November 2025 Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

Happy (early) Thanksgiving! I hope you are looking forward to the holiday season and the home stretch of the semester.

November was a month filled with some notable “firsts.” Nov. 1 was the due date for the first offering of Early Decision for U-M undergraduates. When we look at the volume of Nov. 1 applications (Early Decision and Early Action), Michigan Ross saw a 7% increase in applications over this time last year, with more than 9,800 applications so far. This was also the first year for applications to our dual-degree program with the College of Engineering. There is great demand for that program, with approximately 900 applications received so far.

I also attended the final presentations for the first offering of our new “Business of Art” course, co-taught by Tom Buchmueller and Jenny Carty, curator at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The course brings together Ross and art-oriented students to examine the economics of art markets and the process by which museums acquire art. The course included a trip to Chicago, where the students visited museums, galleries, and had the opportunity to see the Zell family’s private collection. Tom did a truly outstanding job developing and co-teaching the course, which culminated in final projects where students recommended a piece of art for UMMA to add to its permanent collection, funded through alumni philanthropy. These presentations were incredibly impressive, and there is an “Art Tank” version of them that is open to the broader U-M community on Monday, Dec. 1, from 6-7:30 p.m. at UMMA. Check it out if you want to see how powerful it is to bring together students and knowledge at the intersection of the worlds of art and business.    

We are also moving forward with our review of the Full-Time MBA experience. Early this month, each area gave presentations in a faculty meeting about their ideas for how we could elevate the FTMBA Program utilizing detailed (and voluminous!) information our MBA team provided on input from student, employer, and alumni stakeholders, along with data on changes to the MBA market/competition, and technological, geo-political, demographic, environmental, and societal shifts that have taken place since we last updated the program. Faculty also considered the changes in the portfolio of graduate programs we now offer. There was good convergence on several themes, including the need for greater flexibility to personalize the MBA experience for students, interest in developing more career-focused concentrations, and the creation of offerings that would be accessible to students across our various MBA programs. These insights were then discussed in an area chairs’ meeting and in one-on-one meetings Sriram is now having with each area chair.

This month, we also hosted the second annual Private Equity and Alternative Investment Summit in NYC. The advancement team did a terrific job organizing this event at Hudson Yards, which featured panels on leadership and talent development, artificial intelligence, and keynote remarks from Moelis co-founder and CEO Navid Mahmoodzadegan and Alvarez & Marsal co-founder and CEO Bryan Marsal. Moelis has been involved in several high-profile deals, including those related to the New York Giants, Skydance’s merger with Paramount Global, WWE’s merger with UFC, and Disney’s acquisition of Fox. A&M is a world leader in restructuring and transformation, having successfully led the restructuring of prominent companies such as Lehman Brothers, HealthSouth, and Arthur Anderson.

We are also continuing to build on our momentum with numerous efforts to create knowledge and educate our students on the issues related to AI’s impact on business and society. As part of those efforts, we are pleased to announce two keynote speakers coming up for Spring semester: Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors Co., will address how AI is reshaping manufacturing and the automotive industry in Robertson Auditorium on Feb. 10, and Matt Baer, CEO of Stitchfix, will talk about how AI is reshaping retail on Feb. 23 in Blau Colloquium. Please mark your calendars if you are interested in hearing these valuable insights.

I also want to share news on some fun events for our community. We’re excited to host our annual Ross Holiday Party on Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 3–5 p.m. in Tauber Colloquium. Please RSVP by Dec. 2 if you plan to attend. In addition to celebrating together, we have a meaningful opportunity to make a difference in our community through the 9th Annual Ross Holiday Sharing Program. This year, the need in our Ann Arbor community is particularly great for basic items such as warm clothes and toiletries. To ensure families receive these essentials as soon as possible and avoid waiting until Christmas, there will be no gift wrapping at the party. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! If you’d like to contribute, you can find the list of needed items and donation instructions here.

Beyond our holiday celebrations, I encourage all faculty and staff to attend our annual Family Meal on Dec. 10, hosted by the Ross Office of Community, Culture, and Belonging. Join your colleagues in Tauber Colloquium from noon to 1:30 p.m. for a delicious lunch and a chance to unwind with optional self-care activities. This is a great opportunity to step away from your desk and connect with others from across the school. Please RSVP here if you plan to attend.

I would also like to reflect on some important events that have taken place recently in our community. On Nov. 10, many of us came together to celebrate anniversary milestones at the annual Staff Anniversary Luncheon. It was wonderful to recognize staff who are celebrating five, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years with Michigan Ross and U-M. Thank you to all who attended and to the Staff Recognition Committee for organizing such a memorable event. 

Finally, on Nov. 12, we hosted the third annual Native American Heritage Month Conference. With the theme, “Reaffirming the essential role of Native voices in shaping a more impactful business landscape,” we heard from Jessi Goldner of Waséyabek, who shared insights about increasing tribal awareness and creating opportunities for Native people. Thank you to the Office of Community, Culture, and Belonging for planning and hosting this event. I was honored to have the opportunity to speak with the tribal leaders, who were deeply involved in the event.

As always, I welcome the opportunity to connect with you directly during my office hours, which can be found on the dean’s office webpage. I will hold my December office hours in the Davidson Winter Garden on Dec. 17 from 4:15-5 p.m.

I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. For all of the Michigan football fans at Ross, I’m looking forward to cheering on our Michigan Wolverines against Ohio State at the Big House this weekend.

Kind regards,

Sharon