Louis A. Bantle Chair in Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, and Maxwell’s Jay S. Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance and founding director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab.

An important aspect of sustainability education is experiential learning, a need recognized and met in the For the required capstone course, students will work directly with clients in related industries.

Career placement rates and starting salaries for graduates in comparable programs are high. There is a significant increase in jobs in both the private and public sectors related to sustainability.

Admission requirements are the same as other master’s degree programs in the Maxwell School and Whitman School. Competitive scholarships are available based on merit.

See the M.S. in sustainable organizations and policy for more detailed information about this new joint program.

The Poets&Quants’ rankings methodology relies on three categories equally relating to admissions standards, employment outcomes at graduation and academic experience, the latter two of which are based on a survey of recent alumni. In each of these alumni-based categories, Whitman was rated higher than in the last two years and ranked No. 15 overall on academic experience. Of particular note was alumni satisfaction with live synchronous classes (ranked No. 10 nationally) and professor quality (ranked No. 7 nationally).�� Whitman was ranked No. 23 overall for career impact, with one-third of alumni reporting a promotion and an average 56% salary increase as a result of the program.

“We are very proud to be in the top tier of online MBA programs this year, especially as this is a quickly growing and highly competitive industry. The feedback shows that the Whitman School places a tremendous emphasis on high-quality teaching, dynamic and interactive classes and overall student experience. Seeing this play out in the rankings validates our efforts and investments in these areas,” says Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “Our recent alumni also show significant career benefits as a result of our MBA program. Receiving promotions and salary increases are key decision factors for prospective MBA students, so it is pleasing that we also scored so well nationally in this regard. It’s clear that we are a student-first program that makes a positive difference in students’ lives.”

“In addition to the demonstrated career impacts that our alumni have seen, 70% of graduates we surveyed said they have applied what they learned to their current position,” adds Amy McHale, assistant dean for master’s programs. “Many of our courses have experiential learning opportunities, and our residencies also allow students to spend a weekend diving into a specific topic. Together, these opportunities provide the knowledge and skills that can be immediately applied.”

From left: Edward Raff, Natalie Howell, Nicholas Graham and Pulak Jain

A team of Whitman School of Management students took first place over more than 500 teams from universities across the nation in the , held at the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University in November.

Whitman’s Nicholas Graham G’23 (MBA), L’23; Natalie Howell G’24 (MBA); Pulak Jain G’24 (MBA) and Edward Raff ’23 took home the $50,000 prize in the competition that challenges master’s level students to use their analytical skills, data and innovative ideas to solve real-world problems for . The competition has become one of the top health care analytics case competitions in the country.

This year’s competition revolved around cancer patients and drug adherence to a new medication that has proven highly effective if a patient can complete a full course. However, many discontinue treatment due to side effects. The competition’s challenge was for teams of two to four master’s level students to build a model that would predict which patients would have an adverse drug event that would result in stopping the medication before the treatment is complete, while also making the model fair in treatment with regard to race and gender.

The competition was completed in multiple phases starting with 500 teams—750 master’s level students representing 75 major U.S. universities—beginning on Aug. 1. Of those, 50 were invited to submit a written business case about how Humana could improve business using the information in their models.

The top five finalists were announced on Oct. 27, which included the Whitman team named “Cross-Functional Counter-Factual Claims,” an alliteration on the team’s diverse background and planned strategy for analyzing what would have happened “counter” to the facts in the data.

On Nov. 8, the five teams traveled to Texas A&M, where they had only 30 minutes each to pitch and explain their business plans, as well as answer questions from data scientists, pharmacologists and executives from Humana and professors from Texas A&M. Whitman’s first-place win was announced at the awards ceremony on Nov. 9.

To secure first place, the Whitman team members developed a custom algorithm to advise Humana on how to improve business using the information learned from their model, according to Raff. Then, they researched medical journals for interventions that can improve patient drug adherence, what services Humana provides and how they are offered. Their final business plan focused on combining the current and recommended services into a single unified portal to provide medically sound guidance on improving patient incomes.

“I truly enjoyed this opportunity for hands-on learning through the Humana-Mays Healthcare Analytics Competition. Working to develop a solution with the potential to make a real difference in patients’ lives was an incredible experience,” says Howell. “We each have very different strengths and professional backgrounds, and we work together well, which allowed us to challenge each other and succeed as a team. Winning this competition is a reflection of our collective experience and our continued learning at the Whitman School of Management, empowering us to approach real-world challenges with confidence.”

For more information on the Whitman School of Management’s MBA program, visit the .

The Direct Transfer Admission Program Agreement guarantees eligible OCC graduates’ admission to the Whitman School, and enables eligible OCC graduates the ability to complete a bachelor’s degree within four academic semesters. To leverage the Direct Transfer Admission Program, OCC graduates must have earned a minimum GPA of 3.4 in the business administration program. All admitted students with a 3.4 or higher will be awarded a merit-based scholarship of at least $10,000. The Whitman School will begin admitting students for this program beginning in fall 2024.

“We are excited to provide our students with this seamless pathway into ���ϲ�����’s prestigious Whitman School of Management. It is among the top 6% of business schools worldwide that have earned accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. We are extremely grateful for the tireless work done by our colleagues at ���ϲ����� and our leadership here at OCC to make this life-changing opportunity a reality for our students,” says Michael P. O’Connor, Onondaga Community College dean of business, arts and sciences.

The Whitman Direct Transfer Admission Program acknowledges the high-quality business and management curriculum provided by OCC and is purposefully designed to ensure that admitted transfer students are successful and supported throughout their Whitman School experience.

Whitman and OCC have jointly established student advising standards and course transfer requirements designed to support degree completion for eligible students within four academic semesters.

“The Whitman School is committed to welcoming students at all stages of their learning journey. This new partnership with OCC allows us to work collaboratively with a great local partner to enact a pathway to a business-related bachelor’s degree for residents of our Central New York community. The initiative is also aligned with positioning students for exciting new careers stemming from our region’s partnership with Micron. We’re very pleased to finalize this exciting new partnership,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School.

For more information about the new agreement, or if you are interested in learning more, visit the or contact Whitman Assistant Dean Lindsay Quilty at lquilty@syr.edu.

About the Whitman School

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management inspires students for a world of accelerating change. Offering B.S., MBA, M.S. and Ph.D. programs, all accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Whitman School’s faculty includes internationally known scholars and researchers, as well as successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Whitman continues to be ranked among the nation’s top business schools by U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. To learn more about the Whitman School of Management, visit .

About ���ϲ�����

���ϲ����� is an independent research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our 13 schools and colleges and over 200 majors close the gap between education and action, so graduates are equipped to be resourceful, responsive and real-world ready. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected issues with innovative approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community of game changers that moves ideas, individuals and impact forward.

About Onondaga Community College

Onondaga Community College, Central New York’s partner in education for success, is a two-year college located on a 280-acre campus in ���ϲ�����. OCC is a SUNY (State University of New York) school and is locally sponsored by Onondaga County. We are the first public college in the nation to partner with Barnes & Noble College on the “Box of Books” program which provides students with flat-rate, predictable pricing for textbooks and technology. OCC is an Achieving the Dream college and was named “Military Friendly” and “Best For Vets” for our service to student veterans. We are proud to be partners in education with , and�� which gives its employees a tuition-free path to the associate degree of their choosing. A report titled “The Economic Value of Onondaga Community College” shows students enjoy an attractive 21.7% rate of return on their educational investment. For every dollar of support from state and local governments, taxpayers see a return of $3.90 on their investments. The average annual rate of return for taxpayers is 9.3%. OCC’s 17 athletics teams have won 16 national championships. Learn more about the college at��.

“We are pleased by the external validation that the Whitman School and our MBA program continue to receive through the rise in national rankings. This is another piece of evidence that our investments in ensuring that our students receive an outstanding education is valuable,” says Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “While we recognize that rankings are not ends to themselves, the fact that the Bloomberg Businessweek rankings take into consideration a variety of factors that matter to us helps to reinforce that what we are doing is making an impact.”

Bloomberg Businessweek rankings rely on incoming student data (including diversity), placement success at graduation and surveys of the most recent graduating class, MBA alumni from 2015-17 and recruiters. The recent graduates and alumni evaluated Whitman on topics such as their learning experience, opportunities to network and emphasis on entrepreneurial skills in their programs.

“These rankings also continue to show Whitman’s upward trend over the past few years, as Whitman has improved from No. 82. These accomplishments further reflect the great team effort of the staff and faculty at Whitman to recruit top talent and support its students,” says McKelvie.

With the help of the business schools, Bloomberg Businessweek surveyed 6,574 students, 10,347 alumni and 713 employers for this year’s ranking.

The complete 2023-24 rankings of 110 full-time MBA programs can be found here:

The complete methodology is available at��

Whitman Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie, left, and David Panasci ’80.

This new initiative is made possible by Whitman supporter David Panasci ’80. Students will follow a program offered in collaboration with Leadership Greater ���ϲ�����, an organization with the mission to inspire current and future leaders to make a difference in the ���ϲ����� community. The program will include topics related to regional leadership, economic development, discovering and impacting local businesses, how to lead and serve, and envisioning the future of ���ϲ�����. Students will be paired with local business leaders, who will act as personal mentors, and the students will complete a community project.

“���ϲ����� has a rich history of business innovation and success. The emergence of new opportunities locally, such as the arrival of Micron, increasingly makes ���ϲ����� an outstanding place to live and work,” says Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie. “Our hope is that this program will inform students about what they can accomplish here after graduation, inspire students about a thriving life here in this community and connect them to local opportunities so that they can hit the ground running once they graduate.”

“As Whitman prepares students to be more engaged citizens, being able to cultivate and connect our local talent in Central New York is something we value highly,” McKelvie says. “We are very grateful to David Panasci for helping the Whitman School make this possible.”

“In recent years, I have met a number of very impressive students via the annual business plan competition at the Whitman School. The level of determination, entrepreneurial spirit and brainpower that I have witnessed has been nothing short of inspirational. We have been fortunate to have a number of these individuals launch their careers here in the ���ϲ����� area,” says Panasci. “It is my expectation that this initiative will not only give participants the chance to learn about leadership and the local community, but will also help them recognize that Central New York can provide solid career opportunities along with an exceptional quality of life. I believe those who do stay and take leadership roles will have a profound impact on the future of the region.”

The program will be launched in the fall. Students who are interested in pursuing the program can apply via the Handshake application through Whitman’s Career Center. A formal launch event will take place early in the fall 2023 semester.

“As we prepare students for a lifetime of professional success, we want to ensure that students have the mentoring, guidance and knowledge of the bountiful opportunities in ���ϲ�����,” says McKelvie. “The Whitman School already offers a number of impactful community programs, such as the , , and . Specifically investing in growing our local leadership talent is the next big step in our commitment to the local community. We’re excited about launching this new initiative.”

Dina ’91 and David Nass ’91

According to Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie, “This kind of support for mental health-related issues is something we haven’t seen at many other business schools, despite it being increasingly important for young professionals to understand. The programming we are creating through the generosity of the Nass family is forward-thinking and rare. It’s asking our students: ‘What does happiness look like to you?,’ ‘How will you prioritize the important things in your life?’ and ‘How will you deal with the challenges?’”

“At the end of the day, our goal is to better prepare our students for professional and personal success that allows them to thrive,” McKelvie adds. “Creating this signature initiative, which will leverage expertise from across campus, will help students do just that. And, we are very grateful to the Nass family for helping the Whitman School make this possible.”

The development of this new initiative also supports the recent of dual undergraduate and master’s public health and business programs with the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Given the new dual programming, creating a tighter relationship between the two schools was central to the Nass family.

As managing director and head of real estate finance at UBS Investment Bank in New York City, David knows all too well the stresses and long hours involved in rising through the banking industry. Dina, who majored in psychology, and for a time worked as a substance abuse counselor, also understands the pressures and stigma attached to mental health issues in the workplace.

“We believe that mental health awareness is a key ingredient to being healthy and happy. Therefore, it is critical to educate students and business professionals about mental health awareness and to destigmatize mental health issues,” says David. “Our goal with this program is to provide students and graduates with tools and resources to manage daily stressors, maintain healthy relationships and be able to recognize if and when they need to seek support. These skills, combined with the ability to make informed decisions, can provide the opportunity to live healthy and happy lives while still enjoying a thriving career.”

The initiative will encompass more than coursework and include expert guest speakers, symposiums, technology and the introduction of a variety of mental health topics for both graduate and undergraduate students. A formal launch event will take place early in the Fall 2023 semester.

“As we prepare students for a lifetime of professional success, I can’t think of a more important skill we can provide them with than one that will aid in dealing with the personal challenges that they—or their friends, family members and teammates—are going to face,” says McKelvie. “Addressing issues related to mental health, such as work-life balance, stress, anxiety, dealing with rejection or burnout, can lead to more fulfilling lives and potentially a more reasonable view of success for our students.”

About the Whitman School

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at ���ϲ����� inspires students for a world of accelerating change. Offering B.S., MBA, M.S. and Ph.D. programs, all accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Whitman School’s faculty includes internationally known scholars and researchers, as well as successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Whitman continues to be ranked among the nation’s top business schools by U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. To learn more about the Whitman School of Management, visit .

About ���ϲ���������

���ϲ����� is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors close the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.��

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for ���ϲ�������

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for ���ϲ����� is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit to learn more.��

WISE is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration and hosted by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as a Women’s Business Center in 2006, WISE has supported thousands of women reach their small business goals. In 2022 alone, WISE supported over 600 women with no-cost programs and services. This included over 1,000 hours of no-cost technical assistance in areas ranging from business planning and financial projections, to creating a plan for strategic growth. Over 40% served were minority women.

As one of nearly 150 women business centers across the nation, WISE is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration and hosted by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

The unprecedented impacts of the pandemic continue to take their toll on the economy and our community. The challenges women business owners face often require a unique approach. This special funding will allow WISE to support women with the technical assistance they need when they need it and position the counseling program for the future. This work will include hiring a Spanish-speaking small business counselor.

“The demand for expert technical assistance has risen significantly. We’re incredibly grateful to ���ϲ����� for recognizing the importance of equitable access to trusted small business resources. We take our role in the community seriously and will do all we can to stand behind and beside CNY women as partners in their success,” says Meghan Florkowski, director of the WISE WBC.

“Over the past decade, women have represented one of the fastest growing segments of the community business owners across the U.S. Here in Central New York, the WISE Women’s Business Center has fueled that growth locally and empowered countless women in pursuit of their business ownership aspirations. For that reason, ���ϲ����� is proud to support and advance the work of the WISE Women’s Business Center,” says Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and Barnes Professor of Entrepreneurship.

The new undergraduate dual degree program will prepare students to be versatile, multidisciplinary and future-leading thinkers in careers related to sport management and business.

The new undergraduate sport management/business dual degree program is an innovative program that combines rigorous business training with in-depth knowledge of the high-growth area of sport management. This new dual degree program will prepare students to be versatile, multidisciplinary and future-leading thinkers well-prepared for careers related to various aspects of sport management and business.

This dual degree program is offered in a streamlined format. For the undergraduate dual program, students can complete the degree with a minimum of 148 credits and can graduate in four years.

“There is so much potential for this new dual-degree program as the areas of sports and business continue to overlap. We have seen this recently as part of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) regulations for student-athletes; the commercial aspects of sports and related events, merchandising, marketing and entrepreneurship; and the emergence of the business side of esports, among other areas. Having our students become stronger interdisciplinary thinkers about these issues is truly beneficial,” Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie says. “We’re also delighted to partner with Falk and its outstanding sport management program. We hope that this will continue to pay dividends for preparing our students for the future.”

“Falk College has been a national leader in educating future industry professionals in sport business, marketing and analytics for two decades,” says Falk College Dean Diane Lyden Murphy. “The new undergraduate dual degree program between Falk’s sport management program and the highly regarded Whitman School capitalizes on synergies between sport management and business disciplines to give students a competitive edge in the job market. By gaining specialized skillsets in both sport management and business, students will be well-equipped to meet new emerging and evolving sectors of the thriving global business of sport.”

“We are confident that this new dual degree sport management and business program will attract highly qualified and diverse students based on the quality and unique approaches of both schools. We hear with great regularity from students and their families about the demand for this type of program,” McKelvie says.

Admission requirements will remain similar for both programs and emphasize both academic credentials and leadership potential. Dual degree programs are highly demanding, and students should possess both strong analytical abilities and the soft skills needed for leadership positions.

For more detailed information about new dual programs, visit the .

The degree will help prepare students for a world where science and business are combined, by embracing STEM and life sciences with the applied commercial aspects of their work. It is the ideal program for students looking to become more versatile, multidisciplinary and future business leaders with scientific backgrounds.

The dual program is offered in a streamlined format, with a minimum of 76.5 credits. Students will be able to complete both degrees in a minimum of two and a half years. The program is available starting this fall.

Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Lois Agnew says, “We are very excited about leveraging our cutting-edge biotechnology program by combining it with the Whitman School’s equally impressive MBA program. There is increased demand for students who understand science—and biotechnology in particular—and how it can be applied in business settings. We are confident that our dual M.S. in biotechnology and MBA degree will attract highly qualified and diverse students based on the quality and unique approaches of both programs.”

Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie says, “By partnering more closely with the biotechnology program, we see a lot of potential for our students to apply both scientific principles and business acumen to grasp the best of both worlds more fully: the actual work that goes in behind the scenes in new product development, R&D, and technology commercialization, with management, sales and business. This helps students in industries related to pharmaceuticals, biomaterials and biomedicine, among others.”

Kate Lewis, chair of the Department of Biology, says, “This partnership will provide our students with a competitive edge as they move from their education into an exciting and rapidly evolving industry. They will excel not only in the lab, but also in all aspects of business including management, sales and commercialization.”

McKelvie adds, “This also helps to support Whitman’s increased partnerships in this health-related space, such as the dual M.D./MBA we launched last year with SUNY Upstate Medical University and the recently announced new dual degree programs in public health with the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Whitman’s STEM designation for our MBA concentrations is also an attractive factor for international candidates.”

Admission requirements will remain similar for both programs and emphasize both academic credentials and leadership experience and potential. Dual degree programs are highly demanding, and students should possess the strong scientific and analytical abilities and the soft skills needed for leadership positions. Competitive scholarships at the graduate level are available based on merit.

In addition, the Whitman School is a partner with Management Leadership for Tomorrow and the National Black MBA Association that provide scholarships for underrepresented minority MBA candidates based on application.

For more detailed information about this new dual degree program, visit the .

The new programs—an undergraduate public health/business degree and a master of public health (M.P.H.) combined with the master of business administration (MBA)—will prepare students to be versatile, multidisciplinary and future-leading thinkers who will meet important challenges related to public health and business.

Each dual degree program is offered in a streamlined format. For the undergraduate dual degree, students can graduate with both degrees with a minimum of 152 credits and can graduate within four years of study. For the M.P.H./MBA dual degree, students will take a minimum of 81 credit hours and can complete the program in three years.

Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie says the students who complete these programs will be prepared to solve increasingly complex problems that require knowledge of public health and business.

“This became increasingly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also where the societal and community issues we see taking place around the world would benefit from an interdisciplinary understanding of both public health and business. Whether these problems relate to supply chain management, entrepreneurship and innovation, working with others, or even financing public health projects,” McKelvie says. “Both students and employers recognize the benefits of well-rounded students who possess the skills and abilities to navigate complex topics at the intersections of these areas.”

Falk College Dean Diane Lyden Murphy says the new dual degree options between Falk and Whitman will provide a strong interdisciplinary education that prepares future public health and business administrators for leadership and positive impact in these influential areas of industry and practice.

“Every day we face new questions, threats and opportunities in public health around the world. Increasingly we see how promoting public health, health equity and social justice requires advanced knowledge and skills in both public health and business,” Murphy says. “The two fields are inherently connected, and it is within these synergies that we can find inventive solutions to existing and emerging global health issues.”

Graduates of these programs will be prepared for a range of careers in the public and private sector, social organizations, health care leadership, federal and local agencies, nonprofit management and consulting, and as founders and at transnational NGOs.

“We are confident that our dual degree public health programs with Falk will attract highly qualified and diverse students based on the quality and unique approaches of both schools,” McKelvie says. “This also helps to support Whitman’s increased partnerships in the health space, such as the dual M.D./MBA we launched last year with SUNY Upstate Medical University. Whitman’s STEM designation for our MBA concentrations is also attractive for international candidates.”

Admission requirements will remain the same for each program with both emphasizing academic credentials, leadership experience and potential. Dual degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are highly demanding, and students should possess the strong analytical abilities and the soft skills needed for leadership positions.

Competitive scholarships at the graduate level are available based on merit. In addition, the Whitman School partners with Management Leadership for Tomorrow and the National Black MBA Association, which provides scholarships for underrepresented minority MBA candidates based on application.

For more detailed information about these new dual programs, visit the and the .

Poets&Quants’ ranking is based on three components, weighted equally (33.3% each):

• The quality and diversity of students enrolling in a program
• The quality of the experience of the students (based on the feedback of young alumni)
• The career placement outcomes of graduating students

According to Nathan Allen, staff writer at Poets&Quants, the 2023 ranking of undergraduate business schools resulted from significant time and effort in putting together a fair and thorough approach. Admission standards, the academic experience and employment outcomes from data specific to each business program — not the overall university it is attached to – were equally weighed. That is an important distinction because gathering such information as average SAT scores and starting salaries and bonuses, among other things, is not readily available anywhere else. Admission standards, an assessment of the academic experience, and employment outcomes of a business program are critical factors in the quality of the educational experience.��These facts validate the ranking prospective students and parents use in determining the best schools to apply to.

“We are very proud of this latest achievement for Whitman. Our consistent No. 34 ranking is based on making solid progress in all key areas of Whitman’s undergraduate program. In addition, we have matched our highest ranking to date, which is a significant achievement. Our peer and aspirational schools are also investing in these areas,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School.

Poets&Quants’ ranking continues to reflect Whitman’s areas of emphasis, such as ensuring that it brings in highly-talented and diverse students and strengthening the academic experience through curricular innovations and experiential learning programming.

Whitman’s career services team facilitated a 96%��placement rate six months after graduation for the Class of 2022 — Whitman’s highest placement rate and starting salary on record. McKelvie adds, “This shows that Whitman graduates are in high demand and that we have helped our students attain outstanding positions to launch their careers. We had a great entering class this year in terms of size, academic quality and diversity. Our alumni also provided positive feedback on their academic and co-curricular experiences at Whitman.”

For more information about the Whitman School’s undergraduate program, visit��our .

About the Whitman School

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at ���ϲ����� inspires students for a world of accelerating change. Offering B.S., MBA., M.S., and Ph.D. programs, all accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Whitman School’s faculty includes internationally known scholars and researchers, as well as successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Whitman continues to be ranked among the nation’s top business schools by U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. To learn more about the Whitman School of Management, visit��.

2022 Panasci Business Plan Competition winners

The 2023 competition will be held on April 14. The Panasci Business Plan Competition, hosted at the Whitman School of Management at ���ϲ�����, is a campuswide student event made possible by a longtime Whitman supporter, the late , founder of Fay’s Drugs.

Competing gives collegiate entrepreneurs real-world experience to pitch their startups, enhance their business strategies and learn what it takes to launch successful companies. The Panasci competition is open to all students at ���ϲ�����. Applicants will write and submit a business plan for the chance to advance to the finals on April 14, 2023, at the Whitman School.

Key Dates

• Dec. 2, 2022, 7-8 p.m.: First information session, Q&A to learn about the competition and hear from past winning teams. .
• Jan. 30, 2023, 7-8 p.m.: Second information session, Q&A to learn about the competition and hear from past winning teams. .
• Jan. 31, 2023, midnight: Submission of due—not mandatory to compete but useful to stay up-to-date on the competition.
• Feb. 18-19, 2023: Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises 458—Business Plan Laboratory weekend course offered to learn how to write a business plan (1 credit). It is not a pre-requirement to compete but useful to write a better business plan. For information about the course, email Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice Ken Walsleben at kpwalsle@syr.edu.
• March 26, 2023: Deadline to submit business plan��to compete.
• April 14, 2023: , Whitman School of Management.

A Few Items to Get You Started

• Review the .
• If you need help preparing for the competition, reach out to the Blackstone LaunchPad at ���ϲ����� Libraries by email.
• .

ranked Whitman’s undergraduate business program No. 51 in the country, up from No. 64 last year.���ճ����U.S. News & World Report��undergraduate business rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty��members��at peer institutions. U.S. News surveyed deans and senior faculty��members��at each of the 516 undergraduate business programs accredited by��AACSB International.

has once again��ranked Whitman’s MBA program as one of the best business schools in their 2022-23 edition, jumping 14 spots to No. 68 on the list.��Bloomberg rankings rely on incoming student data (including its diversity), placement success at graduation, surveys of the most recent graduating class, MBA alumni from 2014 to 2016 and recruiters. The recent graduates and alumni evaluated Whitman on topics such as their learning experience, opportunities to network and emphasis on entrepreneurial skills in their program.��With the help of the business schools,��Bloomberg Businessweek��surveyed 6,422 students, 11,304 alumni and 778 employers for this year’s rankings.

“We are pleased with this latest evidence of the impact of the��outstanding programmatic work Whitman has completed over the last few years,”��says Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie. “While rankings are imperfect measures, the consistent message we are receiving from multiple rankings, that rely on a variety of data sources, is that Whitman is clearly a school on the rise. These accomplishments��further reflect the great team effort of the staff and faculty at Whitman to increase the stature of the school among its business school peers.”

Fifty-five institutions in the U.S. and Canada participated in the survey analysis: Top 25 North American Supply Chain Undergraduate University Programs, 2022, and for the first time the ranking includes 100% online programs, in addition to hybrid and on-campus programs. The final placement of university programs in Gartner’s relative comparison is based on a composite score of three categories: program scope, industry value and program size.

The report is intended to support chief supply chain officers (CSCOs), heads of supply chain strategy and supply chain HR partners to identify the programs best equipped to support their growing talent needs.

“We are proud of the educational excellence in our program, which offers plenty of experiential learning opportunities. Students engage with companies through internships, corporate partnerships, seminars and networking events,” says��, Steven R. Becker Professor of Supply Chain Management and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence in the Whitman School. “Our program is known to be a leading institution in supply chain risk management and supply chain finance. Our students are trained rigorously in their analytical capabilities, as is evidenced from a record number of scholarships they receive from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s master’s programs.”

The Whitman School of Management is home to the nation’s first SCM program. A specialization in traffic and transportation was first offered in 1919 when the School of Management was founded. Currently, the SCM program offers rigorous ��degrees, as well as executive education. Whitman’s award-winning SCM faculty is renowned for teaching, research and outreach partnerships.

Whitman’s SCM program hosts two outstanding centers: �����Ի����ٳ����. �ճ������brings accomplished executives and scholars to campus in order to share their insights and expertise.

“Major corporations such as Amazon, BAE, BASF, IBM and Pratt & Whitney, look to Whitman for their companies’ future supply chain leaders,” says Kazaz, who is also director of the Robert H. Brethen Operations Management Institute.

For more information about the school’s supply chain management programs visit the .

Tracy Barash

Tracy Barash ’89 is senior vice president/head of research, data and insights, business operations and franchise planning for Turner Sports and Bleacher Report, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. In this role she oversees the team that conducts research and leverages data and insight to drive growth for brands and platforms, including the NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the Match and the Bleacher Report. She also leads a business operations team that drives strategic alignment and execution across the Sports organization.

Additionally, Barash is tasked with developing new franchises that can be monetized across the portfolio. Previously, as senior vice president of marketing, she led the overall consumer marketing, product marketing and marketing operations teams across all sports, including consumer, brand and product marketing efforts for Bleacher Report.

Barash has a strong history of leading marketing, brand development and franchise management for high-profile brands. This experience includes roles as vice president of Global Franchise Management for Cartoon Network where she developed strategic plans for such programs as “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Ben 10,” at Warner Bros. Consumer Products where she was a key member of the team that launched The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando and managed the development of “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” global museum tour, and at Diageo where she oversaw the marketing strategy and execution for such brands as Smirnoff Vodka, Malibu Rum and Baileys Irish Cream.

In addition to her professional achievements, Barash is a member of the Whitman Advisory Council and is the co-chair of Atlanta Regional Council for ���ϲ�����. She was a voting member of the ���ϲ����� Board of Trustees during her term as the president of the ���ϲ����� Alumni Association Board, where she also served on the National Campaign Council.

Barash has been actively engaged with a wide range of activities at the Whitman School, including working as an alumni mentor and as a frequent speaker for student events. Barash received the Dean’s Citation for Exceptional Service from the Whitman School in 2019. She graduated with a B.S. in marketing management from the Whitman School in 1989 and from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in 1993 with an MBA.

“We are so fortunate to have someone with Tracy’s background and passion take on this new role in support of the Whitman School and ���ϲ�����. I am very grateful for her continued leadership in working on behalf of all advisory council members in furthering the Whitman School and its programs,” says Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer.

“I am honored to serve as the next chair of the Whitman Advisory Council, working to drive Whitman’s strategic mission forward, while supporting its dynamic students and engaging the Whitman alumni community to join me in this endeavor,” says Barash.

“I would like to express my tremendous appreciation to Lisa Fontenelli ’86 for her four years of outstanding leadership of the Whitman Advisory Council. Lisa has been instrumental in helping to forge a pathway forward for Whitman and we are so pleased that she will continue to support Whitman on the council moving forward,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean at the Whitman School.

For a complete list of Whitman Advisory Council members, visit the .

Whitman Assistant Professor David Park with students

At the Whitman School, Park teaches Introduction to Entrepreneurship: How to Launch a Startup, where he uses his entrepreneurial experiences and research to make the subject relatable and easier to learn.

Park was nominated as a top MBA professor based on his talent, caring dedication and teaching methods. He was widely supported by his peers and students, past and present.

As one nominator related to Poets&Quants, “Professor Park is one of the most memorable educators in my life. He cared about his students as whole people; he cared that we understood the content and that he also understood us as individuals. By caring to understand what motivated each of us, he was able to create an adaptable pedagogy for his teaching and offered multiple ways of understanding a problem. In my case, the complex financial model could become a poetic story that brought the issue to life and stuck in my brain. Six years after being his student…I still feel inspired to nominate him because I still feel his impact as someone who embodies the ‘Poets&Quants’ energy.”

Park was also the winner of several teaching awards and recognitions while at the University of Washington, where he completed his Ph.D., including the Star Teacher Award and the Ph.D. Program Teaching Award. Before joining academia, he co-founded a high-tech startup and served as a Marine Corps officer.

“Congratulations to Professor Park for this outstanding achievement. It speaks volumes about his dedication to his students, as well as his research that has been published in top journals. We are glad to have him in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises,” says Todd Moss, chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and associate professor of entrepreneurship.

There were more than 2,240 nominations for nearly 140 individual professors in this year’s ranking. The Poets&Quants editorial staff evaluates each nominee on teaching (given a 70% weight) and research (given the remaining 30% weight). For teaching, they consider the nominations received—both quality and quantity. For research, the volume and impact of the professor’s scholarly work is considered.

Applicants for this new joint program at Upstate Medical University/���ϲ����� apply through the American Medical Common Application System portal. Following acceptance to SUNY Upstate’s Alan and Marlene Norton College of Medicine, applicants will then be reviewed by the MBA program in the Whitman School.

Accepted students will spend the first year—fall, spring and summer sessions—studying for their MBA. Medical training will begin the fall of the second year, with the summer between the first and second year of medical school completing an MBA practicum designed to provide additional work experience at the intersection of business and health care.

Dean of the Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Lawrence Chin, M.D., says, “Upstate is pleased to add the M.D./MBA option for our students. The opportunity to earn a business degree while earning an M.D. can help them maximize their impact in the field, whether they choose to pursue leadership in the medical field or apply their medical knowledge elsewhere.”

Whitman Dean Eugene Anderson says, “The program was created based on an increased student and industry demand for students with multidisciplinary programs who understand both the technical and the people skills needed for success. We see substantial opportunity to support our students and local partners by offering this advanced business degree to medical students. We believe we are helping to prepare the next generation of leadership in the health care space.”

SUNY Upstate’s Chief Diversity Officer Daryll Dykes ’88, M.D., Ph.D., J.D., MBA, was instrumental in creating the joint program. “As someone who holds multiple degrees, I can attest to the value additional learning can bring to a person and a career. This program, which includes two of my alma maters, holds great promise for those students looking to challenge themselves and prepare for whatever their future may hold.”

The M.D./MBA has already accepted students into the pilot program for Fall 2022, with three students expected to join the joint program.

One M.D./MBA pilot student, Himani Akula, is completing her undergraduate degree at SUNY Albany, majoring in human biology, with minors in psychology, anthropology and biology. Akula says, “The plan was always medical school. In exploring my options, I talked to a lot of physicians and others in the health care field and what kept coming up was how important it was to also understand the business side of medicine—insurance, how to manage a practice, etc.”

“I started to understand that having that kind of business acumen would really give me autonomy. In addition to a medical degree, I’ll earn my MBA and have a great business background to help me further my goal of running my own practice, clinic or even hospital one day,” she adds.

There are strong and immediate career opportunities after the completion of M.D./MBA programs, including residencies. Common placements are at top consulting firms, in MedTech industries, as hospital administrators or clinical doctors.

Tuition during the MBA portion of the program will be determined by ���ϲ�����. Tuition for the remaining four years will be at the SUNY rate for medical M.D. education.

For more detailed information about this new joint program, visit the .

“We have made notable innovations to our master’s in professional accounting program, including adding required courses relating to accounting analytics and business analytics. These requirements emphasize students’ need to have strengthened skills relating to these modern approaches to accountants’ work,” says Alex McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship. “Each course incorporates advanced application tools and add-ins that rely on statistical principles and introduces other software tools (e.g., Access, Tableau, Power BI, SAS) that help manage big data with analysis and data visualization. The addition of these STEM-focused courses—in addition to the other required and elective courses that are already technology and quantitatively oriented—allowed us to request STEM-designation for the program.”

Joseph Comprix, chair of the Lubin School of Accounting, adds “We are grateful that the STEM-designation of our program now reflects that mathematics and technology are central to accounting.”

A STEM-designated program allows international students on an F-1 visa to extend their time in OPT (Optional Practical Training) from 12 to 36 months in the U.S. This makes graduates from STEM- designated programs more hirable and able to gain valuable experience relevant to their field of study. The Whitman School already has STEM-designation for their master’s programs in business analytics, finance, marketing and supply chain management, as well as its MBA program.

“This STEM-designation for our master’s in professional accounting program reflects the commitment of our faculty to help our students prepare for an important shift that has taken place within the field of accounting,” says McKelvie. “There is now an even greater emphasis on the production and evaluation of accounting data being reliant on technical tools and approaches that fall under the guise of data analytics. This content is now on the CPA exam (starting in 2024) and in high demand by our corporate partners. Having STEM-designation allows us to continue to attract the best students globally to our accounting program and prepares our students for jobs at top accounting firms.”

The U.S. News & World Report rankings methodology relies on three main categories, Quality Assessment (40%), Placement Success (35%) and Student Selectivity (25%). The Whitman School saw increases in two out of three of those categories for 2023.

“We are extremely proud of this latest achievement for our school. Our move to No. 57 is largely based on the strength of our admissions, curricular and co-curricular innovation, and placement efforts. We capitalized on student interest and were successful at attracting a very select class of graduate students,” says Dean Eugene Anderson. “Our career services team was able to facilitate an 87% placement rate at three months for the Class of 2021 versus 60% for the previous year’s graduates. Our reputation as a top school for MBA education among our peer schools and recruiters also remains high.”

“We have made significant investments into our MBA program over the past few years. These investments are paying off, as evidenced by these new generationally high rankings,” says Alexander McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship. “The increasing demand for our graduates is a reflection of the high-quality students that we are enrolling and the excellent academic experience that we are providing them, both inside the classroom and through our experiential programs in NYC and elsewhere. I believe some of our more recent investments, such as our WIRE initiative on professional certifications, the Whitman Challenge emphasizing experiential learning, new elective course offerings, and STEM designation will continue to prepare students for their careers ahead.” says

“The STEM designation for our MBA program reflects the commitment of our faculty to prepare students for a fast-changing business environment that includes cutting-edge technology, data analytics as well as creativity and forward-looking innovation. These areas are fundamental to modern business and therefore central to our MBA education. Our required curriculum and broad set of elective courses emphasizes these skills and abilities already,” says Alex McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship. “Receiving STEM designation appropriately reflects our MBA programmatic emphasis and facilitates students’ success in industry after graduation.”

A STEM-designated program allows international students on an F-1 visa to extend their time in OPT (Optional Practical Training) from 12 to 36 months in the U.S. This makes graduates from STEM- designated programs more hirable and allows them to gain valuable experience relevant to their field of study. The Whitman School already has STEM designation for their master of science programs in business analytics, finance, marketing and supply chain management.

“We are delighted to be able to support our international students and their dream of launching their careers here. STEM designation is a testament to the Whitman School’s belief that our students are well prepared for careers in business that reflect STEM-based skills and industries. Receiving this designation brings our current students closer to these dreams and will help to signal to prospective students that we will support them throughout their careers,” says McKelvie.

The Poets & Quants’ rankings methodology relies on three categories equally relating to Admissions Standards, Employment Outcomes at Graduation and Academic Experience based on a survey of young alumni. In each of these categories, Whitman was rated higher than in all previous years.

“We are very proud of this latest achievement for our school. Our move to No. 34 is largely based on the strength of our admissions and placement efforts,” says Dean Eugene Anderson. “We capitalized on a surge of prospective student interest during the past two years, and our career services team was able to facilitate a 90% placement rate at three months for the Class of 2021 versus 77% for the previous year’s graduates. Our recent alumni also provided positive feedback on ‘significant experiences’ such as meaningful global immersion and the wide variety of experiential learning opportunities we offer. While rankings are imperfect, they’re also important and moving up in a relatively well-regarded poll is a nice affirmation of the great work that Whitman is doing.”

“These rankings accurately reflect our school’s areas of emphasis such as ensuring that we bring in highly talented and diverse students, strengthening the academic experience through curricular innovations and co-curricular programming like the Goodman IMPRESS program, and helping students acquire jobs aligned with their career goals. These rankings thereby reflect the great team effort of the faculty and staff at Whitman in earning this new accolade,” says Alexander McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship.

“Our development of this program aids to further reinforce our emphasis on the skills needed to be successful in the job market. Acquiring professional certifications from highly recognizable organizations and associations demonstrates students’ readiness for employment and closes the learning curve that they will face on the job,” says Alexander McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship. “In turn, this should lead to higher job placement and improved career advancement for our students.”

One component of WIRE is to facilitate the information about the requirements and processes for successfully taking the certification exam. Another is Whitman’s financial support for students to complete the certification, oftentimes costing a few hundred dollars. “We are making it easier, more convenient and more accessible for students to complete these well-known certifications. Research shows that possessing these certifications helps with getting a job and getting promoted,” says McKelvie. “While we are starting with a limited set of certifications, such as Microsoft Excel Expert, Salesforce Administrator, Microsoft Data Associate (Power BI), Google Data Analytics and Tableau, this list will expand over time, in line with hiring trends and industry needs.”

All current Whitman students in good academic standing are eligible to apply to receive funding for completing the certifications, including undergraduates who have declared a major and residential and online MBA and M.S. students. Applications to the WIRE initiative will be considered based on merit and thoroughness of the application, and with a particular emphasis on the placement and advancement opportunities from having the certification.

The official kickoff of WIRE will take place on Friday, Feb. 11, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in WSM 101 for residential students and Thursday, Feb. 17, at noon for online MBA and M.S. students. Students can register for either event on Handshake .

The WIRE Initiative is part of the IMPRESS 2.0 Program, funded by Kenneth Goodman ’70.

For more information, please contact WIRE@syr.edu.

Please note: This image pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presented by the Social Differences, Social Justice faculty cluster and sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, Renée Crown University Honors Program and Whitman School of Management, campus community members are invited to participate in the first annual . The symposium will be held as a hybrid event (in person and virtually) on March 31, 2022.

The inaugural symposium will explore the themes of equity, social justice and global transformation. “These fundamental issues remain unresolved in society, higher education and across professional settings,” says , associate professor of management in the Whitman School and member of the .

“Businesses are having to address them with their employees, activist investors, as well as consumers that are shopping their values. Management scholars, working with humanists colleagues, can examine this phenomenon in nuanced ways that will advance the study of organizational performance. Global contestations of existing systems and structures have the potential to transform how we work and shop and bridge the gap in who has access to opportunities.”

These challenges include access to quality education at all levels, high-quality and affordable health care and a universal basic income; protection of our climate; the right to immigrate; the right to be free from violence, civil strife and armed conflict, pandemics, environmental disasters; and the need for sustainable development.

The symposium seeks to respond to the urgent need for rigorous research and debate regarding these challenges. Key questions for exploration include:

• How can scholars and researchers at leading universities, such as ���ϲ�����, spearhead the process and engage our students, communities and policymakers in forging a common path forward?
• How can scholarly work contribute to improving our communities while at the same time improving the well-being of others in distant places?
• How can scholars better understand prevailing narratives and counter-narratives on current socio-political, economic and other changes which impact our human condition?
• How is interdisciplinary research in the humanities, social sciences, professional disciplines and sciences crucial to unpacking these phenomena?

Established and emerging scholars, including students, who are conducting transformative research and investigating these issues are invited to . Presentations can take multiple forms, including teams, and presentations will be approximately 20 to 30 minutes in length.

Submission Process and Deadline

Presentations are sought of works in progress, completed papers, performances and other forms of expression that speak to these themes. The deadline to submit a presentation is Feb. 28. For more information, with questions, or to submit work or join the Social Differences, Social Justice cluster, please email Kira Reed.

Interested in Attending the Symposium?

Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from ���ϲ����� and partnering schools are welcome to attend the research conference on March 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. There is no registration fee to attend and lunch will be included for in-person participants. .

Established in 1949, the annual Salzberg event is a central component of Whitman School’s Franklin Center, which is consistently recognized as one of the best supply chain management programs in the country by top publications and organizations. During the event, industry executives from leading corporations share insights into trends, advancements and innovation in the fields of , transportation and logistics.

The Salzberg Medallion is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards in the field of transportation and supply chain management—in part because of the caliber of past honorees and in part because of the program’s rigorous selection process.

This year’s Salzberg Medallion recipient is:

Tesla Inc.

Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.�� Tesla believes the world will not be able to solve the climate change crisis without directly reducing air pollutant emissions—including carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs)—from the transportation and power sectors. ����To accomplish its mission, Tesla designs, develops, manufactures, and sells high-performance fully electric vehicles and energy generation and storage systems, installs, and maintains such systems, and sells solar electricity.

The award will be accepted by Albert Gore, east coast lead for public policy and business development, Tesla Inc.

The keynote speaker is Carlos Monje Jr., under secretary of transportation for policy in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation. Monje managed the agency review process for domestic agencies for the President Joe Biden-Vice President Kamala Harris transition. Monje previously served as acting under secretary and assistant secretary for transportation policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation where he oversaw implementation of surface transportation programs, the discretionary grant programs and efforts to promote equity and economic development. Monje is the first in his family born in the United States. His family is from Argentina.

The Zinsmeister Award for student excellence in supply chain management and the Brethen Scholarship Prize will be conferred to Jenna Fusco ’22 and Ziyu Huang ’23, respectively, during the Salzberg event.

For more information, contact Agnes H. Magnarelli at ahmagnar@syr.edu or 315.443.1383.

In the Whitman Challenge, students are given a practical and current business issue that a company or organization is facing. Students work collaboratively with that company during the three-day residency period to further understand, analyze and develop an action plan to resolve the issue they are facing. This helps students hone their creative problem-solving skills, further their analysis techniques and refine their consulting abilities. It also exposes students to timely issues in different industries and contexts than their current employment situation.

During the weekend residency, students work directly with company representatives on the first day. Over the weekend, a subject matter expert and company representatives are available for any questions and provide input as students work within their teams to develop their set of recommendations. The final day of residency is an opportunity for students to present their project to company representatives and receive feedback.

“We are delighted to offer this innovative experiential learning opportunity to our students,” says Alex McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and master’s education and professor of entrepreneurship. “Our commitment is to prepare students for an ever-changing world. Being able to work closely with companies on solving real issues helps to support that commitment, while also providing benefits to our community and corporate partners.”

The first official Whitman Challenge will be offered during the online program residency on Oct. 1-3. The projects in this Whitman Challenge relate to socially-oriented businesses. One of the projects involves the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, which has purchased a 40+ acre former golf course for a $55 million project to build 140 single-family homes, apartments and homes for seniors. This site is in close proximity to over 4,600 jobs, including workers at the Oschner Health Medical Center. This has the potential to close the transportation and housing gaps for many workers in this area. Students will build a marketing strategy to create a traditional and digital fundraising campaign to reach three target audiences: foundations, corporations and individual donors.

Another project is for Excite All-Stars, a not-for-profit that was created to help children cope with emotional distress in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Since that time, Excite All-Stars has evolved to become a resource that teaches over 600 youth per year. The youth learn leadership skills needed for lifelong success through year-round programming in academics, arts and athletics. They are looking to develop the organizational infrastructure to help scale their programming, and help the co-founders create a succession plan to manage the organization that has been a labor of love for them.

Our residencies are offered four times a year in different locations around the U.S. and in global destinations.

“The residency component is frequently cited as a key factor in our students’ decision to come to Whitman. The introduction of the Whitman Challenge is a way for us to expand these learning experiences, while putting our core values into practice. Networking has always been a key component of residencies. Bringing students, faculty, alumni and industry partners together to work on a project is a fantastic way to build connections that go well beyond connecting on LinkedIn,” says Jenny L. Henderson, assistant director for student services and online operations.

The Whitman School is always looking for companies or organizations that are interested in utilizing these talented online MBA students to help solve an organizational problem as well. If your company or organization would like to participate, please contact Amy McHale, assistant dean for master’s programs, at ammchale@syr.edu.

“The types of projects our online MBA students will be working on as part of the Whitman Challenge relate to truly important challenges that require business-related solutions. With an average work experience profile of ten years, our students are very well positioned to lend their expertise and skills to solve these challenges. We are so thankful for our corporate partners and our Whitman team who have worked hard to bring to life this new learning innovation,” says McKelvie.

The fundamental purpose of AACSB accreditation is to encourage business schools to hold themselves accountable for improving business practice through a commitment to strategic management, learner success, and impactful thought leadership.

To maintain accreditation, a business program must undergo rigorous internal review every five years. In order to earn and sustain business accreditation, an institution must align with AACSB’s business accreditation standards that focus on mission, strategic management, and innovation; support for learners, faculty, and staff; and thought leadership and societal impact. Less than 5 percent of the more than 16,000 schools worldwide granting business degrees have earned AACSB Accreditation. AACSB-accredited schools produce graduates who are highly skilled and more desirable to employers than other non-accredited schools.

In this reaccreditation report, the Whitman School was praised for its strategic plan, Roadmap to Whitman’s Second Century, which was developed in 2017 and is being implemented with ambitious goals in mind as well as careful measurement tools. The report also highlights the differentiating aspect of the Whitman School as compared to other AACSB accredited business schools in that we are focused not just on the present but on the future.

“Whitman is proud to have maintained continuous AACSB accreditation since 1920, when it was the 16th school in the nation to earn this sterling seal of excellence,” says Dean Gene Anderson. “Holding ourselves to the highest standards in instruction and creating exceptional learning environments, as well as driving excellent research by providing the support that the researchers require, is at the core of our mission and vision. Receiving this distinguished recognition for our efforts in these areas means a tremendous amount to our community. It’s an honor that our faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni can take pride in.”

The Whitman School’s achievement was recognized on April 7 at the 2021 Virtual AACSB International Conference and Annual Meeting.