Dean Brown: "Gies Business will be in great hands"

As Jeff Brown prepares to wrap up his tenure as dean this summer, he took some time to reflect on the past nine years leading Gies in the latest episode of “The Gies Download”. He also offered his perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Gies Business and how the College is prepared to face them head on.

Evolution of learners
"In the graduate space, students’ learning styles and interests have changed dramatically. Gies master’s programs have shifted and grown, especially in the online space, and our student body is much more global now than it was in 2015.

Gies MBA candidates are much more senior now -- in their late thirties -- and have a lot of work experience. They're looking to learn how to be better leaders, which is very different from a decade ago when enrollees were primarily 20-somethings looking to switch careers."

Turning online learners into loyal alumni 
"Alumni relationships are growing and changing in a positive way. Gies has thousands of alums who return to the College to recruit, hire for internships, sit on advisory boards, sponsor experiential learning projects, and visit the classroom as guest speakers. 

We’re continuing to explore how to best engage those alumni who didn't spend time on campus. For example, the alma mater statue means a lot to those who pass it every day on their way to Green Street or Campustown. An online learner doesn’t have that same connection. We think about that when marketing our online programs, and we have challenged ourselves to create engagement opportunities that are meaningful in a different way."

Emphasizing the ROI of quality higher education
"The financial returns on education are enormous. But if a student isn’t sufficiently focused on and engaged with quality content, they lose interest and end up with a bunch of student debt, and no diploma. 

Even public higher education has gotten too expensive for the average family, and that's allowed some less savory players to enter the marketplace. If schools like ours continue to lower the barriers and costs to entry, our massive advantages will hopefully drive out bad schools over time. But we've got work to do."

Gies is prepared to lead the way
"No matter who the next dean of our College is, Gies Business will be in great hands. The foundation has been set. The students, faculty, staff, and alumni are all among the very best in the world. This College is positioned extremely well for the future, and I’m looking forward to watching Gies Business continue as a leader for the next generation of learners."

You can listen to the full podcast with Dean Brown below.

Hundreds of Gies College of Business alumni and friends will gather for the annual Spring Luncheon on Friday, May 3, in Chicago. This year's featured guest is our very own Dean Jeff Brown, who will provide an update on the College and reflect on his memories and achievements over his nine years as dean.

Quintin Anderson ‘94
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Granite River Labs

Under Quintin Anderson's leadership, Granite River Labs has been recognized as a leading engineering services and test automation solutions firm for digital connectivity and smart charging technologies like USB, PCI Express, and Qi wireless charging, and smart home Internet of things (IoT) standards like Thread and Matter. From 2015-2023, he served on the Board of Directors of the HDMI Forum, the standards group driving new developments in and global adoption of HDMI technology. Quintin lives in Redwood City, California, with his wife Colleen and daughter Isabelle. As a tremendous supporter of Gies Business, he has connected with students as a featured alumni speaker and hosted regional events in California to create awareness and strengthen the Illini network in his area.

Julie Scott '85
President, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, CTS Impact

Julie Scott founded CTS Impact in 2002 to form a hands-on, non-traditional business consulting firm that assists Fortune 1000 companies undergoing major change. There she leads a team of industry experts in finance, HR, IT, and data analytics who are passionate about their work, and who also want to help others in their community. Currently, Julie is also Co-Chair of the Smithsonian Institution Board's Regional Council. She also serves on the Boards of The Chicago Network, St. Ignatius College Prep, and the United Way Audit Committee. She is also a Board Director Emeritus for the YWCA. Julie serves as a Board member of both the Gies Dean’s Business Council and the Gies Business Alumni Association, where she was Past President of the Board. Along with her husband Tom and son Chris, she established student scholarships in Entrepreneurship for Gies students as well as Illinois Athletics.

Richard Excell
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Richard Excell, clinical assistant professor of finance, earned his bachelor's degree in finance with high honors from Gies College of Business in 1990 and his MBA with high honors from the University of Chicago in 2001. He joined Gies Business in 2019, where he teaches courses in ESG investing, portfolio management, derivative strategies, and finance for non-finance majors. He is a co-director of the Investment Management Academy and will be the director of the Derivatives and Trading Academy starting in Fall 2024. His name regularly appears on the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students, and in 2022 he received a Dean’s Impact Award from Gies Business.

Brian Hamm
Excellence in Graduate Teaching

Brian Hamm, clinical assistant professor of accountancy, is a 1995 alum of the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Gies College of Business. He returned to his alma mater and joined the College as a clinical assistant professor in 2018 following a 23-year career in industry (most recently serving as CFO at Energizer Holdings). He teaches courses in financial statement analysis and accounting regulation in the BS, MAS, MSA, iMBA, and iMSA programs. He is regularly included on the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students.

Sydney Kim
Excellence in Teaching for Teaching Assistants

Sydney Kim is a PhD student in the Department of Accountancy. Prior to joining the program, she worked as a macroeconomic research analyst and equity analyst. During her time at Gies, Sydney was a teaching assistant and instructor for courses in financial accounting and data analytics. She appeared on the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students in various courses such as Accounting Institutions and Regulation and Data Analytics Foundations for Accountancy. Upon graduation in May, she will join California State University as an assistant professor starting in the Summer of 2024.

Graebner named Robert C. Evans Endowed Professor
An expert in mergers and acquisitions and qualitative research methods, Melissa Graebner joined Gies Business in 2019 as part of the inaugural class of the President’s Distinguished Faculty Recruitment Program. She is the director of the Initiative for Qualitative Research in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INQUIRE). READ MORE

Gies to host AMA’s Diversity Leadership Institute
The annual four-day retreat provides students from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to network with each other and participate in small groups led by our faculty and the AMA’s larger professional and collegiate communities. READ MORE

iVenture alum lands $1 million Shark Tank investment
PSYONIC CEO Aadeel Akhtar landed the opportunity of a lifetime recently when three “sharks” from ABC’s hit television series Shark Tank agreed to invest $1 million dollars in his company and its signature product, the Ability Hand. READ MORE

Fonseca featured in New York Times for research on mortgage lock-in
Gies professor Julia Fonseca explains the tangible value of low interest rates and why so many homeowners are hesitant to give theirs up. READ MORE

Gies College of Business alumnus Anthony (Tony) J. Petullo and his wife Bev will create the Petullo Impact Fund at Gies College of Business. The Fund will invest in faculty at Gies in the form of professorships, fellowships, chairs, PhD and post-doc support, and faculty research support. This investment is part of a wide-ranging $5.75 million gift that supports not only Gies Business, but also the School of Art and Design and the Krannert Art Museum.

“Tony Petullo has been a model philanthropist for Gies and for so many schools and colleges on this campus,” said Jeffrey R. Brown, Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business and Dean of Gies College of Business. “Tony cares so deeply for our students and for this university. In addition to his financial generosity, he loves engaging personally with our campus community. He wants his gifts to inspire others, and I’m happy to say he has inspired countless students and faculty through his many years of support.”

After graduating from the Gies Business with a bachelor’s in marketing in 1961, Tony Petullo spent three years as a US Navy officer and five years with Mobil Corporation. He founded Olsten Staffing Services, a successful temporary help firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and following the sale of Olsten Staffing Services in 2000, he became president of the Anthony Petullo Foundation.

Gies College of Business 2024 Spring Luncheon | Fri., May 3
11 am-1:30 pm CT | Chicago, IL
The Gies Business Alumni Association and Gies Business are excited to host the 2024 Spring Luncheon in Chicago to celebrate Gies College of Business and recognize distinguished faculty and alumni with the Excellence-in-Teaching Awards, the Gies College of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Gies College of Business Appreciation Award. Please contact BusinessAlumni@illinois.edu with questions about this event

Save the Date: Gies Business Fall Finale Golf Outing | Mon., Sept. 9
All Day | Westmoreland Country Club, Wilmette, IL  
The Gies Business Alumni Association, Dean's Business Council, and Gies Business are looking forward to hosting the 2024 Fall Finale golf outing in Chicago again this year! Please hold the date and stay tuned for additional details coming soon.

Save the Date: Gies Business Homecoming | Fri., Sept. 13
Time TBA | Champaign, IL  
We are looking forward to welcoming our Gies alumni back to campus to celebrate Homecoming! Please hold the date and reserve hotel rooms now for that weekend.