Dean Ginzberg speaks to students at the Kogod Network - the school's largest networking event of the year.

Recently I’ve been meeting with some of the bright new faces who have decided to attend American University to study business in the fall. I’m proud to report that our incoming freshman class is a very talented group. They’ve already accomplished a lot—and they’re excited to set foot on campus as full-fledged freshmen.

We’re also seeing strong interest in our new BS in Finance undergraduate program. The more technical, more mathematical nature of the program definitely appeals to a cadre of prospective students.

I believe one of the reasons these students are choosing to study business here at AU is that there is strong value in an education that includes a broad liberal arts background but also prepares them for the world of work. Our students recognize that a business degree is a good investment in their future.

And the job market for young graduates is also showing renewed strength. We see that nationally—with figures from the National Associate of Colleges and Employers. As a story on our website indicated, this is the second consecutive year in which employers have adjusted their hiring expectations upward, with 2012 hiring projections even higher than initial reports suggested.

We’re also seeing it “on the ground” here at Kogod. The full-time positions and summer internships that our students have lined up already are quite impressive—on both the undergraduate and graduate sides—and we know there is more good news to come.

For example, one of our graduating seniors, Brian Berry, will shortly be in Seattle at Amazon’s headquarters, where the company is hiring recent graduates for a retail management program. He’ll be doing vendor and inventory management and pricing strategies. Jessica Mouras, an accounting student, had her pick of firms and chose Ernst & Young, where she’ll start in October as a staff auditor after she sits for the CPA exam this summer.

There are plenty more examples, but I’ll be brief for now. You can learn about the rest as we cover them proudly on our website over the summer. Congratulations to Brian, Jessica, and all our soon-to-be graduates. I wish everyone best of luck and an excellent summer.

The answer: Family businesses. This time around, Kogod Now tackles corporate governance—an area of research interest for our faculty in many disciplines. The cover story, “Blood in Business,” even references the infamous movie as it explores the unique circumstances of family-founded firms.

Of course, The Godfather is fictional, but I think some of its lessons relate to our new publication.

For example, the notion that family comes first. In fact, through his groundbreaking research, Ron Anderson and his colleague proved that family firms are more valuable than their counterparts. His latest project revealed that corporate transparency is key to their success (bad news for the Coreleones).

Accountability is another common thread. In the article “The Risk Return Paradox,” we explore the relationship between CEO compensation and firms’ risks and returns. Parthiban David, Augustine Duru and Yijiang Zhao jointly researched the project. I was especially pleased to read about this collaborative work, done by faculty members in different academic departments.

We were also fortunate to have Barry Dewberry, MS ’82, contribute a column about his own flourishing family firm—and how difficult it was for him to enact a succession plan that went beyond the Dewberry family.

Of course, The Godfather himself probably wouldn’t relate to our investigation of the underrepresentation of women on corporate boards. Or Linda Fisher’s thoughtful column on the business case for sustainability at DuPont, where she serves as Chief Sustainability Officer. And forget about the finer points of regulation and auditors’ independence. But he might find our student’s exploration of Russian corporate raiding intriguing.

I hope you will turn the page, virtually, and read about some of the very fine work that Kogod faculty, students and alumni are up to in the new issue.

There were several highlights for me. First, I stumbled upon a Bugatti Veyron (amid a throng of tourists) on Rodeo Drive—one of the world’s most powerful sports cars, with an equally impressive price tag. Personally, I would have picked another color scheme…

Speaking of million-dollar purchases, I also attended a site visit featuring the Altman Brothers’ real estate firm (Josh is on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing”). Kudos to Matthew Shukaitis, BSBA ’13, who helped set up the visit all the way from London, where he is studying abroad this semester. Matthew previously interned for another agent on the show.

Josh and Matt Altman are the epitome of entrepreneurs. The agents to the stars have racked up a jaw-dropping list of celebrity home sales, most in the multi-million range. Their advice to the students had as much chutzpah as they do. Though I personally wouldn’t advise to “fake it until you make it,” for them, the philosophy has paid off.

Dean Factor’s message was one I could more closely relate to: the importance of hard work to be successful. Dean (BSBA ’87 and former CEO of Smashbox Cosmetics) spoke at our alumni dinner at The Standard hotel. The students loved him. (He’s on the far right in the photo below).

The students were able to take in several other visits—including a behind-the-scenes tour of Dodgers stadium, which they raved about, the Getty Museum, and a trip to DisneyToon Studios. I want to say a final thanks to the Parks family for hosting the entire group at their beautiful home. I am always glad to see parents taking such an interest in our community. And, of course, I took the opportunity while visiting California again  to connect with our alumni.

In the next couple of weeks, I will be visiting Boston and New York, and will meet with more alumni as well as some prospective students.

Mardi Gras (Image courtesy: Flickr)

A happy Fat Tuesday to my readers.

It’s fitting that today is Mardi Gras; I have New Orleans on my mind. I’ve just returned from the AACSB dean’s conference, which was held there last week. It’s one of my favorite professional events, and an opportunity to really connect with my peers. The conference is only open to business school deans.

That it was held in New Orleans was a bonus. It was my first time back there since I spent a year volunteering in service of Tulane University after Hurricane Katrina. A huge transformation has taken place since I left in June 2007. The city—and Tulane itself—has really taken off. The disaster has led to substantive change that is easy to spot.

When I started at Tulane in July 2006, New Orleans was not an easy place to live, even in the mostly-spared Garden District. Finding an open grocery store was difficult. The streetcars didn’t run, as the tracks and overhead power lines remained damaged. Many buildings on the Tulane campus, which had largely been devoid of flooding, still showed signs of damage.

The city was struggling, and parents sensed it. Tulane had an average of 1,300 new freshmen each year before Katrina; the year I served, they were down to 800. That’s why I approached them and offered my help: I had the opportunity, and they had more problems than resources to solve them.

Out of adversity, Tulane’s leaders (including my former boss, University president Scott Cowen) took a proactive approach—not just to restoring the campus, but also to reinvigorating the student experience. For example, civic projects have become a central part of students’ education. Tulane has become one of the hottest schools in the U.S., and last year, it enrolled hundreds more freshmen than before the storm.

At the dean’s conference, I had a chance to reconnect with Scott, and to hear him speak about the importance of bringing that same proactive approach to the global issues facing higher education. He said that just as New Orleans rallied to recovery following the storm, we must confront the challenges in higher education.

During the conference, I thought about the greater impact business students have on our communities, whether they are in New Orleans or Washington, D.C. Tulane students’ dedication to serving their community reminded me of AU students—especially in light of this year’s Kogod Case Competition, where contestants battled to find the best solution for OPOWER, a local company that helps consumers use energy more efficiently.

I was inspired by the way the student body at Tulane became so involved in the recovery effort; the connection that they built to their city is admirable. The students have proven to be a relevant, important part of the solution, and their model is one that our students can emulate—it’s a natural extension of the service and commitment Kogod students already display.

I am privileged to have been a modest part of Tulane’s efforts, and I am delighted to see that New Orleans has come so far since my last visit.

Alumni at Bobby Van's on January 23

New York City has been a hub of American University alumni activity this month (although I suppose this could be said every month — many of our graduates choose careers in the Big Apple). For my part, I have headed north to Manhattan twice, first for a reception during the 10th annual NYC Site Visit Trip, and then for the first meeting of our new alumni affinity group, the NY Finance Network.

I am particularly excited about the new industry-specific group. Alumni are such an important part of our community, and we are taking fresh steps to deepen our connections with them.

But back to the beginning: the NYC Site Visit Trip is an opportunity for marketing and communications students to explore career paths, network, and pick the brains of AU alumni in NYC’s marketing and communications space. I attended the student-alumni reception on Wednesday evening, where we had about 150 attendees gathered at the Aspen Social Club—it was quite the scene.

Many of the alumni present—who hailed from Kogod and the School of Communication—were responsible for setting up the trip’s site visits. Our alumni are pivotal in helping students think about their careers and helping them make those first critical steps. I’m grateful for their time and commitment.

The following morning, Mike Carberry, an executive-in-residence in Marketing, chaired a panel at an alumni-student breakfast meeting with marketing and advertising alumni at Ogilvy & Mather. Another example of the AU community coming together to learn from one another.

Every year, students give rave reviews about this trip—this year was no different.

Just last week, I traveled to New York again for the Finance Network kick-off. Held at Bobby Van’s, a well known watering hole off Wall Street, it drew more than 40 undergraduate and graduate alumni from the financial services and real estate industries. The creation of this group is very important; it is the first AU alumni group based on industry, not graduating class year or school affiliation.

The highlight of the evening was a panel discussion moderated by another faculty member, Phil English. The panel featured: Sam Dedio, MSA ‘91, Senior Portfolio Manager at Artio Global Investors; Bob Matza, President of GoldenTree Asset Management and father of a current Kogod student; and Ira Jersey, SOC ‘93, Director of Interest Rate Strategy at Credit Suisse. They provided an insider’s look at the finance industry’s trajectory in 2012.

Some of our alums and guests continued the fun well past the official end of the event, enjoying each other’s company and seeing the sights with Becca Youngerman of our Alumni Relations team.

The NY Finance Network is the first of our industry-specific group events. I hope to see you at a future Finance Network event—they will be held four times a year—or at a network event in another city, as we work to expand this initiative.

Participants of the panel discussion.

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, Dean Ginzberg moderated a panel discussion on the evolving strategic partnerships — business, technological, and cultural — between India, Israel, and the United States. The event was co-sponsored by the  AU Center for Israel Studies, Kogod School of Business, Embassy of India, Embassy of Israel, Virginia Israel Advisory Board (Office of the Governor), and the American Jewish Committee.

Participants included:

• Ambassador Arun Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission, Indian Embassy, and former Indian Ambassador to Israel
• Ohad Cohen, Minister for Trade, Embassy of Israel
• Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and CEO, Henry Schein, Inc. and co-chair of the India-Israel Business Forum
• Sandhya Satwadi, Confederation of Indian Industry
• Maina Chawla Singh, AU Scholar in Residence, author of Being Indian, Being Israeli (2009)
• Nissim Reuben, American Jewish Committee

In that time, I’ve missed the conference only once—an attendance record I am very proud of! It represents an important opportunity to connect with colleagues I’ve known for years, many of whom are now also in leadership positions (such as Al Merten, soon-to-be retired president of George Mason University and all-around great guy).

I was able to stay on for an extra few days, and traveled from the conference in Shanghai to Xi’an, where I spoke at a symposium on the future of research in the information systems field. I met with leaders from a major university there about the potential for joint programs with Kogod. As our students know, Kogod has regularly traveled to China for short-term global learning trips (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels), but this would represent an increase in our involvement in China.

My fellow riders and I snap pictures as the maglev train reaches 422 km/h - and kept climbing. (Taken with my trusty iPad).

I consider this to be an important step for the Kogod School and for our students. China will soon be the largest economy in the world, and has roughly four times as many people as we do here in the United States. This was my fifth time visiting the country, where I am continually amazed by the incredible contrasts present: extreme wealth and poverty; unbelievable technology amidst manual labor.

On the Maglev train, which is the only high-speed line of its kind in the world, I was impressed by the incredible speed at which we traveled. However, on the platform, Chinese workers manually opened the small metal railings that prevented us from falling onto the tracks. It was the equivalent of having three gas station attendants at each pump – more people than necessary to complete the task, and certainly something that could have been automated.

The other reason my trip to China was so important is to keep a close eye on our competition, which is global in every sense. Although at present, there are a very small number of Chinese universities ranked among the best in the world, in the next ten years I expect this to change, driven in part by the rapidly growing cadre of well-trained Chinese students.

What does all this mean for the U.S. economy, and for higher education? We need to be involved, to learn more about our Chinese counterparts, and to recognize that they are increasingly part of our world.

On the road again?

I’ve finally settled in here, and it’s time to pack up again. Alright, it’s only for a few days. I’m heading to Westchester County, NY, with my family for Thanksgiving. I’ll be spending the holiday with my wife, our two sons, and my brother, sister and their families (and a very tall German exchange student, Katya, who lives with my brother’s family).

Each year, my mother (who is 88 years old) still insists on hosting dinner. If the weather cooperates, before settling down we will probably go for a hike in the woods near her home. Then, we’ll eat too much turkey and argue about politics. (As the only “suit” in the family—my brother and sister both work in alternative health care—my views on balanced budgets tend to be more conservative than theirs). Thankfully, I am in charge of selecting the wine.

I want to wish every one of you a happy and safe holiday. How will you be celebrating?

It was an appropriately beautiful place to talk about sustainability—the theme of our discussion this year. I was proud to introduce our new MS in Sustainability Management program, and its director, Dan Jacobs, to the other deans and leaders in attendance.

Everyone agreed that sustainability is a major issue for business schools; it was gratifying for me to see how many other educators viewed our program as on the forefront of all the programs in the marketplace—even those not offered through business schools.

It’s hardly news that corporations are investing huge amounts in reconfiguring what products they offer, how they produce them, and their larger company footprint. But, this was made apparent again to me last week, where I talked with invited speakers such as Don Reed, director of sustainable business solutions for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Jamie Moore, director of sourcing and sustainability at Eat’n Park.

Some photos from my trip to Puerto Rico.

It was also evident as I toured the Bacardi factory in Puerto Rico (I didn’t go purely for the free samples—though I did enjoy them!). As you can see from my pictures, Bacardi—which is the largest privately held spirits company in the world—has made significant investments in sustainability and corporate responsibility, both at its distillery and elsewhere. I’m proud to note that Facundo Bacardi, chair of the board of directors, also happens to be a Kogod alumnus (BSBA ’90).

Now, I will acknowledge that there are a number of cities across the country where a great business education is available. And, coming from my most recent post, I would argue that New York is still the financial capital of the United States.

The bottom line is, however, that business is global; and, there is simply no city more global than Washington, D.C. I contend there is no location more global than American University’s, here in the nation’s capital.

I’m not the only one who has made the leap here from the Big Apple. Last year, while I was still in New York, the Wall Street Journal reported that the office market in D.C. was poised to topple NYC as the nation’s most expensive—a clear sign of the expansion underway here. With its relatively healthy job prospects, D.C. is an attractive market for many of our students.

In addition, government involvement in business (or intrusion, depending on your perspective), is greater now than it has ever been—at least in my lifetime—and it is going to stay that way for the next 25 years.

There is a lot of talk about whether government regulation helps or hinders the economy and resulting job growth, not to mention the impact on small business. Our Tax Center is conducting research in this area to add to the discussion. As a national election year looms, I have no doubt that the pros and cons of regulation will be hotly debated.

Regardless of your stance, D.C. is the optimal place to be as this debate wages on. There is no shortage of opportunity to listen to the debate, join in the conversation, and perhaps have an influence. And, for that reason, it is the best place to study business.