February 2025 Message from the Dean
Dear Colleagues,
I appreciate that issues related to the presidential transition are on all of our minds. I met with student leaders to gain their perspectives and discussed transition issues in recent faculty and staff meetings. President Ono’s messages have noted that the campus is monitoring and reviewing federal actions and working to understand their implications for our community. His email on Feb. 26 also announced additional review processes for hiring, expenditures over $50k, and capital spending. We are sorting out specific implications for Ross, but since we are less impacted by uncertainty related to federally funded research, we hope the impact for us will be relatively limited. That said, I want to stress that Michigan Ross and the University of Michigan are deeply committed to academic freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression. And we hold true to our university values. Many of our colleagues and students are unsettled by everything that is going on, so please be especially thoughtful of each other in your interactions.
Despite this uncertainty from the federal level, I wanted to share some updates on our applications for the upcoming academic year. Our undergraduate application deadline was Feb. 1. I’m happy to report that the BBA program has received more than 13,000 applications for our incoming fall 2025 class of 500 students — this is a 20% increase over last year. The graduate programs application cycles are still in progress but looking strong, too — we are on track to meet our projections. The Round 1 Full-Time MBA matriculates are especially strong, and Round 2 decisions will be going out shortly.
Construction is underway on the Executive Residence and Wyly Hall. You can check out these renderings of what the space will look like when it reopens in 2027. Meanwhile, our temporary space at the State Street Campus is up and running, with innovative branded spaces for faculty, staff, and students. Michigan Ross Los Angeles is also moving along. We are excited to showcase our expanded visibility in the LA market, and on-site signage and billboards will be up next month. You might also enjoy seeing some renderings of what the space will look like.
I also wanted to recap a recent event that showcases what differentiates us here at Ross. At the end of January, I attended the Sanger Leadership Center’s annual Leadership Crisis Challenge, which puts students in the roles of business leaders as they navigate an organizational crisis. Nearly 400 students participated this year, and 65 alumni (many with C-suite experience) came in to play the role of board members to simulate what an executive team could expect in managing a crisis. This event is a great example of action-based learning outside of the classroom that complements what we do in our formal curriculum. In the face of the many forms of uncertainty facing the business world (and higher education), experiences like these help our students prepare to lead in the face of change. I want to thank the Sanger team and more than 110 volunteers, including faculty and staff, who made this event possible.
Earlier this month, we hosted our second community service event, which focused on technology disruption. This is part of our series of community service opportunities that focus on the grand challenges we collectively face, such as economic inclusion, technology disruption, and climate/sustainability. For this event, we collected used technology items for reuse or recycling. Many thanks to everyone who participated. Our first event in November focused on economic inclusion, and volunteers helped at a homeless shelter. Our third event, taking place the morning of Saturday, April 12, will focus on climate/sustainability by cleaning up some of the Huron River shorelines. I will share more details closer to the date.
Looking forward to the coming month, on March 12, we will be hosting our first-ever Michigan Ross Pickleball Social at Wolverine Pickleball in Ann Arbor. Whether you’re an experienced pickleball player or want to learn the sport, this is a great opportunity to get active and socialize with your colleagues. Space is limited, so please RSVP by March 1 and check out Ivory Wright’s fun, informative video about the sport.
Also, students will be off for break from March 1-9. When they return on March 10, our Full-Time MBA students will kick off their Multidisciplinary Action Projects. Thanks to everyone from across the school who comes together to make these important learning experiences possible for our students.
Later, on March 20, we will be hosting our Mitchell Lecture Series, which spotlights ethically minded speakers from creative industries. This year, we welcome Ben Collins, journalist and CEO of The Onion. The event will take place in Robertson Auditorium at 3 p.m., and everyone is welcome to attend.
As usual, my upcoming office hours for the month of March can be found on the dean’s office webpage. In March, the in-person office hours for faculty and staff will be held in the Davidson Winter Garden on the following dates and times:
- March 11: 4:15-5 p.m.
- March 18: 11:15 a.m. – noon
The Zoom office hours for faculty and staff will be held on March 25 from 4:15 to 5 p.m. Please contact Heather Cooper for an invite and the link to join.
Finally, thanks to everyone who participated in our meeting-free day events on Feb. 19. The “sound bath” was well attended, and it was great to see so many of you during the social hour in Blau Colloquium.
Heading into next month, spring is just around the corner. I hope you find a little downtime while the students are on break, and maybe we will have some warmer weather after that, too!
Kind regards,
Sharon
