Fall 2020 Dean’s Message

The Pivot to the Fall 2020 semester is in full swing. I think everyone is happy to see some semblance of normalcy returning — imperfect as that “normalcy” is today — and returning to more familiar patterns of life. Personally, I am very grateful for the condition we’re in, knowing full-well that the College of Business has done a truly remarkable job preparing under these challenging and ever-changing circumstances.

I am proud to tell you that our faculty and staff spent the summer in earnest preparing for a safe return while grappling with challenging conversations surrounding the cultural and racial unrest. We discussed how we, as an institution, would respond to ending systemic racism and creating equal opportunity. We look forward to continuing this vital work, building upon our existing community programs, and supporting President Bendapudi’s commitment to becoming the premier anti-racist metropolitan research university.

The College laid out an ambitious and comprehensive strategy to safely reopen for students. We worked tirelessly to ensure that University health protocols like masks, physical distancing, and sanitizing public spaces were the standard. We invested in technology like never before to ensure our students — in person or online — had access to the tools and resources needed to succeed in their studies.

We also took time weekly, to bring our community together in friendship and fellowship. In the face of virtual meetings and remote work, offering time to check-in, support, and to continue to learn about one another helped solidify our sense of who we are as a community of care.

Over the past year, the College has genuinely come together to recruit, orient, and onboard students. Our undergraduate advising and student success staff, graduate recruiting, admissions, and support staff — as well as our marketing group and IT folks have stepped up in amazing and selfless ways, for which I am deeply grateful. The end yield is an increase in our undergraduate population and dramatic growth in our graduate student enrollment.

Students are choosing our College — your College of Business — to further their aspirations. Through joining us, they are saying that they believe in our faculty and staff to help them build the knowledge they need to change their lives and the world at large. Our virtuous cycle continues.

Our commitment to our students is unwavering. The last few months of preparation have challenged us to rethink how we deliver not just our course content in new and creative modalities, but to reimagine how we will support our students in ways that will help them emerge better. We are committing resources to build a more robust suite of student services and are partnering with the business community to help bolster our efforts.

I know there will be moments when we stumble, but we’ll persevere. We learn from adversity and continue to be resourceful. As has been demonstrated throughout this challenging year, together, we will all emerge better.

Best,

Todd A. Mooradian
Dean, University of Louisville
College of Business