Sweeping changes in the way people will work and the responses needed from business educators were among the topics at a recent conference presented by the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
More than 80 deans, associate deans and assistant deans representing 75 public and private universities attended the third annual Undergraduate Deans Conference, held March 7 and 8. Dr. Shawn Alborz, associate dean for undergraduate programs, and Shirley Yu, project manager, undergraduate programs, co- the event’s organizing committee. The conference affords the attendees opportunities to share their success stories and pain points with others to learn, Alborz said.
Dr. Monica Powell, the Jindal School’s senior associate dean and graduate dean, gave the keynote presentation. She spoke about the transformation that is coming in the way people work and the impact those changes will have on business education, describing it as a “critically important topic.”
Factors contributing to the changes according to statistics gathered from several universities include a predicted 85.2 million person talent shortage, the accelerating speed in which work gets done due to technology, changing attitudes of students who have grown up using technology, and the impact of working remotely in the aftermath of the pandemic.
One of the most profound changes, according to Powell, is that a degree is no longer “life-long.”
“Students will no longer be able to get their degree and it’s one and done,” she said. “The degrees your students are getting now have a two- to five-year life span. We need to tell students that their degree is incredibly valuable, but they will have to continually add to it. We have to set that expectation in them.”
Topics addressed by other presenters and panel discussions included innovation and building value in undergraduate programs, retention and engagement programs, implementing and demonstrating social impact, enforcing academic integrity in an online environment, study abroad programs and mentoring undergraduate students.
Dr. Vladas Griskevicius, associate dean of the undergraduate program at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, said one of the most valuable things he took away from the conference was a better understanding of the strong demand for high-quality business education.
“It was also useful to learn about the innovations at so many different schools,” he said. “Although the schools at the conference were highly diverse, we all share the same passion for preparing the students of tomorrow.”
Dr. Todd Alessandri, associate dean of undergraduate programs at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, said his main take-a-way was the importance of dedicating more time with his undergraduate team for strategic, long-term planning.
“During the academic year, much time is spent on daily operations,” he said. “The discussions and sessions at the conference were helpful in better understanding the big-picture opportunities and challenges for our institution.”
Dr. Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate program and curriculum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business, described the conference as “refreshing and energizing.
“While our responsibilities vary due to our schools and programs, a lot of our day-to-day is managing the operations of undergraduate education,” she said. “This doesn’t always allow for a lot of time to dive deep into our programs and how we can continue to move them forward. This conference highlighted many creative initiatives business schools are doing across the country and allowed me time to think creatively around ideas I could bring back to my faculty.”
Anecdotes from the presenters created several moments of déjà vu for Dr. Anurag Basant Pant, associate dean of undergraduate programs at Indiana University South Bend’s Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics.
“I could instantly relate to the challenges and in some cases the solutions they were going to use,” he said.
Dr. Pant learned that some business schools require six hours of soft skills education and 100 hours of community service to graduate and an intensive one to three days of orientation are required by some schools.
“The conference was a great success,” Yu said. “We showed our southern hospitality by taking our guests to Frontiers of Flight Museum for some delicious barbecue and line dancing with a live band. Overall feedback has been positive.”
