by Sulin Ba | Nov 23, 2024 | College News, Features, Notes from the Dean, Student Stories
A Message from Dean Sulin Ba
Dear Driehaus alumni, supporters, and community members:
Welcome to the fall 2024 issue of Business Exchange. Read on to learn about how our faculty are advancing knowledge, how our students are building careers, and perhaps most importantly, how our alumni are forging change in their fields.
Driehaus Dean Sulin Ba, at left, serves donuts to students to welcome in the fall quarter.
The latest from the college
First, though, a few pieces of good news.
For the second year in a row, Driehaus was ranked a top school for entrepreneurship by the Princeton Review! Driehaus was ranked #12 among undergraduate programs and #15 among graduate programs. The rankings testify to the vibrant entrepreneurial community we’ve built in Chicago and around the world and to the entrepreneurial spirit of Driehaus grads.
You can read more about the news here.
I am proud and grateful to share that, thanks to a generous $2.6 million gift from Dr. Curtis and Mrs. Gina Crawford, DePaul is launching a Business Technology Leadership Institute. Housed right here in the Driehaus College of Business, the institute will facilitate collaboration with technology experts in DePaul’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media.
Dr. Curtis J. and Mrs. Gina Crawford (Photos courtesy of the Crawford Family)
Like so many of our faculty, students, and alumni, the Crawfords recognize that cutting-edge technologies have the potential to transform how business gets done. Indeed, much of that potential is already being actualized.
Their gift will empower our students to drive this change. More importantly, it will empower our students to drive this change in a meaningful way, informed equally by the subject-matter expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to social good that already make Driehaus distinctive.
You can read more about the initiatives this gift will fund here. My gratitude goes out to the Crawfords for their generosity — and to the faculty, students, staff, and alumni who are already doing exceptional work in this space.
Driehaus is already driving change at the intersection of business and technology. Our Halperin Emerging Companies Fund recently invested $100,000 in Orgaimi, an AI tech firm specializing in data science models and predictive analytics.
In this issue
In this issue of the Business Exchange, you’ll read about how we’re working to prepare students for meaningful careers at the forefront of change. Students at the Northern Trust competition got the chance to delve into timely, real-world issues with guidance from industry experts. Opportunities like this don’t just set up our students for jobs after graduation. They set up our students for meaningful career trajectories, which will surely include jobs we can’t yet envision.
Read more about the case competition here.
Our faculty are also driving change by advancing our understanding of real-world issues. Read on to hear insights into how brands should and shouldn’t intervene in hot-button political issues and learn about the widespread, damaging phenomenon of weight-based mistreatment in the workplace.
Learn about pioneering research into weight-based mistreatment in the workplace.
Hear the surprising results of a study that examined how to approach discussing controversial political issues.
Underpinning so much of this work — as I know it underpins so much of your work — is the entrepreneurial spirit. The two alumni profiled in this issue, Triple Demon Dana Alkhouri and the late, prolific entrepreneur John Goode, embody that spirit.
-
-
John Goode, Sr.
-
-
Dana Alkhouri
Read the story of John Goode’s remarkable life and legacy here.
Hear from Dana Alkhouri about making a career pivot and centering women’s stories.
In closing
Many of us are preparing to spend the holiday season with friends and loved ones: with members of the communities that make us strong. Although there are many challenges ahead, for Driehaus College, for DePaul, and for the larger world we live in, I find comfort in returning to what makes Driehaus what it is: our alumni and our students. Your passion — not just for innovating or forging your own path, but for taking others with you along the journey — are making a difference.
Sincerely,
Sulin Ba, PhD
Dean, Driehaus College of Business
by Robin Florzak | May 18, 2023 | College News
Lori Holland Emerging Leaders (front row, L to R), students Desna Shah, Julia Zuzinski and Grace Haucke, celebrate the new Lori Holland Initiative for Women with (back row, L to R) donor Robert A. Holland and Lori Holland Memorial Scholarship winners Faria Mobashar, Diego Villasenor, Molly Ball and Nicole Juszczy.
The newly established Lori Holland Initiative for Women awarded its first scholarships this spring, part of its mission to elevate opportunities for DePaul women and their allies to advance in the fields of finance and investment management.
The multi-pronged initiative is funded by a generous gift honoring the late DePaul alumna Lorraine “Lori” Holland (BUS ’84) made by her husband, Robert A. Holland. Lori Holland was a first-generation business college graduate who rose to become managing director of investment management firm Neuberger Berman and serve as chair of DePaul’s Board of Trustees.
Students Nicole Juszczy, Molly Ball, Diego Villasenor and Faria Mobashar were awarded Lori Holland Memorial Scholarships and Grace Haucke, Julia Zuzinski, and Desna Shah received Lori Holland Scholarships for Emerging Leaders. Haucke, Zuzinski and Desna serve as president, treasurer and corporate relations chair, respectively, for Females in Finance (FIF), a student organization at the Driehaus College of Business.
“This initiative provides us with a platform to network, learn from industry leaders, and support each other in our journey towards becoming finance professionals,” Haucke says. “It reminds us that gender should never be a barrier to success, and that we have the power to break through glass ceilings and achieve our goals. Together, we are reshaping the landscape of finance and creating a more inclusive and diverse industry for future generations.”
The awardees were introduced at a summit of students and business leaders in finance hosted by the Holland initiative and FIF at the Union League Club on May 17.
In addition to scholarships, the initiative provides DePaul women students and alumni in finance access to career resources, workshops, group mentorships and other support services. In January 2024, DePaul will begin taking applications for another phase of the initiative, the Holland Scholars Program, which will offer a cohort of women undergraduates career education, experiential learning, mentorships and networking opportunities in investment management. The Lori Holland Initiative for Women is managed by the DePaul Career Center in collaboration with the Department of Finance & Real Estate at the Driehaus College of Business.
by Mary Hansen | May 18, 2023 | College News
Visual Feeder, co-founded by DePaul alumna Yaxi Yang, received the first investment from DePaul’s new Halperin Emerging Company Fund. Yang stands in front of one of Visual Feeder’s displays at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. (Photo credit: Ioana Juravlea, DePaul University)
Visual Feeder receives first investment from Halperin Emerging Company Fund
DePaul University made its first investment of $100,000 from the new Halperin Emerging Company Fund in Visual Feeder, an experiential media company co-founded by a Driehaus College of Business alumna. Yaxi Yang (BUS ’14) and her brother Eddie Yang co-founded Visual Feeder, which produces immersive activations and transforms vacant storefront windows into dynamic displays to create vibrant and engaging streetscapes, providing businesses with a new platform to engage audiences.
Yaxi Yang says the seed money is a full-circle moment for her. “It highlights the power of the DePaul community and their commitment to empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and changemakers,” she says. “This investment marks a valuable addition to our latest seed round, enabling us to pursue ambitious growth and expansion plans. With these new funds, we’ll be investing in growing our team, focusing on specific areas of our business that will generate the highest returns and building a stronger foundation to achieve our 2023 goals.”
Founded in 2020, Visual Feeder’s mission is to create visual experiences through immersive activations. The company works with a diverse range of clients, including consumer brands, non-profit organizations, private institutions, and museums. The street-level window activations have gained significant traction through partnerships with leading real estate companies such as JLL, CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield to transform underutilized spaces into dynamic displays.
“We are proud to see our work helping to revitalize underutilized spaces in communities and providing a new platform for brand campaigns and artwork to be displayed,” Yang says. Visual Feeder’s displays are active on Chicago’s iconic Magnificent Mile, including the Hancock Building, and in Lincoln Park at 2380 N. Lincoln Ave, among many others. The company also collaborated with Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on an immersive photography exhibit of the Chicago region’s natural wonders.
Overseen by DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, the Halperin Fund focuses on investing in ventures that show potential for growth and job creation. “The fund gives DePaul the opportunity to invest in incredible new ventures that will help businesses thrive and further connect us to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago,” says Emily Doyle, director of emerging company programs at the Coleman center. “These investments will have a huge impact on our community and the potential returns will support the growth of future entrepreneurs for years to come. We are thrilled to invest in Visual Feeder as they continue to create beautiful and immersive digital experiences for brands and consumers.”
All potential investment deals are reviewed and approved by the Halperin Emerging Company Fund investment committee, chaired by alumnus John Crosson (MBA ’95), an angel investor. “Visual Feeder checked all the boxes, from a stellar startup team to building a creative solution to company traction,” he says. “The committee is proud to support Visual Feeder on its mission to create interactive experiences for the future of brand marketing.”
The Halperin Emerging Company Fund was launched in 2023 with a generous gift from the late attorney and DePaul Double Demon, Errol R. Halperin (BUS ’64, JD ’67), and his wife, Libby.
DePaul community members, including alumni, interested in applying to the Halperin Emerging Company Fund can complete an application online.
by Robin Florzak | May 18, 2023 | College News
The Driehaus College of Business opened a new resource center in January that is infusing emerging technologies into student classwork and faculty research.
BETA Hub — short for Business Education in Technology and Analytics Hub — offers a collection of teaching and research resources that includes virtual reality headsets, a blog creators’ studio, a Neurobusiness Lab for conducting research based on eye-tracking and other neuroscience indicators, and a Big Data Analytics Computer Lab with tools for data and text analyses.
Housed on the 7th floor of the DePaul Center, the initiative is the brainchild of Associate Professor James Mourey, Associate Dean for Faculty Success Sue Fogel and the Driehaus Tomorrow Committee, a group of faculty and staff tasked with developing ideas that prepare DePaul’s business college for the future. This spring BETA Hub received nearly $100,000 in funding from DePaul’s Academic Growth and Innovation Fund to support its innovative teaching and learning activities.
“The BETA Hub is where technology meets business — a place for hands-on learning and the testing of transformational business solutions,” explains Mourey, who serves as the faculty director of BETA Hub. “Tech-savvy business graduates are in high demand. It is essential that we give our students the hands-on experiences necessary to make them the most attractive job candidates in the market.”
The initiative supports creativity in teaching and learning across the college, Mourey adds. “For example, instead of having students write a paper, faculty can ask students to create an original podcast to record over the 10-week quarter at the BETA Hub.”
BETA Hub also provides technology resources for faculty to advance their research. “To continue attracting the very best faculty, we need to provide innovative resources for faculty to pursue their research and obtain the publications necessary to be successful in their field. BETA Hub does that,” Mourey says, adding that the hub’s new monthly faculty research presentations also encourage interdisciplinary inquiry.
Mourey recently hosted a marketing strategy course in BETA Hub, where his students embraced using technology to study and develop strategies. “They were super eager to return to BETA Hub the next class session so they could work on their final group project in a fun, cool space full of technology resources,” he says.
“That’s what we want the BETA Hub to be: a space where students enjoy spending time, collaborating and learning, and it just so happens we can conduct research there, too.”
by jlansber | Nov 13, 2022 | College News
DePaul’s Executive Education programs create competitive advantages for individuals looking to advance their careers and help organizations meet their learning and development goals.
To accelerate both individual and organizational talent development, the Driehaus College of Business launched DePaul Executive Education this fall. Program offerings include:
- Open enrollment, 12-week, noncredit certificate programs for all levels of professionals seeking to upskill or reskill. Programs in business analytics and entrepreneurship will begin this winter and programs in health care management and business administration will launch in spring 2023.
- Customized learning and development programs for organization partners. Powered to accelerate talent development, these programs feature consultative design, development, execution and evaluation by DePaul in collaboration with organization partners.
DePaul Executive Education programs are among new initiatives overseen by the Hay Center for Leadership Development, led by Associate Dean Bob Rubin and founded with a generous estate gift from the late DePaul Trustee William E. Hay (MBA ’66, DHL ’06). In 2023 the center plans to launch a yearlong leadership development program for DePaul undergraduates that will provide scholarships, mentoring and rigorous career preparation.
by jlansber | Nov 13, 2022 | College News
Four faculty members have been promoted to academic leadership roles within the Driehaus College of Business this academic year. The new leaders are:
Professor Hui Lin
Hui Lin, director of the School of Accountancy & MIS. Recognized for her teaching excellence, Lin has expertise in knowledge management, accounting information systems and internal controls.
Professor of Economics Tony LoSasso
Anthony LoSasso, chair of the Department of Economics. A Double Demon, LoSasso (BUS ’91, LAS ’93) is a nationally known health economics scholar.
Associate Professor of Hospitality Lisa Young
Lisa Young, director of the School of Hospitality Leadership. An award-winning teacher, Young has expertise in hospitality sales, marketing and revenue management, and international wine management.
Professor of Management Alyssa Westring
Alyssa Westring, chair of the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship. Westring teaches and researches issues related to work-life balance and women’s career success.
Three new tenure-track assistant professors and seven other new full-time faculty members also joined the Driehaus College of Business this academic year, bringing a wide-range of academic and professional experience to the college.
