Dear Members of the Atkinson Community,
I am excited to report that our faculty searches this year are bringing excellent results. We are searching to fill four tenure-track positions and two have been filled. Since the last newsletter, we have filled the position in Management; Operations Management and Supply Chain. Dr. Pritha Dutta, currently an Assistant Professor of Management in the Lubin School of Business at Pace University will join us next fall. Dr. Dutta earned her Ph.D. in Management Science from University of Massachusetts – Amherst, a master’s degree in operational research from University of Delhi and a bachelor’s degree in statistics from University of Calcutta. She brings a strong teaching record, an innovative research agenda, and much excitement about joining the Atkinson team. Our other two searches – Marketing and Management; Strategy and Entrepreneurship – are now concluding and I hope to be reporting on new hires very soon. I’m grateful to our search committees for their excellent work building very strong applicant pools and bringing forward outstanding finalists.
I returned last week from attending two conferences. The first was the annual conference of the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), which met in Washington, D.C. This organization comprises executives who lead work on CSR, ESG, sustainability, DEI, and stakeholder capitalism. Willamette was the only university invited to attend this conference and it was a great educational and networking experience. Corporate America greatly needs business schools to offer programming for students seeking careers in these areas to help solve the most pressing issues in our society and our planet, which includes sustainability, global warming, racial injustice among many others. I am excited to bring back programming ideas for discussion and development. The second conference I attended was the annual conference of the Network of Affiliated Schools of Public Affairs & Administration (NASPAA), which gives us our accreditation in public administration. We are up for the 7-year reaffirmation of NASPAA this year. In preparation for our site team visit, which is only a few months away, I participated in the one-day Accreditation Institute and attended many sessions that deepened my understanding of how Atkinson can further leverage its distinctive role in management education at the intersection of the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Follow me on Twitter! My Twitter handle is @OrnBBodvarsson. In addition to getting the word out about our great faculty, programs, and students, I can’t resist offering opinions on economic, business, and policy topics of the day. There’s much to tweet about!
I want to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving and good health. These are challenging times in higher education, the nation, and the world. Yet, there is much to be thankful for and I am thankful for your hard work and dedication to our school.
Best Wishes,
Örn Bodvarsson
Dean & Professor of Economics