Dear Alumni and Friends,
Welcome to the latest edition of the Duquesne Business Leader. In this issue, we share ways that our student entrepreneurs, world-class facilities, impactful faculty scholarship and alumni engagement are Transcending Boundaries, positioning the School as a global leader in business education.
In June 2018, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) reaccredited the School of Business for another five years. AACSB represents the “gold standard” for business education globally, with less than five percent of the world’s business schools earning AACSB accreditation. Our most recent reaccreditation is a major accomplishment and a true testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff, the quality of our programs and the achievements of our students. It’s also a testament to all the humbling support we receive from alumni, corporate partners and friends of the School.
There is no doubt that the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business is well on its way to Achieving Distinctive Excellence. Over the past five years, a remarkable amount of change has occurred in the School, from redesigning curricula to launching new programs to major facilities renovations and more.
The School’s engagement and innovation efforts are guided by our strategic goals, with many “means to achieve” vetted, reviewed and supported by our advisory councils. In particular, I want to acknowledge the important roles played by our Business Advisory Council (BAC) and Investment Center Advisory Council (ICAC), both of which launched in 2015. In this issue, we share reflections from members of these two councils about their proudest School accomplishment in their roles as strategic advisors to the School.
Our faculty are having a significant impact with their research and publications. In May, Dr. Peter Gianiodis’ article, “Why Entrepreneurship Programs for Engineers Fail,” was published in Harvard Business Review. And in July, the Business & Society 360 book series, an annual scholarly publication focusing on cutting-edge developments in the broad business and society field, published its second volume, “Corporate Social Responsibility.” Congratulations to Dr. Gianiodis and book series co-editors Dr. David Wasieleski and Dr. James Weber for their accomplishments. We appreciate the visibility they (and many other faculty) are bringing to the School thanks to their work.
An entrepreneurial mindset, a key success skill that we strive to instill in all students, led to an incredible decision by two alumni from the class of 2016. Instead of taking jobs after graduation, Max Knape and Samuel Frymier together founded Quesne Capital, an investment management firm based in Pittsburgh. The idea for the company emerged from their senior finance capstone course—which focused on designing quantitative models to outperform the market. We share their compelling story in this issue.
In another story, Brennan Bizon is an award-winning custom sneaker artist and Duquesne business student. What started as a hobby decorating custom shoes has grown into a business producing hundreds of shoes and serving national and international clients, including leading sports figures and celebrities.
Looking ahead, in spring 2019, we will begin renovations of the entire 6th floor of Rockwell Hall (which includes a planned two-story atrium extending through the 7th floor). Once complete, the 6th floor will house new Institutes in Business Ethics, Investment Management and Sustainable Business Innovation. Plus, there will be plenty of gathering spaces and a small café, continuing our efforts to make Rockwell a place students want to stay in. Moreover, the 6th floor skywalk from the bluff, our “front door,” will be completely rebuilt.
We are proud of our proven track record of success. Our future has never been brighter—and our aspirations have never been higher. But without dedicated alumni and friends, like you, none of this would be possible. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Dean B. McFarlin, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor of Management
