More than 1,500 alumni of the Naveen Jindal School of Management, along with their families and friends, came together on April 26 to celebrate the second JSOM Alumni Reunion—a turnout that more than doubled last year’s numbers.
Held in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center and much of the Jindal School, the event created a buzz that many said felt like a milestone moment. It wasn’t just about numbers — it reflected the school’s energy, values, and the exciting direction in which it is heading.
Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean for nearly three decades, reflected on the moment with gratitude and pride.
“For 30 years, I wanted to create an event like this,” he said. “We were not able to. Maybe it wasn’t time … but a couple years ago I put my foot down and I said we’re going to do this because I’m getting old. I’m going to retire. Before I go, I want to make sure that I have a thriving alumni operation that I have set up for our students, ex-students, our alums to come back and have a party once a year, enjoy their old school and enjoy their friends and their network, strengthen their network.”
Pirkul described his leadership journey of perseverance and setting high goals, crediting the school’s achievements to a culture of ambition and resilience.
“Setting goals, high goals, difficult goals, is very important,” he said. “Sticking to them is very important. If you want to do something meaningful in this life, you have to stretch, you have to take a risk.”
Alumni from across a half-century reconnected with former classmates and faculty, shared stories about their careers and their time as students at The University of Texas at Dallas, and rekindled the spirit that defines JSOM.
Dr. Gaurav Shekhar, PhD’24, MS’23, MS’16, an assistant professor of instruction in the Jindal School’s Information Systems Area and senior assistant dean for graduate programs and graduate student experience, co-led the event’s organization committee. He described the atmosphere of the day as electrifying.
“You can’t absorb this much energy …,” he said. “You could just be thankful that you’re around this energy. I’m very thankful. I’m very grateful.”
He added that the turnout reflects a deeper trend: JSOM’s alumni culture has shifted from occasional, individual connections to a strong, unified identity.
“We are defining a very different type of culture that will provide that longevity to our alumni relations,” he said. “It’s one heart. And that’s the Jindal heart that beats in all of these people.”
The growth of the Jindal School’s alumni network mirrors the remarkable ascent of the school itself. Under Pirkul’s leadership, the Jindal School has risen from relative obscurity to become a nationally and internationally recognized business school.
“This young little school, in 30 years (has) become the No. 2 ranked research business school in the world,” Pirkul said, adding that the school achieved this status despite being young, public, and modestly funded compared to some of its peers.
Alumni also spoke with passion about how the Jindal School shaped their professional journeys and personal growth.
Katherine Kersey, BS’2020, who earned a degree in human resource management, described how, just two months before she graduated, the school’s rapid adaptation to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic directly prepared her for success in a remote work environment.
“It was admirable how flexible professors were,” she said. “They still figured out how to conduct their classes and continue with assignments.”
These lessons later helped her organize virtual events and holiday parties at her first employer, and now inform her work as a human resources coordinator at Samsung SDS America, where she is tasked with revamping employee-engagement programs.
Marvin Washington, MS’19, BS’17, who earned his bachelor’s in healthcare management and his master’s in healthcare leadership and management at the Jindal School, said that giving back is now a central part of his mission as an alumnus.
“Now that I am an alumn(us) of this really great organization, I want to give back and create opportunities or be a bridge for college students that would like to cross over into the industry and make a difference,” he said.
Ron Nash, MS’79, a JSOM finance alumnus and a North Texas business leader was in attendance. He was recipient of the 2011 UT Dallas Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also a life member of the UT Dallas Executive Board and a member of the Jindal School’s Advisory Council. In 2024, he was a recipient of a Decades of Service award at the Jindal School’s Outstanding Worthy Leaders Involved Exceptionally (OWLIE) awards ceremony.
Nash urged prospective students to think long-term about their educational choices.
“You want to be associated with a school that’s on an upward trajectory,” he said.
He also spoke about the larger role that the Jindal School is playing in the region’s economy.
“This is the engine that’s going to power the success of our region of Texas,” he said.
Thomas Rodgers, EMBA’22, highlighted how relationships built at the Jindal School continue to enhance his career.
“There’s a massive value in the connections with fellow students beyond anything that you can put on a piece of paper,” he said. “… It’s amazing the things that I’ve learned from my fellow students that I’ve taken with me into the workforce.”
The second annual reunion was the result of months of careful planning and dedicated work from a large organizing committee. Shekhar stressed that the scale of the event was possible only because alumni, faculty, staff, and even families rallied behind the cause.
“When you’re doing something great, all the powers of the universe, they come together,” he said. “We were not expecting this good … weather today, but the skies opened up.”
Both Pirkul and Shekhar see the reunion as a source for a deeper, more dynamic alumni tradition that can last for generations.
Pirkul, looking back on his three decades at the helm of the Jindal School, spoke about what makes him most proud. Instead of pointing out the rankings, the reputation, the school’s physical footprint, faculty additions or enrollment numbers, he spoke about the human-centered culture.
“The most important thing is we build the school based on ethical values,” he said. “The most important thing about this school is that the students are taken care of.”
Shekhar noted that the Jindal School’s steep trajectory of success is based on gratitude framed within a mindset of continuous improvement.
“We celebrate our success as a moment, and the very next minute we throw ourselves a bigger challenge,” Shekhar said.
The result is an alumni network that is proud of its roots and committed to the School’s future.
The reunion set the standard for the energy levels that are expected in the coming months as the Jindal School celebrates its 50th anniversary. Based on their enthusiasm at the reunion, alumni will no doubt play a central role in building the school’s culture of excellence.
“This place never gave up on me, and I’m truly thankful for that,” Shekhar said, adding that he believes thousands of JSOM alums resonate the same feeling.
