Announcing the new School of Business & Society

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am proud to announce the establishment of the School of Business & Society, ushering in a new era of business education at the University of Redlands.

This new school will build upon the strengths of the former School of Business in areas such as purposeful leadership, social and ethical responsibility, diversity and inclusive excellence, and geographic information systems (GIS) and society. It will also create new pathways for undergraduate majors through 4+1 programs to the MBA and M.S. in Business Analytics. Additional collaborations are under way involving faculty and programs that had have business and society elements.

Thomas Horan, now the Senecal Endowed Dean of the School of Business & Society, will lead the effort in close collaboration with leaders across the University, including Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Steve Wuhs.

As Dean Horan notes, “the University has long had a deep commitment to providing business education to a highly diverse student body and empowering students to make an impact on their businesses and the world around them. Over the last several years, it has become clear that businesses and their leaders need to take an active role in the world they inhabit. It is incumbent upon business schools like ours to prepare students to be those new business leaders.” 

Programmatically, the School of Business & Society is refining its curricular and co-curricular offerings under the seven pillars of business and society: purposeful and inclusive management, ethical leadership, socially responsible practices, data-informed decision making, innovation and entrepreneurship, global and cross-cultural perspectives, and environmental sustainability. 

Current students who started in the School of Business will be able to finish their programs seamlessly, as many of the business and societal elements have already been integrated into the curriculum. Academic questions should be directed to student success advisors. 

The new School of Business & Society will be hosting a celebration on November 11, 2021, at the Orton Center and online. The event will feature a range of speakers, including: Judy Samuelson, Vice President of the Aspen Institute; Elsa Luna ’04 (MBA), Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of KPCC Radio; and Cindy Elliott, Director, Global Business and Corporate Sustainability, Esri Corporation. More information about the event is available on the Business for a Better World event website. See also the School of Business & Society website.

Congratulations to everyone involved in launching this innovative venture, and I look forward to taking part in its future successes!

Warm regards,

 Krista L. Newkirk
President