March 2026 Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

It is hard to believe we are heading into the home stretch of the academic year!  As we start to take stock, I wanted to highlight a few things from this past month.  

Last week, we shared some highlights on faculty research publications and press mentions – these are super impressive, so check these out if you haven’t already. We are also continuing the momentum on our MBA re-look, with innovative changes to how we deliver core leadership and team collaboration content, and how we build in more flexibility to allow students to personalize their educational experience to meet their career goals. These are part of a larger set of changes related to content, structure, delivery, and assessments in process. 

We are still in the application cycle for graduate programs, but on the undergraduate side, the last regular decision application deadline has passed, and these results should go out soon. Overall, we received 13,603 applications for our incoming Ross BBA class of 500, an increase of 4% over last year. We also received 1,165 applications for the 60 spots in our new collaborative dual-degree program with Michigan Engineering. A special thanks to all on our program teams for advancing these initiatives and processes. The incoming students are truly stellar.

Also, the MTech Hacks with Friends event took place earlier this month, and a team led by Ross IT earned first place! Don DuChateau and Sheetal Sonar submitted a hack called “The Legacy Loop: AI-Powered Legacy System,” an innovative concept designed to help capture institutional knowledge when someone leaves a role. Don and Sheetal’s team, which included colleagues from across the U-M IT community, also received the People’s Choice Award at the event. Congratulations to Ross IT on this well-deserved recognition and for showcasing Michigan Ross innovation.

There was also a series of events around AI last week. The Center for Academic Innovation hosted an AI Innovation Summit that brought together scholars, executives, and students from around the country to share insights on how AI is shaping the future. The Zell Lurie Institute’s Pinkert Accelerator, in partnership with centers at Michigan Engineering and Michigan Medicine, followed with a terrific event on how AI is impacting the health and life sciences. Attendance across these events was great, and I was happy to see many of our faculty and staff there. These events complement the many AI-related activities at Ross. As a reminder, our webpage highlights some of these activities, along with our philosophy toward AI.

As we look toward graduation, I am excited to share that our invited speaker for the Michigan Ross Commencement is Jenny Just, BBA ’90. Just is co-founder and managing partner of PEAK6 Investments, a diversified financial services and technology firm. For nearly three decades at PEAK6, she has founded, scaled, and led businesses across industries, including proprietary trading, fintech, insurance, esports, and financial education. Additionally, our graduating student speakers are: Jiya Sheth, BBA ’26; Pavithraa Sudhakar, MM ’26; Cory Phinney, MBA ’26; and Rahul Narain, MBA ’26. I’m proud of this remarkable class and look forward to hearing their reflections as they celebrate this milestone.

In the same spirit of celebrating achievement and impact, I’m looking forward to recognizing faculty, staff, and students at the 2026 Ross Access and Opportunity Awards on April 27 in partnership with the Office of Community, Culture, and Belonging. These awards recognize and celebrate research and community impact that advance access and opportunity at Ross and beyond. I hope you will join me in celebration and support of your colleagues.

As always, I welcome the chance to connect with you during office hours, which are listed on the dean’s office webpage. In April, I will hold office hours in the Davidson Winter Garden on:

• April 1 from 2-2:45 p.m.
• April 29 from 4:15-5 p.m.

Before I close, I also want to thank everyone who participated in our meeting-free day activities on March 18, or who simply used the day for uninterrupted focus time. The raffle and bingo games were a fun escape for the afternoon, too. Finding balance in busy schedules isn’t always easy, which is why I appreciate these fun, low-pressure social events on our meeting-free days. 

Thank you again for your hard work and dedication, and best wishes for a smooth end of the school year as we quickly head into the final stretch and prepare for commencement.

Warm regards,

Sharon