Dear friends,
It’s been a great honeymoon! I’ve served seven months as your dean, and I have not had a bad day yet. There’s a ton of excitement circulating about what we’re going to do together, and I have had the good fortune of meeting many of you to learn more about your passion for the college and WSU.
We’re committed to listening to you and to communicating as effectively as possible. At the September meeting, our Board of Advisors said you would welcome more frequent college updates. Taking that to heart, we’ve moved to quarterly distribution of our eDividend newsletter to keep you informed and engaged.
In that spirit—come see us! Our upcoming schedule features some fantastic events on the Pullman campus. For example, the Burtenshaw Distinguished Lecture Series features Rock & Brews restaurant cofounders Dave Furano and Michael Zislis, speaking April 20, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Our Business Plan Competition April 22 – 23 is another annual highlight as well as a place where we can use your help as a judge, mentor, or sponsor. Contact Marie Mayes, director, WSU Center for Entrepreneurship at mmayes@wsu.edu or register online to participate.
The college is continuing to earn recognition in areas of strength. Our online MBA programs continue to be ranked nationally in the top 25 by U.S. News & World Report, including a #19 ranking among programs for veterans. You will also recognize the quality of our MBA program showcased in Amy and Colin Pappajohn’s alumni feature.
We’re especially eager to start new initiatives to connect more closely with Pacific Northwest employers and continue strengthening opportunities through innovative, accessible programs. For example, the WSU Vancouver Carson College of Business’s successful Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program is expanding to include the MAP Tech Collective, a new cohort for young technology businesses.
Since my arrival, I’ve come to know what a tremendous group of faculty we have. We need to keep spreading the word about the great work they are doing in generating and sharing business insights with our students and the Washington state business community. You can learn more about their research progress in this issue’s Popular Press section.
We are also excited to combine ideas and strengths from across all Carson College branches to focus on our shared goal of being the best place in the Pacific Northwest for undergraduate business education. We have some clear assets from which to build. For example, our undergraduate international business program was ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report, and our Carson Center for Student Success provides an outstanding venue for guiding students through academic experiences to career achievement.
Led by Tom Tripp, our new associate dean for undergraduate programs, we will be listening carefully to you to develop a deep understanding of what it will take to reach this goal. My interactions with you to date tell me that we will not be short of ideas, passion, or commitment from alumni as we strive for excellence.
Go Carson Cougs!
Chip Hunter
Dean