People and Places: March 2025

New Programs

Starting in September, Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in the Netherlands will offer a 24-month MSc in Sustainability Management, delivered entirely online. The program aims to create a new generation of thought leaders who can manage the responsibilities of corporations and businesses in times of global economic, social, and environmental challenges. Students will gain functional sustainability practice skills; communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills; a background in analytics; and an overall understanding of corporate responsibilities, risks, and strategies.

Columbia Business School and Columbia Climate School have designed an interdisciplinary MS in Climate Finance degree that will begin enrolling students for the fall of 2025. Students in the one-year program will take courses focusing on climate science, adaptation and mitigation strategies, international climate finance, capital markets, and energy and infrastructure financing. The program will be led by Lisa Sachs, who teaches professional practice at Columbia Climate School and is the director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.

Jindal Global Business School at O.P. Jindal Global University in India has announced an Online Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). The three-year program, which began in January, is tailored for working professionals who aspire to build a strong foundation in business while maintaining flexibility in their learning journey. Students can choose to specialize in two elective concentrations and will also have the option to participate in a five-day campus immersion to experience university life and build connections with faculty.

Starting in August 2025, the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany is launching an MSc in Financial Technology designed for candidates who have a background in economics, business administration, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. Taught in English, the new program will focus on promoting entrepreneurial thinking and providing students with the necessary skills for a career in the financial technology sector. In connection with the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center, students will learn to translate theoretical knowledge into practical fintech applications, including artificial intelligence. The degree program will be taught in a three-day format that allows students to work in parallel with their studies.

Collaborations

Hult International Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has partnered with LALIGA team FC Barcelona’s knowledge and innovation management platform Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB) to launch an online Sport MBA degree. The program begins with an Introduction to Sports Management course, laying the foundation for success in areas such as leadership, operations, marketing, and strategic planning. From there, students will tackle five business modules, featuring specialized sports business challenges co-developed with BIHUB. As part of their studies, participants also have the option to take part in a weeklong immersion experience in Barcelona, Spain, where they attend hands-on workshops with industry experts and take behind-the-scenes tours of the club’s facilities. Courses are scheduled to begin in September.

University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) new collaboration with Google.org will allow UJ Johannesburg Business School students more opportunities to expand their cybersecurity skill sets through a new certificate program. The Short Learning Program aims to blend theoretical knowledge with real-world applications, including AI-driven threat detection and intelligent systems development. Part of the 500,000 USD grant from Google.org will also fund the development of advanced modules and community engagement initiatives, such as mentorship and hackathon competitions.

Deakin University in India, a branch campus of the Australian-based university, has announced a new strategic partnership with ANZ, a multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Melbourne. The partnership will create a high-impact platform for industry leaders, policymakers, and academics to engage in critical discussions on global economic trends, leadership, and innovation. Deakin University and ANZ will also work together on student internships, executive training programs, and advisory initiatives to enable further exchange of knowledge and skills between India and Australia.

The Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University and the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) in China have united in a joint offering designed to empower senior leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the healthcare and technology sectors. The AI-Driven Healthcare Innovation Program will equip participants with the necessary knowledge and practical skills in artificial intelligence applications, data-driven decision-making, and technology implementation in healthcare. Attendees will also explore the ethical and governance considerations essential for responsible AI use. The five-day program, which takes place in May, will be held at Johns Hopkins’ Washington, D.C., campus.

The Case Hub at the American University of Beirut’s Suliman S. Olayan School of Business has joined forces with Ivey Publishing. Together they have launched a bilingual collection of high-quality cases in both English and Arabic, developed to empower students and educators with regionally relevant materials that enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and engaged learning. Each case goes through a rigorous peer review process before publication and is then distributed through leading platforms, including Ivey Publishing. One of the primary goals of the initiative is to address the language barrier in business education, transforming the learning experience for Arabic-speaking students and educators to prepare them for real-world business challenges and global career opportunities.

Grants and Donations

The University of Texas at Austin has received a 20 million USD gift from McCombs School of Business alum Mindy Hildebrand. The gift will create the Hildebrand MBA Excellence Fund, which will launch multiple full-tuition scholarships for incoming full-time MBA students and support leadership development opportunities for students across all five Texas McCombs MBA programs.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a 1.5 million USD gift from Kathy Wilson Roberts to establish the Kenneth Pat Wilson Endowment for Innovative Business Programs. The gift honors Kathy’s father, the late Pat Wilson, and represents the third-largest gift made to the School of Business. It will provide funding for business faculty and staff who develop innovative learning experiences and will support faculty members who apply their business expertise to addressing pressing challenges faced by businesses in the local community. The Wilsons previously established an endowed Kenneth Pat Wilson Center for Economic Education, which reflects his enduring passion for finance, economics, and student success.

Bangor University in the U.K. has received the largest single donation in its history: a 10.5 million GBP (about 13.5 million USD) gift from The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation. The money will go toward the creation of the Albert Gubay Business School, housed in the soon-to-be converted site of the former Friars Junior School. The building will feature cutting-edge learning spaces and collaborative hubs designed to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and entrepreneurship. Construction is set to begin in 2026 and is expected to be completed by 2027.

Centers and Facilities

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois, will expand its innovation ecosystem by opening the Northwestern Innovation Institute (NI Institute). Initially, the institute will use artificial intelligence and large-scale databases to aggregate, integrate, and analyze diverse datasets on inventions, patents, licenses, revenues, grants, and publications from institutions around the world to allow for a deeper understanding of how innovation works and how breakthroughs happen. The development of predictive models will also enable leaders to increase efficiency and pinpoint new opportunities for innovation. A recent 25 million USD gift from university trustee Pin Ni and the Future Wanxiang Foundation helped to fund the NI Institute.

The Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley has announced the creation of The Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), which will provide space and accompanying programming to help entrepreneurs and “entrepre-curious” (those curious about the idea) connect, build, and be discovered. Berkeley Haas’ new center was designed to help students navigate the array of campus resources and serve as a gathering place to work on their ventures and host small events, like student-led entrepreneurship club meetings. Undergraduate and graduate students will have the option to engage in three semesterlong practice tracks, curated to meet students where they are in their entrepreneurship journey. The new eHub building is projected to open this winter, in a renovated building adjacent to Haas.

Last month, SKEMA Business School formally opened its new Dubai campus. Located in the Dubai International Financial Centre, a major financial center in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region, the school aims to welcome up to 1,500 students. Four academic programs are currently being taught at the new campus, with the school’s MSc in Global Luxury Management joining the available offerings in September 2025.

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