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Note from the Dean
We started Mod 1 on Monday with in-person instruction, and it was amazing to stand before groups of students to welcome them back to campus. It is certainly a new normal, with far fewer students, faculty, and staff in the building at any given time, but I am proud of what team Owen did to accomplish the first phase of providing students in-person academic experiences. Most of our faculty and staff are still working from home while classes operate in a hybrid format, with some students in the classroom and others watching live from their homes. In total, we welcomed 434 new students, including 182 incoming MBAs, 49 EMBAs, 44 MMarks, 42 MAccs, 83 MSFs, and 34 MMHCs. As part of returning to campus, we launched a new curated website and newsletter called CARE. CARE (Communicate, Acknowledge, Respect, Educate) reflects Owen's commitment to fostering a safe, healthy, and well-informed community. It is a resource for our entire community to:
• Understand how we can respect each other's health and well-being at school in the age of COVID;
• Keep up with efforts to combat systemic racism and pursue equity, diversity, and inclusion at Owen; and
• Avail ourselves of curated educational resources offered across the University.
Check it out and join our journey this fall.
Best,
Eric
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Update on Reunion
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Vanderbilt has made the difficult decision to postpone Reunion 2020 until the fall of 2021. The university has started the process of identifying a new date for Reunion, which we look forward to announcing in the fall. Currently, Vanderbilt plans to host a combined celebration event for all alumni whose Reunion years fall in 2020 or 2021. We look forward to seeing you all at Reunion 2021 and will keep you updated as more details become available.
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Recent MBA Grad Gives Back to Classmates in a Time of Need
Greg Middleman (MBA’20) started remote work at Freedom Mortgage back in March and is helping to create a new mortgage fintech organization within the company. When he realized how many of his classmates were seeking new opportunities due to the pandemic, he took it upon himself to help create employment opportunities for them at Freedom Mortgage — and the company ended up hiring almost 2 dozen students in various capacities. Read more.
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20 Tips for Working Virtually
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused a seismic shift in the workplace. Many employees are working remotely, either temporarily or permanently, and many schools (including Vanderbilt Business) have made plans to teach at least part of the curriculum remotely. With nearly 5 months of remote working and teaching under their belts, faculty and staff share their best advice for getting work done remotely. Read more.
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Check out OwenGear.com
We have revamped our online store to offer a greater selection of gear and a customer-friendly experience. Take a moment to explore the incredible apparel and other merchandise, which includes mugs, tumblers, and phone cases, at OwenGear.com.
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Diversity & Inclusion Keynote Speaker Explains Why D&I Matters in Business
Ashlee Davis, Vice President and Senior Diversity & Inclusion Manager at AllianceBernstein, spoke to students virtually as part of orientation. During her talk, she explained the difference between diversity and inclusion, explained how statistics show the business case for diversity, and encouraged students to keep up the good work. “Think about what you’re going to do with this privileged spot that every single one of you have, being a student at Vanderbilt… the world is waiting on you to finish your studies so that we can have you in our doors," she said. Thank you to Ashlee for taking the time to speak to our incoming students!
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COVID-19 Insights: Tom Plath (MBA’91)
Across the world, Vanderbilt Business alumni find themselves on different frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this installment of COVID-19 Insights, Tom Plath, SVP HR and Global Citizenship at International Paper, discusses team productivity in remote settings and offers guidance to managers and executives operating in a distanced work environment. Read more.
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More Orientation Highlights
As part of this year’s Orientation, we discussed our summer reading, How to Be an Antiracist. Dean Johnson and Professor Ramanujam opened the day-long session outlining Owen’s commitment to Diversity & Inclusion and the work of Owen’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board. The day was filled with a panel led by Professor María del Carmen Triana and corporate guest speakers. As a special guest, Chancellor Diermeier recorded a message for the Owen community, speaking about the role of business education from his experience at Stanford and Northwestern and outlining Vanderbilt’s commitment to Diversity & Inclusion. His encouragement to Owen was echoed by Vice Chancellor Andre Churchwell, who urged the Owen community to connect their business studies to issues of social and moral justice. Click here to watch Chancellor Diermeier’s and Vice Chancellor Andre Churchwell’s inspirational messages.
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Executive Education
Vanderbilt staff and alumni receive a 20% discount on our online programs with the code ALUMNI at checkout.
We also offer technology bootcamps in coding, data analytics, cybersecurity, and FinTech. To learn more, click here.
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Parting Shot: Orientation Sail Away Event
Faculty and staff volunteered to welcome students and hand out swag (including Vanderbilt-branded face masks) during orientation.
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