Goals

• Physical Spaces

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Construction of a new multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art LEED Platinum School of Business building complex that will foster organic interaction and serve as a signature landmark for all our stakeholders	Classes began in the building on September 26, 2024 and the school hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House for campus trustees and leadership, alumni, school leadership and donors, the campus community and our students.

• Organizational Culture

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Foster a work environment of shared governance, responsibility, communication, and refinement in policies and procedures	New Staff Operations Manual distributed to staff on October 22, 2024 (Faculty Operations Manual already in place)
  Encourage and embrace open dialogue and debate through formal and informal channels
  Develop an open, collegial culture that fosters and nurtures students, faculty, and staff to take risks, seek challenges, and empower others	Business Entertainment Association - HighlanderLink   Our faculty created a new "INSPIRE Lab" that brings students, academics, and tech community members together to explore using AI, Machine Learning, and other technology
  Promote and celebrate our accomplishments	At the end of the year, school faculty, staff, and students come together to celebrate another year of accomplishments. Faculty Excellence in Teaching Awards (6) are presented by students, and outstanding TAs and student leaders are recognized.
  Foster community within the school	All-school food and essential supplies drive for R'Pantry

• Connections

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Enhance and sustain engagement between employers, alumni, donors, and the school	The Graduate Student Success team hosts Talent Forums in the fall and spring and encourages alumni to participate on behalf of their employers
  Establish a strong alumni culture of lifelong connectedness and giving back	The school hosted an "Emerging Leaders Summit" in October 2025
  Fund a distinguished academic and professional visiting speaker’s series and host conferences on current management topics of interest	The school rebooted its Deans Speaker Series in January 2026 with three alumni/executives

• Undergraduate Programs

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Explore new program opportunities and effective ways to combine and build on existing programs	The school is exploring a new undergraduate degree in accounting. We launched a new business analytics degree in 2024 and welcomed 651 new business analytics students for fall 2025.
  Determine an effective balance between remote and in-person learning	At the undergraduate level, we currently offer a small number of online courses, mainly within the core curriculum, while evaluating the effectiveness of each instructional modality. Since our undergraduate programs are fundamentally designed as on-campus, in-person programs, we do not anticipate expanding online offerings.
  Promote education abroad	Our faculty lead both for credit and non-credit study abroad programs. New trips for AY26 include Vietnam, Brazil, and China, and are going to London, Mexico, and Italy this summer.
  Integrate soft skills into learning outcomes	We have asked faculty to incorporate oral communication development across the curriculum and have created a curriculum map to show which courses contribute to this goal.
  Expand opportunities for experiential learning	Fundraiser in fall 2025 raised $111K for experiential learning opportunities including study abroad, attending conferences and case study competitions, and for unpaid internships
  Determine the viability of expanding the school’s Career Development Center to serve the undergraduate population	New Business F1RST one-credit course that introduces first-year and transfer students to a model called: Explore, Prepare, Experience for career success
  Enhance and systematize guest speaker utilization in courses and clubs	The Executive Fellows program brings in business leaders (alum and non-alum) into large lecture classes. The new (2025) Asst. Dean for External Relations also works to connect faculty with our alumni for class visits

• Graduate Programs

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Continuously review and revise curricula to enhance students’ competitiveness in the job market	Increased interaction with industry experts
  Increase domestic student enrollment in graduate programs	Total international graduate student population has declined from 64% in fall 2023 to 46% in fall 2025, and our domestic applications are up 16% from AY24 to AY25.
  Explore new specialized master’s and certificate programs	As of Spring 2024, we are offering a Track II in our professional MBA program for admitted students with 3+ years of relevant experience that is 64 units versus the traditional 80 units.
  Explore alternative formats for graduate programs and offer an online MBA	Online MBA now approved and accepting applications
  Expand the eligibility to enroll in the Master of Science in Business Analytics program by establishing a track for students with nonbusiness and/or statistics background	Completed in the 2024 academic year
  Ensure that our financial aid is competitive to attract and yield high-quality applicants
  Expand the Career Development Center to increase industry outreach and to support student achievement	We now have three career coaches/employer relations staff at the school. We have added informal employer roundtables to our mix of career talent forums, career fairs, and employer site visits.

• Research Enterprise

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Offer incentives that promote high-quality research and teaching excellence in hiring, merit, retention, and promotion
  Make breakthrough research and resources accessible to the academic and professional communities	Our business areas regularly host research camps for our faculty featuring leading researchers from other universities.
  Facilitate the exchange of research ideas	Hosted SoCal Strategy Workshop in April 2026
  Enhance our diversity initiatives to nurture an inclusive research environment

• People

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Empower, recognize, and promote individuals who distinguish themselves through their leading-edge scholarship, teaching, and service	Annual awards for teaching excellence, including monetary awards  Many other Business faculty received promotions and awards
  Foster a work environment that empowers individuals to excel and advance	"Lunch & Learn" seminars for staff with training on AI, Design with Canva, Crucial Conversations, and De-Escalating Conflict among other topics
  Reinforce a supportive community, one that helps members deepen professional investigation and achievement

• Culture of Continuous Improvement

  INITIATIVE	PROGRESS
  Focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in recruiting students, staff, and faculty	Our student population (UG & Grad) is 40% URM, 45.6% First Generation, 42.6% Women, and 8.5% International.
  Recruit international graduate students from a broad range of countries	We currently have about 20 countries represented in our graduate programs, from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.
  Provide an excellent stakeholder experience in the most effective manner to empower those inside and outside of the organization to carry out their tasks in the most efficient way	Our new building has brought staff and administrative offices into one location, improving communication, collaboration, and efficiency.
  Empower continuous improvement in policies and procedures