Greetings from the corner of Jackson and State!

I have long been proud to be dean of Chicago’s business school: to be in the heart of it all, with the L rumbling outside our windows and global business just blocks away.

Like many of you, I’ve also been thinking through the challenging questions posed by the rise of AI. What is the value of business education in the age of AI? How do we prepare students not just to enter the workforce, but to contribute to it as leaders?

For Driehaus, our Chicago home has always shaped who we are and the kind of education we offer. In the face of these challenges, this remains truer than ever.

In this issue of the Business Exchange, I’m pleased to offer you an inside look into how Driehaus isn’t just adapting to change — we’re charting a course forward towards a more resilient future.

• This looks like integrating AI into the MBA classroom in ways that make business education more personalized, not less.
• It looks like designing innovative academic programs that empower students to succeed by leveraging AI agents and personal connections alike.
• It looks like an internship program that offers students invaluable work experience at early-stage companies — advancing management theory and social good in the process.
• And, as always, you’ll hear the stories of our alumni: in this case, two of the four Driehaus alumni named among Crain’s Chicago’s 2025 Notables in Finance. A through line across all four stories? A commitment to using finance to create a more equitable world.

Of course, none of these initiatives would be possible without support from our alumni: as guest speakers, behind-the-scenes advisors, site visit hosts, and more. Thank you, as always, for being part of what makes Driehaus distinctive. 

Sincerely,

Sulin Ba, PhD

Dean, Driehaus College of Business