With a newly redesigned orientation program, we welcomed 384 new students across Vanderbilt Owen’s six graduate degree programs earlier this month. The goal of orientation is to introduce the students to Owen’s unique culture and help them integrate into our community. This year, a committee of faculty, staff, and students started with a clean sheet of paper, scrutinizing each element of our orientation programing with an eye towards culture building.

With a student community representing more than 30 countries, diversity is a key element of Owen’s culture. It provides our students with the opportunity to learn from the wealth of ideas and experiences among their peers. Each year, I urge the students to use Owen to hone their leadership style, enabling their future success in leading diverse teams, and orientation is designed to begin that process.

We culminated orientation with a message from Robert Lawrence — an ex-Nissan executive and now culture consultant — who noted that building inclusive, diverse cultures means “calling people in, not out.” That summarizes our goal at Owen: calling everyone into our unique, diverse community that fuels our competitive advantage to solve the world’s toughest business challenges.

Best,
Eric

“Tami spent much of her career helping MBA students launch careers,” said Dean M. Eric Johnson. “Throughout her career Tami contributed to the profession. She worked tirelessly on behalf of Owen alumni. Her spirit will surely live on anytime the Owen family gathers for food and fellowship.’’ Read more.

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