Academic leaders of business schools convened March 12-14 at the 2025 Undergraduate Deans Conference to explore the evolving landscape of higher education by discussing innovative solutions to design, implement and even reinvent undergraduate programs.
Presented by the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas, the event provided a platform for business- school leaders and thought leaders to exchange transformative ideas and innovative approaches for enhancing the undergraduate business-school experience.
The approach for the fifth annual conference was framed by Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean, when he welcomed the attendees. He pointed out that, having come from a culture where being a teacher is important, he considers himself a teacher.
Even though graduate and PhD programs and research are important functions of a business school, Pirkul said, “where we change lives is the undergraduate program.”
Navigating the Future of Higher Education
Every session at the conference touched on various aspects of how undergraduate students’ lives can be changed. The keynote address — “The Future of Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities” — was delivered by Dr. Sukumaran Nair, vice provost for research and chief innovation officer and distinguished professor in Southern Methodist University’s Lyle School of Engineering.
Nair’s presentation homed in on the key challenges faced today in higher education, including its perceived value, keeping curriculums current in response to artificial intelligence.
One key challenge faced today by universities is demonstrating to prospective students and their families their return on a considerable investment of money. Nair offered a succinct retort.
“People always say education is very expensive, right?” he asked. “Then our answer is try ignorance. That could be even more expensive.”
Nair pointed out the rapid pace of change, especially in business and technology, by describing a teaching experience he once had.
“I remember when I was teaching … cybersecurity class, I would be reading what is happening five minutes before I walk into the class because things are changing on an hourly basis,” he said. “And then students are sitting there with the computer open and then I’m saying something and they said, ‘No, that’s not true.’ There is so much pressure on faculty to be up to date and then … you have to be performers at the same time.”
Finally, Nair pointed out that AI introduces a whole new dynamic into the teaching equation: how and to what extent AI should be used not only by instructors but also students. AI also adds an ethical dimension to the discussions instructors need to have with students.
Bridging Academia and Industry Through Certifications and Networks
Eric Stephens, a strategic analytics professional in the healthcare industry, presented “Bridging Education and Industry: The Power of Professional Certifications.” He said professional certifications bridge the gap between education and application, especially for younger professionals. Another benefit to obtaining certifications, he said, is just as, if not more, important.
“Every chance I get to talk to students, I can never emphasize enough how important it is to begin building your network, even before you graduate,” he said. “Throughout your career, the most valuable resource you will have is not your education, not your experience, it’s your network.”
In addition to being a speaker, Stephens was also present for many of the other sessions and actively participated in the interactive ones. As one of the few attendees from outside the world of academia, he said he found the entire event extremely insightful.
“I came away with a much better understanding of the challenges academic institutions are facing, many of which are the same problems we’re dealing with in the business world, including customer (student) retention, budget (funding) limitations, and of course the impact of generative and agentic AI,” he said. “Not only did the sessions and panel discussions present specific suggestions for addressing these challenges, but they also stimulated the minds of attendees to come up with their own, as evidenced by all the interesting ideas I heard people mention during conversations. To me, this is one of the hallmarks of a highly successful professional event. Kudos to UTD and the JSOM!”
Proving ROI in Undergraduate Education
In a session titled “The Value of a Degree: Proving ROI in the Modern Era,” Jessica Taverna, associate dean of undergraduate programs in the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, dove deeper into the challenges that universities face in a time in which prospective students are increasingly skeptical about going into debt to get an undergraduate degree.
Pointing out a recent national survey from Pew Research in which only 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of college is worth it if you have to take out loans to do it, Taverna explained that the majority of people in the skeptical category did not have bachelor’s degrees.
“This is an area where we have an opportunity to really try to reclaim this narrative,” she said. “Most of the data that I’ve seen on the student debt crisis, the major (skeptics) are students with some college, no degree. That is the bulk of it. So we need to be able to talk about (why) that is and then show that we are getting more students through that. We are addressing that no college or some college, no degree problem.”
Taverna pointed to another survey in which 500 Utah employers were asked whether good paying jobs with advancement opportunities required a college degree. Although a majority replied yes, even more considered experience and mastery of skills as being more important than attainment of a degree.
“One of the things we need to be doing right,” she said, “is showing that we (undergraduate programs) are giving experience and mastery of skills so that that is part of the college degree and not seen as an alternative that happens totally outside it, something that happens somewhere else that somebody else does instead of us.”
Building Trust Through Leadership and Communication
Besides ensuring student success, another aspect of an undergraduate dean’s job is working with faculty, staff and other administrators to build and increase trust with open and effective communication. A panel discussion titled “Managing Up: Communicating with Senior Leadership for Impact,” focused on navigating organizational dynamics to accomplish that goal.
The panel was moderated by John Barden, dean of Executive Education at the Jindal School. The speakers were Dr. Rafael Martín, vice president and chief of staff at The University of Texas at Dallas, and Dr. Eileen Dowse, a corporate executive coach and organizational psychologist at Human Dynamics.
When asked if she had ever had a misunderstanding with a client, Dowse explained what she does to get past it.
“The way I solve any issue is to ask open-ended questions and to validate (what) I hear you saying,” she said. “I believe I’m hearing you’re saying X. You want me to do X. Did I get that right? Or am I … taking a strange detour?”
Martín said open communication is not possible without first building trust.
“One piece of advice I would give people, both as a boss and somebody who has a boss, is bosses are people,” he said. “If you make your interactions with your boss transactional, expect a transactional relationship with your boss. I try my best to develop a relationship with all of those folks.”
To ensure he continually builds those relationships, Martín said he makes it a point to schedule blocks of time into his calendar for that purpose.
“One piece of advice I would give to my peers, which I see all too often, is you schedule way too much of your time,” he said. “You schedule way, way, way too much of your time. You need to have open blocks of time to be able to build relationships and deal with things that you may not expect.”
Leading with Purpose: Reimagining Undergraduate Business Education
The conference concluded with a presentation — “Leading with Purpose: Empowering Change in Higher Education” — by Dr. Serenity Rose King, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at The University of Texas System.
In her presentation, King, who served at UT Dallas for more than 21 years in various roles, culminating in her role as associate vice president for institutional success and decision support, offered attendees advice that is relevant not only to successful university leadership, but leadership in general.
“There’s not a lot of extrinsic value” in academic leadership roles, she said. “You have to be intrinsically motivated to take those on because it’s coming at a cost for something. Either your research is suffering, or your teaching may be suffering, or your personal relationships may be suffering from the amount of time that you have to put into these roles.”
King said that effective leadership is authentic leadership.
“Authentic leadership focuses on being transparent and ethical in your behavior,” she said. “To be transparent, what do you have to do? Share. Communicate.”
Other aspects of authentic leadership, King said, are the open sharing of information, accepting followers’ inputs and having high self-awareness, not only of one’s intellect but also one’s emotions. Authentic leaders also know their strengths and weaknesses and understand when their inner critic is attempting to override their inner champion. When that happens, they take steps to recenter themselves. These qualities are especially important during times of change.
“The people that are going through the change management, they are going to buy in to the leader before they buy in to the project,” she said.
A Shared Vision for the Future of Business Education
Dr. Daniele Mathras, associate dean of undergraduate programs and an associate teaching professor in the Marketing Area of the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, said she is glad she attended this conference because it was a wonderful opportunity to meet other undergraduate Deans.
“I left feeling so inspired and supported,” she said. “From the working sessions on future planning and brainstorming about leveraging AI in education, to the sessions on engaging young alumni, tackling the new political landscape, and providing career development opportunities across all four years. I left with a sense of camaraderie and gained actionable insights. Thank you to the entire UTD team for the warm hospitality and for creating this opportunity to gather, share, and grow.”
Dr. Marissa McIntyre, assistant dean, academic services, at Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, was an attendee. She said it was full of learning, connections, and networking.
“Thank you to the UTD JSOM team for hosting a great conference,” she said. “It was important to connect with others in the undergraduate business education space and explore how others are implementing student success initiatives, connecting academics with careers, integrating alumni and so much more.”
The conference chair was Dr. Dawn Owens, associate dean for undergraduate programs at the Jindal School. Conference co-chairs were Dr. Monica Brussolo, an associate professor of instruction in the Jindal School’s Operations Management Area and director of the BS Supply Chain program; Courtney Graves, director of the Jindal School’s Undergraduate Student Services; and Victoria Montgomery, associate director of the Jindal School’s Undergraduate Student Services.
Owens, a clinical associate professor in the Jindal School’s Information Systems Area, said that universities stand at a pivotal moment in the evolution of undergraduate business education, thus necessitating frank conversations and debates such as those had at the conference.
“Within these forums, we have sparked new ways of thinking,” she said. “We are challenged to rethink how we design, develop, and even reinvent our programs to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Owens said the conference, beyond the insights that were shared, also helped develop strong relationships among the attendees that will serve to strengthen their collective vision and resolve.
“These connections will continue to propel us forward as we shape the future of business education,” she said. “Together, we are not just adapting to change — we are leading the way.”
