Letter from the Dean

The Whitman School is bubbling with excitement again. As I write this, approximately 550 new first-year undergraduate students, 85 transfer students and about 100 graduate students are early into their fall semester. There is a lot of energy — from both new and returning students — as they adjust to a new learning environment, reconnect with classmates, ponder the next steps in their careers or simply enjoy the beauty of the Syracuse University campus.

The incoming undergraduate class is our second largest on record. Whitman continues to be in high demand, reflecting an increase in applications greater than 10% (to over 7,700) compared to last year. This places Whitman among the most in-demand schools on campus: Almost 20% of the incoming applications to Syracuse University are to the Whitman School. Our incoming class has maintained high academic credentials and shows strong diversity across a variety of areas as well. I view these results as reflecting that Whitman is on the right track.

In addition to the energy that comes from a strong and sizable incoming class, the excitement comes from the noticeable physical improvements we’ve made over the summer. While there are many renovations throughout the building, our emphasis has been to our main street, Whitman’s first floor. Updates include the removal of the planters and light posts, installation of a new video board, new furniture and new layout of the Flaum Grand Hall. There are other renovations — such as new carpet, some office redesign, new TV displays and new paint elsewhere on that first floor and throughout the building. We are treating this as the first phase of our building modernization plan.

These updates to our building are the direct result of an investment into Whitman from senior Syracuse University leadership. We appreciate their support in elevating Whitman and the student experience within our school.

The renovations and strong numbers are a good reminder to think about how far the Whitman School has come. The school is over 100 years old. The building — now known with the Whitman name — is in its 20th year. The Whitman programs, topics taught and student learning activities continue to adjust to the ever-changing business landscape. We continue to receive national and international accolades for our undergraduate and MBA programs — both online and residential — as well as key areas where Whitman plays a leading role nationally, such as in entrepreneurship and supply chain management. Among those accolades to celebrate this year are a No.2 global ranking for entrepreneurship research by TCU and a No. 1 national ranking among U.S. private schools for return on investment on our MBA program. There is a lot to be proud of with our program quality.

After thinking back to how far we’ve come, the next step is to think about where we’re heading. Our clear focus is on elevating the Whitman School to be a top 25 national program within the next five years. This bold goal reflects the promise of the school to achieve its potential. That goal will also help to drive many of our strategic investments in the foreseeable future.

In this issue of the Whitman magazine, we provide a summary of some of the key innovations that we’ve seen in recent years — in terms of providing a best-in-class student experience that includes robust experiential programs, success stories of our students and alumni, as well as some cutting-edge research from our faculty. I believe these should — just like our incoming class — have you excited about the years ahead. As always, we have relied on the support of our alumni, corporate partners, donors and friends to help us on our continued ascent. I am appreciative of the variety of roles that you play to support the Whitman School and our students’ success.

Best wishes,

Alex McKelvie
Interim Dean