Letter from the Dean
It is an extraordinary moment in the life of the Whitman School. We are embarking on a bold transformation plan, one that will position us to lead at an inflection point for higher education as we prepare students for a future facing significant change.
This plan—which we are calling Transformation 2030—reflects months of thoughtful engagement across our community and significant benchmarking. It sets a clear vision for how we will strengthen our commitment to academic experience, investment in experiential programming and career success, and elevate the storytelling and thought leadership profile of the Whitman School.
Each goal seeks to establish us as a recognized top 25 business school. Our work has started—and with a bang. Most visible to any visitor to Whitman is the significant investments in the physical learning environment. However, looking behind the scenes will also show a variety of major improvements we have made over the last year. These include creating new shared teams to better serve our alumni and donors, to further link our career team with employer relations, to streamline our advising and recruiting teams, and planting seeds to significantly grow our portfolio of experiential programs and learning opportunities. We’ve launched new programs for Whitman students and others across campus, become partners with leading organizations around the world and introduced timely new courses that help prepare students for their careers.
Many of these other improvements resulted from careful financial management and use of technology to improve our operations. These will enhance the learning experience of every student, support the outstanding work being done by our faculty and staff, further connect us to our external partners and allow us to operate with needed efficiency and agility for the future.
Transformation 2030 is more than a traditional academic plan. It’s a shared promise to ensure Whitman’s relevance for the future, when we don’t shy away from what is at the heart of what we do: offer an outstanding educational experience to our students. The outcome will make Whitman a stronger, more connected and more forward-looking business school.
In the pages that follow, you’ll read in greater detail about our Transformation 2030 plan, as well as other ways we are making a difference in the world.
Best wishes,
Alex McKelvie
Interim Dean