A Message from the Dean
Greetings from the University at Buffalo School of Management.
As I write this, we are welcoming our students back to campus for the first fully in-person semester since the COVID-19 pandemic began. To say it was a challenging 18-plus months for everyone would be an understatement, yet it is heartening to see how the grit and determination of our students, alumni, faculty and staff carried us all through.
In a similar vein, this issue of Buffalo Business focuses on how organizations face change, adapt and grow.
For instance, our cover story looks at the challenges and opportunities of the burgeoning cannabis industry. Whatever your personal view of the issue, the legal market is estimated to reach $41 billion by 2026—roughly the size of the craft beer industry—and we would be remiss as a B-school if we didn’t examine and seek to understand the business impact.
Another evolving situation is the post-pandemic “return to work.” While some employers just want to get back to “normal,” many employees would like to continue to work remotely. In this feature story, two alumni experts and I explore the issues around home and hybrid arrangements.
In Startups, you can read how the school is moving forward in several bold initiatives. We launched our new MS in business analytics, expanded our growing portfolio of micro-credentials, hosted a successful leadership conference and kicked off our Diversity and Inclusion Role Model Speakers Series. And, after a successful peer review, our AACSB accreditation has been extended for another five years.
As always, we celebrate the success of our students and alumni, and you will see examples throughout this issue, including Panasci Entrepreneurship Competition winners Ryan Young, MD/MBA ’21, and Anders Rosén, MBA ’21; exceptional undergrad Zay Ya Min Yin; and the high-achieving Lisa Macpherson, EMBA ’96.
You’ll also see how adaptability has been a successful strategy for our first-generation college students, and how 10 years of LeaderCORE™ graduates are making an impact in the workplace.
As students return to the place-based campus UB is meant to be, we are proud that we’re not just teaching business innovation, we are driving it.
Warm regards,