Where: Duquès Hall
Crain Center - First Floor
2201 G St NW
Washington, D.C.

GW’s MSPM (Master of Science in Project Management) Alumni Association invites 2012 graduates and their guests to a special reception to welcome its newest alumni. Meet fellow graduates of the MSPM program during this annual May commencement event and learn more about the MSPM alumni association.  For more information and to register, visit  http://www.business.gwu.edu/alumni/maymspm.

When:  Wednesday, May 23, 6:30-9:30 pm

Details:  A panel of distinguished guests will be invited to share their personal experiences in the work world on the following topics:

• Overcoming internalized cultural inhibitions
• Dealing with and breaking free of the obstacles of unintentional stereotyping
• Leveraging your ethnic/cultural background in the business world

Schedule:

6:30-7:00 pm – Informal Networking

7:00-8:00 pm – Guest Panel with Q&A

8:00-8:45 pm – Networking and Food

Location: The George Washington University School of Business, Funger Hall Auditorium, Room 103 (22nd and G Street NW, near Foggy Bottom Metro)

GWSB alumni welcome.

To register, please click here.

If you are interested in participating, please send an e-mail to mj325@gwmail.gwu.edu to register.

For more information, visit www.miriamskitchen.org.

Where: Tonic Foggy Bottom
2036 G Street NW
Washington, D.C.

GW Tech Alumni will gather at Tonic in Foggy Bottom for an end-of-year career development event.  A career center representative will be on hand to discuss alumni resources and review resumes.  For more information and to register, visit  http://www.business.gwu.edu/alumni/maytech.

MSIST graduates and alumni are welcome.

When: Wednesday, May 23, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Where: The In & Out (Naval & Military Club), No. 4 St James’s Square, London, United Kingdom, SW1Y 4JU

GW alumni in the London area are cordially invited to a reception to meet Doug Guthrie, dean of the GW School of Business.  Dean Guthrie will discuss his dynamic vision for the University’s international expansion as GW launches a new strategic plan.  For more information and to register, visit http://www.business.gwu.edu/alumni/london.

Name: 

Job title:  Executive Director of Creative Services

Job duties:  Leading the creative direction of the business school’s marketing collateral.

How long have you worked at GW:  I am finishing my second week.

What’s best, so far, about working here:  The people, the business school’s vision for the future and the long list of interesting projects.

What’s something your co-workers do not know about you:  I am a classically trained cellist and also played and sang in an Irish band for 10 years.  I can also recite the 50 states in alphabetical order in 20 seconds.

Where did you grow up:  Cincinnati, Ohio; Ann Arbor and Holland, Mich.; and West Hartford, Conn.

Family:  I have an incredibly close, but small, immediate family (father, mother, sister) and a huge extended family that includes 30 aunts and uncles and too many cousins to keep track of.  As for my own “offspring,” I have a three-year-old cockapoo (not to be confused with a cockatoo) named Thomas.

Any hobbies?:  Right now, I am working on getting my cello chops back into shape.  I also love creative projects of any kind – painting, collage, design – and learning new technologies.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend:  Many things!  Seeing live music (classical, indie, and folk music are my favorites), spending time with friends and family, taking spontaneous trips, riding my bike and going to the gym, playing fetch with my dog in the dog park, reading, and going to museums and galleries I’ve never been to before.

Favorite vacation spots:  I love to scuba dive, so places with beautiful reefs are high on my list – Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia, and Ambergris Caye in Belize.  I am also crazy about Spain, Ireland and Lucca in Italy.  But there are so many places left to see…

A favorite book:  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

A favorite movie:  Once and Out of Africa.  It is a tie.

A favorite food: Salmon (healthy) and ice cream (not-so-healthy).

E-mail:  patton@gwu.edu

Phone:  (202) 994-7870

Global MBA candidates enjoy a meal in Mumbai, India.

The Consulting Abroad Project (CAP) is built into the first-year curriculum of all GWSB Global MBA candidates.  In the spring semester, students complete an academic component at GWSB, which is immediately followed by a two-week overseas trip during which candidates work directly with their international clients in country.  This year, students are traveling to Brazil, India, Peru, Rwanda, Sweden and Turkey.

Several Global MBA candidates are providing detailed updates online about their experiences at the “Writers in Residency” blog.  What follows is a sample of some their reports from the field.

Gregory Butler, MBA, ’13, explains the mission of the Sweden CAP teams:

“Our Consulting Abroad Project (CAP) revolves around assisting three firms seeking to expand the Swedish presence in the United States, specifically in the U.S. clean technology market.  Our task?  Develop a U.S. market-entry strategy for each company’s core products.  GWSB MBA students have been divided into three teams, with each team assigned to a specific company as a client.”

Troy Finnegan, MBA, ’13, shares the following about getting ready for a residency in India:

“Not sure when the last time you received immunizations is, but wow – I couldn’t lift my left arm for almost three days (tetanus shot will do that to you).  The nurse who was administering said shot, mentioned she’d seen a lot of GMBA students over the past week.  I couldn’t help but ask if any of the men got freaked out and wouldn’t cooperate.  She started cracking up, and though she wouldn’t give any names, said that there were one or two.”

Jaydeep Thakkar, MBA, ’13, reports on the hard work put in by the Turkey CAP teams to complete their assignments:

“We are now getting closer to experiencing the best part about the Consulting Abroad Program, which is getting an opportunity to implement the concepts that we learnt throughout our first-year in the MBA Program.  It tests our ability to implement those theories that we learnt in a classroom, while trying to solve real-world problems.”

Follow these and other Global MBA candidates online, as they file regular updates from around the world.

Anna Helm

Anna Helm, assistant professor of international business, secured a grant from the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) for her “CleanTech Resource: U.S.-Swedish Perspectives” project.  The $3,000-grant provided by SWEA’s D.C. chapter, will help to fund a Web site aimed at promoting Swedish companies working in clean technology, and sharing their information with the global community.

Helm, who also serves as business-language coordinator for the GW Center for International Business & Research (GW-CIBER), a research institute housed within GWSB, has worked with the Swedish American Chambers of Commerce to develop residency programs in Sweden for the Global MBA program’s Consulting Abroad Project (CAP).  Global MBA candidates are currently working with three Swedish firms to promote clean-energy projects as part of the spring 2012 CAP.

According to Helm, the SWEA grant will directly benefit the overseas residency program.  “The project idea is to develop a resources site for future Sweden CAPers,” she said.

FDFCC’s James Barricelli (left) and Tim Ryan of the International Finance Corporation

The F. David Fowler Career Center’s “Networking + Speaker” series wrapped up for the 2011-12 academic year with informative sessions on opportunities in international business and finance.  Each of the four sessions in the series featured a presentation from industry experts followed by the opportunity for students to network with representatives from local employers.

On April 3, Tim Ryan, International Finance Corporation (IFC) principal investment officer in its Global Portfolio Unit for Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services, discussed his career in international finance, working in emerging markets around the world, including East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, Latin America, Africa, Russia and the Middle East.  Ryan described the IFC and its mission, as well as current opportunities in the international finance sector.

The final session, on April 19, featured a panel presentation and discussion on “financing innovation and growth,” with panelists Theron Green, vice president, small business banker, Bank of America; Andrew Sachs, founder, Sachs Capital, LLC; Jim McCabe, vice president, WWC Capital Group; and Nicholas Kilavos, director, Alliance Partners LLC.  Ken Alozie, financial advisor, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, served as moderator for the session, which covered a variety of topics, including market outlook for the year ahead, identifying and overcoming challenges in obtaining finance, and how to launch a career in financial services.

The popular series, co-sponsored by the D.C.-area alumni chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for business students and scholars, “was a great success,” according to James Barricelli, FDFCC associate director, employer relations.  “Student turnout and response was excellent, and I’d like to thank all of our speakers and Beta Gamma Sigma for working with the FDFCC to create such an outstanding program.”

Fabio Silveira de Paula, Controladoria Geral da União (CGU); Michael Jarvis, team leader, Governance for Extractive Industries, World Bank Institute; and James Ferrer, Jr., director, Center for Latin American Issues.

The Brazilian Institute of the Center for Latin America Affairs (CLAI) – a research center housed in the George Washington School of Business – recently completed a two-week “Seminar on Combating Corruption” for government officials from Brazil.  The program was sponsored by Controladoria Geral da União (CGU), a Brazilian government agency similar to office of comptroller.

This intensive course, which ran from April 30 through May 11, was devoted to building government personnel’s knowledge of how to combat corruption.  Topics covered in the program included: the American system of criminal justice, the social costs of corruption and implementing the Inter-American Convention on Corruption.

The Brazilian government officers met with or heard presentations from representatives of a number of U.S. government agencies and non-governmental organizations, including the Department of Justice, the Office of Governmental Ethics, the Government Accountability Office, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Trace International, Inc., a non-profit membership association committed to developing and sharing anti-bribery compliance solutions.

Participants returned to Brazil having bolstered their knowledge by studying anti-corruption methodologies and policies used by government agencies and NGOs in the U.S. that can be applied in their own country.

Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou

Dean Doug Guthrie announced that Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, professor of finance and Finance Department chair, has been appointed GWSB Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs.

“I am very honored and humbled to become the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs,” Bajeux-Besnainou said.  “After 18 years spent teaching and researching at GWSB, I have very high regard for our institution and the dedication of its faculty and staff.”

Bajeux-Besnainou talked about the benefits of the School’s location at “the intersection of business and policy” in Washington, D.C.  “In my opinion, GWSB is positioned to deliver the best undergraduate education for future business leaders.  Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke only needs to walk two blocks to teach our students the ins and outs of the Federal Reserve Bank.  Our students only need to walk a few blocks to intern on the Hill, at the White House, in the best PR firms in the country, at the World Bank or the IMF, and so many other prominent places,” she said.

“Following Dean Guthrie’s vision, I wish to contribute by building undergraduate programs that integrate the best business training with a classical liberal arts foundation.  I strongly believe that our GWSB undergraduates should learn analytical skills, critical thinking, questioning and creativity – skills that are becoming critical to success in an ever more complex, ever changing and diverse business environment and world,”  Bajeux-Besnainou added.  “I stand ready for a revolution in business education.”

Scheherazade Rehman

Scheherazade Rehman, director of GWSB’s European Union Research Center and professor of international business and international affairs, recently shared her analysis of the recent elections in France and Greece and their potential economic impact, in a number of publications.  Rehman was quoted in USA Today, “French and Greeks Vote, With U.S. Economy in the Balance” (May 4); the Washington Times, “Investors don’t panic over votes in France, Greece” (May 7); and U.S. News & World Report, “U.S. and E.U. Economics in Bizarro World” (May 7).

Rehman was also interviewed on the same topic on NPR,“Four Possible Post-Election Moves for Greece, France” (May 7); again on NPR, “Voting Out Austerity” (May 8); and on the “PBS News Hour,” “Troubling signs for Europe Ahead” (April 27).

Rehman is now a GW University blogger for the Huffington Post College blog.  Read her first post here.

Follow Rehman on Twitter at @Prof_Rehman.

When: Wednesday, May 23rd, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where: The In & Out (Naval & Military Club)
No. 4 St James’s Square
London, United Kingdom
SW1Y 4JU

GW Alumni of the London Area are cordially invited to a reception to meet Doug Guthrie, Dean of the GW School of Business. Dean Guthrie will discuss his dynamic vision for the University’s international expansion as GW launches a new strategic plan.  For more information and to register visit http://www.business.gwu.edu/alumni/london.

Dean Guthrie was joined on Wednesday, May 2, by Dean David Dolling of GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science for a talk titled “Transforming the Economy from the Nation’s Capital.” Alumni from around the region joined the deans in Tyson’s Corner to hear insights about how Washington and industry leaders can partner on innovative ideas that will ignite an economic renaissance and the connection between business, engineering and economic growth.

The paper was co-authored with David Ralston, the Michael F. Price Chair in International Business at the University of Oklahoma; Carolyn Egri, professor of management and organization studies at Simon Fraser University; Arif Butt, associate professor of management at the Lahore University of Management Sciences; Tevfik Dalgic, clinical professor of organizations, strategy and international management at the University of Texas, Dallas; and David Brock of Ben-Gurion University’s Department of Business Administration.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-10/northrop-ceo-sees-government-role-in-cybersecurity-standards.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/humane-society-university-in-dc-is-a-pioneer-in-the-growing-animal-studies-movement/2012/04/10/gIQAnnUwET_print.html

• By the Baltimore Sun:

  http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-privacy-law-20120410,0,4565780.story

• By the Washington Post:

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-business/post/maryland-lawmakers-approve-bill-barring-employers-from-collecting-facebook-passwords/2012/04/10/gIQAK0Hc8S_blog.htm

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/md-employers-cannot-collect-facebook-passwords/2012/04/13/gIQAZwQtJT_story.html

• By ABC News:

  http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/04/maryland-bill-bans-employers-from-facebook-passwords/

•  By the Huffington Post:

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/maryland-facebook-twitter-employers_n_1417844.html

•  By The Associated Press:
  http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/20/md-becomes-first-to-ok-password-protection-bill

• By WTTG, Washington:
  http://mediacenter.tveyes.com/downloadgateway.aspx?UserID=119374&MDID=981009&MDSeed=6837&Type=Media

• Shear was quoted on a similar bill in Congress By MSNBC:

  http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/27/11429972-exclusive-snopa-would-ban-employers-schools-from-demanding-facebook-passwords?lite

Video:  http://s3.amazonaws.com/TVEyesMediaCenter/UserContent/119374/989669.9391/WNET_04-27-2012_19.19.03.mp

Transcript:  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june12/globaleconomy2_04-27.html

When: Tuesday, May 22nd, 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Tonic Foggy Bottom
2036 G Street NW
Washington, D.C.

GW Tech Alumni will gather at Tonic in Foggy Bottom for an end-of-year career development event. A career center representative will be on hand to discuss alumni resources and review resumes..  For more information and to register visit: http://www.business.gwu.edu/alumni/maytech

When: Thursday, May 17th, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Where: Duquès Hall
Crain Center - First Floor
2201 G St NW
Washington, D.C.

GW’s MSPM (Master of Science in Project Management) Alumni Association invites 2012 graduates and their guests to a special reception to welcome its newest alumni. Meet fellow graduates of the MSPM program during this annual May commencement event and learn more about the MSPM alumni association.  For more information and to register: http://www.business.gwu.edu/alumni/maymspm

When:  Thursday, May 10, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.  (Registration opens at 7:30 a.m.)

Where:   GW’s Marvin Center Ballroom
21st and I Streets, NW
Washington, D.C.

GWSB’s Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis and PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership) is presenting an all-day conference, “The Future of Housing Finance:  Managing at a Time of Uncertainty.”  The featured luncheon speaker is Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

For a complete agenda:

http://business.gwu.edu/creua/conferences/#top

The conference is free and open to the GW community but space is limited.  To register, email rjvalero@gwu.edu

When:  Friday, May 4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m.)

Where:  Duquès Hall, Room 553
2201 G Street, NW
Washington, D.C.  20052

The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) is offering a professional development seminar for Chinese-language faculty led by Dr. Phyllis Zhang as part of a series of business, language-immersion events. The seminar will take place predominantly in Chinese and will include a tour of the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., and presentations on such topics as “US-China Economic Relations: Some Key Issues” and “Structural Transformation and Doing Business in China.”

The event is free and open to Chinese-language faculty, instructors and PhD candidates. To RSVP, email:  ciber@gwu.edu

For more information and the day’s agenda:
http://business.gwu.edu/CIBER/events/BusinessChinese.cfm

Job duties:  My main job is to manage Dean Guthrie’s schedule.

How long have you worked at GW:  I started in August as a graduate assistant so I’ve been here about 9 months but, just a few weeks ago, I became a full-time staff member.

What’s best, so far, about working here:  I’m a student in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development studying Higher Education Administration.  It’s been very interesting to see the concepts and ideas we discuss in class come to life at work.

What’s something your co-workers do not know about you:  On my high school cross-country team, my nickname was “Rhino.”  I got it because I would bob my head up and down while running − like a charging rhinoceros.  My teammates would even point their finger upward from their nose like a rhino horn.

Where did you grow up: 

Tim Ryan

I’m from Chelmsford, Mass., about half an hour north of Boston and a few minutes from the New Hampshire border.  I do not have a Boston accent.

Family:  Most of my family is in Massachusetts, and my grandparents and most of my aunts and uncles have lived in my hometown for a very long time.  My older brother, Mike, is a CPA one town over.  I’m the only one down here in DC, but I hope that my relatives can come and visit soon.

Any hobbies?  I love to follow baseball.  Now that the season is in full swing, I check in on my Red Sox and the rest of the teams every day.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend:  A lot of my friends from college live in DC or Northern Virginia, so I like to keep in touch with them and enjoy food and drink at our favorite Arlington spots.  (And on Thursdays, I’m part of a kickball team that plays on the National Mall; I play first base because I’m terrible at catching pop flies.)

Favorite vacation spots:  One of my favorite places in the world is the Lakes Region of New Hampshire − right in the middle of the state.  There’s fun stuff to do there in every season.

A favorite book:  Anything by Chuck Klosterman.  I’m currently reading Chad Harbach’s “The Art of Fielding,” which combines two of my favorite things:  baseball and a university.

A favorite movie:  I like “Empire Records” − a cult classic, mid-`90s teen movie − and the dystopian, post-apocalyptic “Children of Men.”

A favorite food:  Does Diet Coke count?  I’m a picky eater but you can’t go wrong with a nice pasta dish with a little fresh tomato sauce and meatballs or sausage.

E-mail:  timryan@gwu.edu

Phone:  202-994-7852

A sketch of Square 54 from I street looking toward 22nd Street, NW, in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

Panelists including Alicia Knight, GW’s senior associate vice president for operations; Charles Barber, GW’s deputy general counsel; Jake Stroman, vice president of development at Boston Properties, the Boston-based Square 54 developer; and Mike Wolksi, senior project manager at Clark Construction Group, LLC, the Bethesda, Md.-based company that built the project, discussed zoning, financing, neighborhood opposition and construction challenges.

For more on Foggy Bottom development:  http://neighborhood.gwu.edu/campusdev/square54.cfm

Harvard's Dwight H. Perkins spoke at a China colloquium at GWSB.

The 3rd China Colloquium presented by the Growth Dialogue housed at GWSB featured guest speaker Dwight H. Perkins, the Harold Hitchings Burbank research professor of political economy at Harvard University.

Perkins, who has served as an advisor on economic policy and reform to the governments of Korea, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, addressed reform measures in China that are aimed at shifting the nation away from exports and toward greater domestic consumption.

The Growth Dialogue is a network that connects policymakers, researchers and others interested in economic growth.  Danny Leipziger, professor of international business, is the managing director of the Growth Dialogue.

For more information:  http://www.growthdialogue.org/

Linda Rabbitt

Rand Construction founder, CEO and chairman and GW Board of Trustees member Linda Rabbitt will address GWSB’s graduating class on May 18.

The School’s commencement celebration will take place at GW’s Charles E. Smith Center, located on the Foggy Bottom campus at 600 22nd St., NW.

“Ms. Rabbitt is a pioneer in the business community,” said Dean Doug Guthrie. “She exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit we aspire to instill in our students at GWSB.”

“I still recall both the excitement and trepidation of my own graduation forty years ago,” said Rabbitt. “Much in business has changed, but entrepreneurship remains more important than ever.”

For a 2012 commencement schedule:  http://business.gwu.edu/commencement/

http://www.gwu.edu/~clai/about/who.htm

Ignacio Deschamps

“Ms. Rabbitt is a pioneer in the business community,” said GWSB Dean Doug Guthrie. “She exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit we aspire to instill in our students at GWSB. As the founder of two very successful commercial construction companies, Ms. Rabbitt is an ideal role model for students of an entrepreneur and innovator in her field.”

Ms. Rabbitt has received many accolades throughout her tenure in the construction industry. Most recently, she was honored by The Washington Business Journal as a “2012 Outstanding Director” for her exceptional service and vital leadership to the board at Towers Watson. Ms. Rabbitt was also profiled by NBC4 as part of The Fairfax Chamber’s “Starting, Growing & Succeeding as a Woman Entrepreneur” event. Additionally, Ms. Rabbitt was named as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in DC” by The Washingtonian in 2011 and was presented with a 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for her exemplary contributions and career achievements by the Professional Women in Construction Washington, D.C. Chapter.

“I’m honored to have been chosen for the commencement address this year,” said Ms. Linda Rabbitt, CEO of Rand Construction and GWSB’s 2012 commencement speaker. “I still recall both the excitement and trepidation of my own graduation forty years ago and it is with the perspective of those next forty years that I will address this year’s graduating class.  Much in business has changed but entrepreneurship and the” impact of the individual” remains more important than ever.”

Ms. Rabbitt was also the recipient of the “Distinguished Entrepreneurial Achievement Award” from the George Washington University. In 2008, she was inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame for her outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the quality of life in the National Capital Area. Ms. Rabbitt holds a Master of Arts degree from GW and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

“Not only is Ms. Rabbitt a successful business leader and board member, she is a driving force behind advancing opportunities for female executives,” said Dean Guthrie. “We are honored to have someone of her caliber speak at our commencement.”

GW’s School of Business is an international leader in education and research, which prides itself on training future leaders to be global problem solvers and socially responsible managers. The school leverages its prime location—in the heart of Washington—by attracting visiting scholars and leaders in the business community to work, teach and engage with students on campus.  The depth and variety of its academic and professional programs, including five specialized master’s programs, provide rich opportunities for academic engagement and career development for students in the school’s core Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration and doctoral programs.

For more information about the GW School of Business, visit: http://business.gwu.edu.

-GW-

The program, which is expected to draw about 30 students in its first year, is intended to meet a growing demand, worldwide, for qualified accountants.  Its aim is to prepare Chinese students for careers in accounting, auditing or taxation and for taking U.S. tests required to become Certified Public Accountants.

Krishna Kumar, the Benjamin Franklin Professor of Accountancy and chairman of the Accountancy Department, said the new program is a milestone for the School.

“It is a testimony to the quality and international reputation of our accountancy degree programs,” he said.

The two-year program is open to all students.  Prerequisite courses in Economics and Statistics can be taken during the first semester of the program, if students have not completed those courses previously.

The program offers the same courses, faculty, and resources as GWSB’s Master of Accountancy Program http://business.gwu.edu/maccy/.  During the first semester, students study at RUC-IC in China, with courses taught by faculty from RUC-IC and GWSB. The remainder of the program consists of 34.5 credits in the United States taught by GWSB faculty.

Students who complete the program will receive a Masters of Accountancy degree from GWSB as well as an Accountancy Certificate from RUC-IC.

“Thank you for your service and commitment,” said Dean Doug Guthrie at the April 26th retirement party in Duquès Hall.  “You’re going to be welcome here for as long as you want to be part of what we are doing.”

Dyer wants to stay involved; he plans to continue teaching in the on-line healthcare MBA program and to accompany students on a study-abroad trip once a year.

“I know that I can still make a contribution to the School,” said Dyer, who also served as a School administrator for 15 years and has long been involved with international study programs.  “Why quit altogether when you’re having fun?”

An Ohio native, Dyer was drawn to the School because he wanted to stay in the Washington, D.C.-area.  Back then, faculty taught numerous night and weekend classes to accommodate students who studied business outside the traditional workweek.  Duquès wasn’t yet built, and faculty offices were located blocks away in an old hotel.

But Dyer, who earned his Doctor of Business Administration degree in 1972 from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, wanted to stay near the Federal Trade Commission because he had worked with the agency while doing consumer-interest marketing research with a focus on advertising and public policy.

In addition to his duties as teacher and researcher, Dyer directed the executive MBA program and served as associate dean for graduate programs.  In the 1980s, he founded an international, business-case competition that was hosted by GW annually for the next two decades.

With fellow Professor of Marketing Salah Hassan, Dyer for five years led an MBA study-abroad program to Dubai, where students learned marketing strategy and market behavior in the Middle East.  He was a visiting professor in Egypt, Sweden, Portugal and Thailand, and estimates he visited and/or taught in 30 different countries over his career.

Vanessa Perry, chairwoman of the Marketing Department, said that Dyer, at one point or other, taught every course offered by the department.  What’s harder to quantify, she said, are Dyer’s “positive contributions to the culture, morale and high standards” of the department and School.

“Professor Dyer’s door is always open for a colleague in need,” Perry said.

While the School has changed tremendously since 1972, Dyer said it still attracts students and professors who want to teach and learn in a city with opportunities for workshops, internships and projects with government agencies, nonprofits, and political and public policy organizations.

“What I’ve learned is that some things never change,” Dyer said.  “D.C. continues to be a draw.”

Vanessa Perry, professor and Marketing Department chairwoman, smiles as retiring Marketing Prof. Robert Dyer looks at the plaque he received at his retirement party last week. Dyer is retiring from full-time teaching at GWSB after 40 years.

The panel discussion at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Md., drew over 300 alumni and guests.   In addition to Guthrie, the panel included GW Law Professor Jeffrey Rosen, GW Homeland Security Policy Institute Director Frank Cilluffo and Leo Chalupa, GW’s vice president of research.

The panel discussion was the second in a two-part series featuring various GW experts on cyber security. The first panel took place last fall in New York City.

Dean Guthrie, second from left, listens as GW Law Professor Jeffrey Rosen makes a point during a panel discussion last week on cyber security. To Guthrie's right are Frank Cilluffo, director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute, and Leo M. Chalupa, GW's vice president of research. (Photo by Dave Scavone)

Mary Miller, MBA, `78, launched the GWSB annual giving participation challenge two months ago, pledging to donate $100,000 if at least 2,400 other alumni made pledges of any size.

As of March 31, 2,478 alumni had pledged their support.

Mary Miller

For those who would like to support the Miller challenge, click here:

https://my.gwu.edu/mod/onlinegiving/index.cfm?designation=schools+and+programs&schools_programs=School+of+Business

This is a remarkable achievement for the GWSB Alumni Community. Individually and collectively, alumni have made an impact on GWSB by helping us to prepare the next generation of global business leaders.

GWSB is leading the revolution in redefining business education, and philanthropic support from alumni plays a key role in this process. Whether it is establishing unmatched learning opportunities in China, recruiting top thought-leaders to join our faculty, or partnering with the halls of power in Washington, DC to put our students at the center of business and society, opportunities like these are all made possible through the generous support of our alumni.  Thank you to all of our alumni donors and volunteers who helped make this challenge a success.

There is still time to support GWSB this fiscal year.  Click here to donate now!

*Multi-year total commitment.