People and Places: April 12, 2022
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 Francisco Veloso has been reappointed dean of the Imperial College Business School in London. His new term will run through the end of May 2027. During his time as dean, the school has set up a variety of research centers, launched a portfolio of digital degree and executive programs, and offered a new bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, and data science. The business school also has been instrumental in cross-college initiatives, including the new Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and the I-X initiative, a research collaborative for digital technologies. |
 Kiran Fernandes has been named interim executive dean of Durham University Business School in the U.K. He previously was associate dean for internationalization at the school, as well as head of department and professor of operations management. He also is executive director of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership Innovation Observatory and has been instrumental in connecting the business school with local and international industry. Fernandes takes his new role following the retirement of Susan Hart, who has led the school since 2016. During her tenure, the school grew its academic numbers by more than 25 percent, created 12 research centers, and launched five major new programs. She also was a driving force behind the school’s commitment to sustainability and social purpose. |
 On April 1, Sandra Vannoy became dean of Appalachian State University’s Walker College of Business in Boone, North Carolina. She had been serving as acting dean of the college since 2020 and as interim dean since 2021. Vannoy first joined the school’s faculty in 1998 as part of the department of computer information systems. She became assistant dean for graduate programs and research in 2014 and associate dean in 2015. During that time, she directed the college’s honors program and its MBA program. Prior to her career in academia, she co-owned a small business specializing in software and business information systems, and she also held administrative positions in the healthcare and banking fields. She currently serves as chair of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. |
 Carlos Díez de la Lastra has been named chief executive officer of Les Roches Global Hospitality, which has campuses in Crans-Montana, Switzerland; Marbella, Spain; and Shanghai. He succeeds Christine Demen Meier, who is retiring. Díez de la Lastra has spent 25 years in the higher education sector, the last eight as the head of the campus in Marbella. Previously, he was vice president of expansion and director general of the European University of the Canary Islands in Spain. |
New ProgramsEHL Hospitality Business School will launch a Master of Science in Hospitality Management this September. The new course is taught full-time over three semesters at the EHL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. Instructors include both business faculty and industry practitioners. Courses cover talent management, marketing, revenue strategies, logistics, and customer-centric approaches. Students can choose to focus either on food and beverage management or on hospitality finance, real estate, and consulting. They will apply their learning in live projects, business field trips, research projects, and a professional immersion in a real hospitality setting. EHL also has signed an agreement with the Institute of Technical Education in Singapore to create a new technical diploma in hospitality and hotel management. Graduates will acquire skills in supply chain and facilities management as well as business analytics and sustainable hospitality practices. This July, Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, will partner with educational consultant Academic Partnerships to offer four fully online educational options. Students can pursue a general MBA or an MBA in one of three concentrations: business analytics, financial management, or management and change. There are multiple start dates throughout the year and learning is self-paced. The University of Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow has launched an MBA in Sustainable Energy Futures. Core modules will include topics such as strategic leadership development, accounting and financial practice of energy transactions, and energy supply and trading. Participants will gain the knowledge to help organizations transition to net-zero carbon emissions while working to create policy change and social innovation. The program, which was co-created with industry leaders, is aimed at players across the energy field, including suppliers, customers, regulators, and activists. New York University Stern School of Business has announced that it will debut a one-year part-time Master of Science in Fintech in May 2023. The new program is designed for working professionals in technology or finance, whether they are part of financial institutions, fintech startups, or technology companies. The 34-credit program will include one live module, six on-site modules held in New York City and other fintech hubs, and a capstone project. Courses will cover topics such as R programming for data, platform strategy in fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, machine learning in finance, and leadership in fintech. In November 2022, emlyon business school will open an online EMBA aimed at executive directors, experienced managers, and entrepreneurs. The program, which will be taught in French, will incorporate in-person events on the school's campuses in Paris and Lyon-Ecully, as well as a study trip in Europe. Courses will cover strategy, finance, and corporate governance; optimization of the value chain; transformation and collective performance; and leadership and corporate social responsibility. Participants will carry out four group projects and an individual strategic project. All of the courses for the online EMBA were redesigned to reflect the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and provide participants with a set of core skills in corporate social responsibility. Students may take from 17 to 30 months to complete the program. DonationsThe Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has received a 10 million USD commitment from Ellen L. Hanson and Richard E. Perlman to establish the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) program. The gift also will support other programming at the university’s Venture Lab, including curriculum development and delivery, workshops and research, and the work of Expert in Residence advisors and staff. In addition, the money will provide financial support for university graduates who wish to explore ETA. The new gift expands on the donors’ previous contributions by adding 20,000 USD to the Perlman Grand Prize, part of the Startup Challenge for ventures founded by Penn students. Other NewsLehman College in New York City has announced that it will transition its economics and business department into a school of business on July 1. The school plans to focus on entrepreneurship, small business development, and experiential learning. The department is one of the largest at the college with more than 1,800 students declaring business majors. The school will launch will three new departments: accounting; management and business innovation; and economics, finance, and information systems. It will offer six undergraduate and one master’s degree in business. Students will choose from seven concentrations, including accounting, finance, marketing, human resource management, business law, international business, and business economics. Esade Business School in Barcelona, Spain, has increased the volume of funds it has committed to scholarships to 4 million euros (about 4.4 million USD), which will go to support 287 students. The scholarships cover up to 100 percent of the tuition fees and provide any additional financial support, including living expenses. Thirty-eight percent of the current funding comes from private contributions and the rest from institutional resources. NEOMA Business School in France has announced that, with the start of the 2022 academic year, it will offer three learning model formats: face-to-face, synchronous distance, and asynchronous distance. It has also redesigned courses to include more hybrid offerings that mix online and in-person teaching. Changes were made after the school surveyed professors and students to discover what worked well when new teaching and learning processes were implemented during the pandemic. While the school plans to prioritize face-to-face teaching, it intends to capitalize on its virtual reality campus to teach students how to manage team relationships online. Educational technicians are restructuring curricula to incorporate interactive activities such as games, debates, and talks from outside experts. The goal of the new hybrid course structure is to promote interaction between participants and provide a more personalized learning experience. If you have news of interest to share with the business education community, please send press releases, relevant images, or other information to AACSB Insights at [email protected]. |
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