Message from the Dean

Dean Mohan Tanniru*

A focus on the future

As a new decade begins, we continue to focus on understanding how the business transformations in this region are impacting our strategies in the way we help students better prepare themselves to compete in this market place as well as how our research can help successful business transformation.

Whether it’s in the classroom with our undergraduate, graduate and professional students, across the world through research and global partnerships, or working with individuals and organizations to transform the economy, we continue to operationalize the integration theme of the business school through experiential learning, global understanding and integrative thinking.

In this issue of SBA Insight Online you’ll read about how our global understanding efforts are supporting student leadership to encourage Chinese businesses to invest in the United States, while at the same time, partnerships with faculty member from Hohai University in China enhance research results and create real value for the business world.

Closer to home, our integrative thinking is bringing displaced workers and small manufacturers together, with graduate students, to explore both innovations in the operations of tool and die industry and potential diversification to reshape the manufacturing industry. Through partnerships with the SIM Foundation, donors, regional companies such as Fanuc, Takata and Ford among others, SBA is helping small manufactures compete during these tumultuous times.

In today’s economy, experiential learning, tied to advanced education, really does make a difference. In this issue, you’ll read about how two business graduate students are using their education in different SBA programs to increase their business acumen. A meaningful connection with our Accounting and Finance alumni also evolved into a partnership further strengthened our well-known program. Whether it’s through custom education programs – like those created with our Professional and Community Education group – or through sponsored projects – like those supported through our Experiential Learning and Innovation program – we’re partnering with businesses to meet their immediate needs and enhance the needs of our students.

Take time to read the articles in this issue to get a flavor for how the SBA at OU is working to help support the economic transformation of this region. I invite you to consider how you can benefit from our work or partner with us to make a difference – whether as a partner, as a student, as a donor or as a community member, we welcome your involvement and insight.

*Image created by and supplied courtesy of Michael G. Mitchell owner of Paonia Peddler Gallery, Paonia, CO. Mitchell is former president/CEO of an automotive supplier which sponsored OU SBA students in the ATiB program.