One area that has gotten me excited recently is the leadership change in our program. Our former Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, Murat Tarimcilar, was recently promoted to focus on larger strategic issues for the School of Business. Dean Murat had the vision to redesign our MBA program three years ago, and that effort has truly revolutionized the way GW provides a business education. Now we have a new dean specifically for MBA programs, Dr. Liesl Riddle. Dean Riddle is known for her successful professional career and excellent teaching abilities, but what excites me is her passion for students. She has truly hit the ground running, and we look forward to working with her to continuous improve our program and take it to the next level.

Last weekend, GW hosted an excellent group of prospective students on our campus, and I had the opportunity to sit on a student panel and interact with them directly. I was very impressed with the talent I saw. The rising stature of our program and our new admissions process has really attracted a great group of new students, and we look forward to welcoming them next year. After a tough week of exams, it really felt good to talk about the opportunities that the Global MBA program provides. It reminded me and others of what inspired us to come to GW and how lucky we are to have this opportunity to enhance our abilities and develop the amazing friendships that we are building.

Finally, we started a new event at GWSB this year: Business Gives Back. So many of our students have started initiatives that are improving lives outside of GW, and Business Gives Back was a student-led fundraising event that recognized the efforts of our peers and raised more than $5,000 for one of those programs, LearnServe International. On top of that, over 15 different MBAs performed at the event. The array of talent was unbelievable, and we hope to continue this amazing showcase every year.

There is so much going on at GWSB right now, and somehow we are still managing to get a strong business education. It is my honor to serve as President of the MBA Association, and I am very proud of what we are accomplishing every day. Thanks for reading, and check back for constant updates on MBA life here at The George Washington University School of Business.