July 2025 Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you are all enjoying the summer and looking forward to the start of the new academic year. July brought many different visitors to campus, and was also a productive time to work together on some of our longer-term goals for the school, especially in light of the changes artificial intelligence is bringing to the business and academic worlds. Below is a recap of some of the highlights of the month.

Early in July, we welcomed 29 incoming BBA students to campus for the Ross Summer Connection Program. RSC provides incoming students with a preview of Ross’ course content and resources and helps set these students up for success in the fall. The BBA Program team did a great job organizing RSC, and those of you at the Zell Lurie Institute, Career Development Office, and many others around the school were instrumental in sharing important insights and providing a very warm welcome to our Ross community for these students.

In mid-July, we welcomed junior faculty from across the country as part of the Fourth Annual Tenure Project Conference. This event provides a supportive environment for all junior faculty to engage in events and conversations addressing critical issues related to pursuing tenure in U.S. business schools, including attention to issues that Black, Latinx, and Native American faculty often will face. More than 125 junior faculty attended the event, which included peer support sessions, tenure workshops, and other professional development opportunities. I had the opportunity to moderate and participate in a panel discussion with other business school deans and share insights with participants. This was a great event with an emphasis on community building and mentorship, and I am grateful to the many Ross faculty who shared their time and perspectives with participants. A special thank you to Carolyn Yoon and Katelynn Lockhart for all the time and effort they put into organizing this, and congratulations to Carolyn and Nigel Melville, who were each recognized at the conference with special awards for their impact.

We are also in the midst of a set of workshops related to evolving strategic opportunities for us, specifically in the area of AI. Thanks to all of you who have participated already, and to those joining us in the final session today. As part of these conversations, we highlighted some of the many things in progress related to AI and the importance of keeping up to date on the efforts across the school, since this area is rapidly evolving. To that end, please check out our webpage that highlights current activities, and then use this form to share information about additional AI-related educational programs and events you are involved with. This will help us stay on top of all that is going on.  

Gathering your perspectives during these sessions is incredibly valuable in moving from the experimentation stage to a more comprehensive approach as we look ahead. I will summarize the themes from our sessions and share those with you when we complete these sessions. The conversations to date were very useful in integrating insights from business leaders with your thoughts on how to enhance student educational experiences and preparedness, from course content to teaching effectiveness and broader ideas on supporting student success.

Other areas for future discussion include enhancing research, internal processes, and our external visibility through responsible and innovative uses of AI. I also very much appreciated the conversations around how Ross can differentiate itself among other business schools in this area (e.g., with additional attention to implications for business models, and sources of value creation and capture), and how the conceptualization of AI as augmenting and elevating efforts rather than serving as a substitute is a helpful framing. The discussions around forums to share how our faculty and staff use AI were also very rich, so look for more information on these ideas in the coming weeks.

Relatedly, our newly reimagined dual-degree program with Michigan Engineering is one concrete example of how we can prepare students for a future where the business and technology worlds become even more closely integrated. The application portal will officially open on Aug. 1, 2025! This program allows students to complete two degrees in four years through an innovative, integrated curriculum and co-curricular activities. A very special thank you to Cathy Shakespeare and the BBA team, who worked closely with faculty and staff in Michigan Engineering to develop this program, which we think can become the best in the world.   

As usual, my upcoming office hours for August can be found on the dean’s office webpage. In August, I will host in-person office hours for faculty and staff in the Davidson Winter Garden on the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, Aug. 12 from 4:15-5 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 19 from 4:15-5 p.m.

I would also like to say thank you again to everyone who attended our summer gatherings this year — it is always fun to talk with colleagues from across the school. Our final gathering will be on Aug. 5 from 4-5 p.m. in the Dean’s Suite. It was also great to host our Summer Soirée last week, which our Staff Recognition Committee organized, and is an important way to recognize our staff’s hard work and dedication. 

I hope you enjoy the final weeks of summer and are getting excited about the energy that a new academic year always brings.   

Kind regards,

Sharon