Welcome Back for the Spring 2019 Semester

As many of you know, Isenberg’s new permanent dean, Anne Massey, will join us on August 1. We are in debt to our search committee, the Provost, and the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for securing a seamless transition to a new epoch of great promise. Dean Massey comes to us from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, where she was briefly its dean and Ruth L. Nelson Chair in Business. Before that, she excelled for 22 years at Indiana University’s Kelley School as Director of its PhD program, Chair of its Department of Information Systems, and in other key roles. Dean Massey’s background is in information technology. She is a thought leader in technology-driven innovation processes and strategies, notably their impact on virtual team performance. She also champions interdisciplinary programs and research collaborations among business, engineering, information technology, human ecology, and other disciplines. Dean Massey earned her PhD, MS, and BS degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The first woman to lead Isenberg, she will build on our accomplishments in expanding our national reputation.

At the beginning of the semester, Isenberg’s iconic Business Innovation Hub made its long-awaited debut. The building makes an architectural statement and houses state-of-the-art learning technologies, expansive open spaces for students, and impressive career-focused facilities. At 70,000 square feet, the Innovation Hub almost doubles our previous space. What’s more, it physically connects and dovetails with our older buildings, creating an architecturally unified Isenberg. A significant number of Isenberg alumni stepped up with financial support for the project: I hope you will join us on April 12 when the Isenberg community will celebrate everyone who made this building a reality.

On April 5, we will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of our PhD program. For the daylong event, our PhD alumni will gather at Isenberg for a program that includes keynote speakers Dennis Hanno ’90 (Accounting) and Tina Wakolbinger ’07 (Management Science). In looking back on fifty years of doctoral accomplishments, we will also celebrate our current PhD program, which has never been stronger. Kudos to our Associate Dean of Research, George Milne.

Finally, I am delighted to note Nefertiti Walker’s transition in January from Director of Diversity & Inclusion to her new status as Associate Dean for an Inclusive Organization. This new associate dean role underscores our commitment to creating the kind of inclusive organization our students will one day work in. To that end, we will pursue inclusion with a capital “I”, involving every student, professor, and staff member. Thank you Nef for your enthusiasm and leadership!

For Isenberg, these opportunities will invest our spring semester with special resonance and impact. Let’s pull together as a community to make the most of these exciting months ahead!