Gerald Cavanagh, S.J., interim dean of the College of Business Administration

Dear Alumni,

The College of Business Administration will have two new, talented faculty members in 2009-10. Robert Hutchinson will join the College of Business Administration as assistant professor in Accounting. Robert was in the Honors Program and received his B.S. in accounting at Duquesne University. He received his MBA from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. in manufacturing cost accounting at the University of Toledo. He has several presentations and journal publications already to his credit. Robert comes to UDM from Oakland University because he desires to be at a Catholic university. Even before joining our faculty, Robert is helping with numerous CBA chores, including recruiting other new faculty.

Omid Sabbaghi will join our faculty as assistant professor of Finance. Born in Indianapolis, he has a B.A. from University of California at Berkeley with a triple major in economics, statistics and applied mathematics, and is completing a Ph.D. in finance and econometrics from the University of Chicago. He has already made numerous presentations to professional and academic meetings. He chose UDM because he enjoys teaching and interacting with students and values the UDM and CBA mission. Both new faculty members have extended family close by and will bring youthful vigor and insights to us. They have already brought their remarkable enthusiasm to all in the College.

A team of three business school deans representing the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) visited the College of Business Administration in January. The team noted in both their oral and written reports that students appreciate the dedication of faculty and the diversity of the student body. The visiting deans also reported that students valued their service learning—working in homeless shelters and soup kitchens or tutoring at-risk youngsters, then reflecting on what this experience means to them and their own lives and personal goals.

The team also noted the unique and innovative Performance Measure Scorecard that has been developed and used by the CBA. The visiting deans made several suggestions to clarify and bolster our procedures, and these were enacted by the faculty in the weeks following the visit. Their report is sent to several AACSB committees, and is not final until the Board of Directors approves it, which should occur by June 1.

In Winter Term 2008-09, CBA had twice as many undergraduate (253) as graduate (127) students, and the number of undergraduates is growing each year. Yet most CBA faculty members have little contact with those undergraduate students until they take their business courses in their third and fourth year. In an attempt to enable these first- and second-year students to feel more a part of CBA, first-year business students in fall 2009 will enroll in a newly designed required course that is intended to increase students' success, resulting in the successful completion of their degree. The course will feature team projects so that they will come to know each other and work together; the course will also introduce them to the business disciplines and to CBA faculty members. The course will also provide off-campus events and mentoring by upperclass students and alumni.

Students from Fu Jen University in Taiwan took Business courses at UDM April 27–May 8. These students are the fourth cohort of the Global Entrepreneurial Master of Business Administration Program, which is jointly offered by UDM and Fu Jen.

Our Alumni Week, held March 16–20, featured 33 successful CBA alumni speaking to that many classes in the College. This gave our students an excellent opportunity to learn from alumni insights and experience. I would like to thank all of these alumni who shared their time and insight for the benefit of CBA students. Thanks also go to the CBA Alumni Board for their efforts in planning this event, and to the participating members of the CBA Board of Advisors. We are also grateful to this year's featured luncheon speakers, John '79, and Nancy '83, Kennedy, who spoke on "The Collapse and Future of the Economy: Lessons Learned from the Auto Industry." John assessed the current financial crisis and what to expect in the future. He also told us how he built a successful firm manufacturing precision instruments, and shifted his customer base away from auto manufacturers and toward medical devices.  See the talk on our web site.

After their presentation, UDM President Gerard Stockhausen, S.J., and I gave John and Nancy Kennedy a tour of the campus. They enjoyed seeing the new soccer and lacrosse field, new roadway, tennis courts and the renovated buildings. John and Nancy are the largest contributors to the renovation of our C&F Building, and we surely thank them for that, also. We stopped at the University bookstore where they purchased a UDM t-shirt and sweatshirts and a huge UDM flag to hang at their home. Nancy explained that they have many high school students coming to visit, and she wants them to see the UDM logo. John and Nancy are good friends from their days at the University, so it was a delight to be with them again.

Sincerely,

Gerald Cavanagh, S.J.
Interim Dean, College of Business Administration