News & Events

Best of Vanderbilt Business, Academic Year 2022-2023

May 10, 2023
Top stories from the past year feature STEM certifications, record employment outcomes, and a glimpse into the future of Vanderbilt Business

By Lacie Blankenship

From 2 STEM designations to new research to the re-opening of Management Hall, the 2022-2023 academic year offered a constant stream of exciting news. Here are some of the top stories out of Vanderbilt Business from the past year:   

Six scholars joined the Vanderbilt Business faculty. 

Over the summer, Vanderbilt Business welcomed 6 new full-time faculty members that are recognized for distinctive strengths and new perspectives in Accounting, Finance, and Strategy and Economics. The new faculty members are Daniel Cohen (Accounting), Daniel Bias (Finance), Johan Cassel Pegelow (Finance), Roxanne Jaffe (Strategy and Economics), Xi Kang (Strategy and Economics), and Sruthi Thatchenkery (Strategy and Economics). 

Two programs received STEM certifications. 

The Master of Marketing Program (MMark) and the new MBA concentration, Consumer Psychology and Marketing Analytics, announced STEM degree program designations. The designation allows international students to extend their training in the United States by 24 months.  

Vanderbilt Business welcomed nearly 400 new daytime students to campus in August. 

Orientation 2022

Orientation 2022 was a multi-day experience where each program had unique ways to set students up for success. Orientation consisted of events including several presentations, coffee chats, Quant Camp for MBAs, and the Community Fair. 

Dean M. Eric Johnson appointed 3 Vanderbilt Owen faculty members to chaired distinctions. 

Daniel Cohen was designated Frances Hampton Currey Professor of Accounting. Jennifer Edson Escalas was named Associate Dean of Academic Programs. Kelly Goldsmith was designated E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Marketing.  

A new study explores the relationship between NFT market growth and media coverage

New research from Joshua T. White, Assistant Professor of Finance, Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Dean’s Faculty Fellow, finds that in the case of NFTs, media fosters growth without triggering a frenzy of investment decisions. 

The Class of 2022 set new employment records. 

The Vanderbilt MBA Class of 2022 salaries hit a record high with an average base salary of $139,711 and an average signing bonus of $34,636, an increase of 25.3% over the prior class’ average signing bonus, which was a record. The Vanderbilt MS Finance (MSF) Class of 2022 set a record-high average base salary of $91,377 and a record-high median salary of $95,000. 

BrandWeek participants solved real-world marketing challenges on a tight schedule. 

2022 BrandWeek

BrandWeek 2022

BrandWeek, one of many immersion programs at Vanderbilt Business, is an annual program dedicated to giving students real-world experience in solving marketing problems with a competitive edge. This year, 61 Master of Marketing students worked with Graduate Hotels and Kirkland’s Home

A new study explores ways that marketers may combat negative associations of automated products.

New research from Steve Hoeffler, Professor of Marketing, explores the roles of nostalgia in consumer resistance to automated products. The study provides a roadmap for marketers to overcome potentially negative associations triggered by nostalgia and also enhances understanding of consumer responses to automated products. 

Health Valuation Lab gives students a chance to have eyes in the investor world. 

The Health Valuation Lab unites participating students with a Project Healthcare company to provide valuation services. It is an interdisciplinary affair that is a product of a partnership between Vanderbilt Business, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Nashville Healthcare Community, and the University of Minnesota’s Medical Industry Leadership Institute. Ranga Ramanujam, Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Professor of Management and Professor of Health Policy is a key figure in the Health Valuation Lab.   

Vanderbilt Business hosted the first annual Women in Consulting Panel.  

Women in Consulting Panel

Five Vanderbilt Business graduates from Bain, BCG, Deloitte, EY, and PwC spoke at Vanderbilt Business in December 2022 as part of the first annual Women in Consulting Panel. The alumnae reflected on their time at Vanderbilt, their careers, and their experience as women in consulting. They also discussed how attending Vanderbilt Business has helped them succeed professionally.

Vanderbilt Business announced a new Healthcare Management Certificate.

The new Healthcare Management Certificate answers a call to equip healthcare professionals with the leadership and management skills needed to level up in the industry. The program can be completed 100% online asynchronously. 

A new study addresses the complexity of competition and innovation in platform ecosystems. 

New research by Sruthi Thatchenkery, Assistant Professor of Strategy, suggests that while unblocking competition with antitrust interventions prompts innovation on the platforms, profitability might still elude small companies. This study has sweeping implications for antitrust actions against Big Tech and was nominated for the 2023 Antitrust Writing Awards. 

Jamie Leddin shared negotiation tips for leaders. 

Jamie Leddin, Vanderbilt Executive Education Lecturer, shared some negotiation tips for leaders in all career stages. Leddin shared these tips ahead of the Negotiation Skills for Managers short program.  

The Vanderbilt Business team won the 2023 SEC MBA Case Competition. 

SEC MBA Case Competition

SEC MBA Case Competition

A team of 4 Vanderbilt Business students—Ben Jickling (MBA’23), Caleb Petersen (MBA’23), Chris Scheinert (MBA’23), and Haley Menz (MBA’23)—secured first place at the 2023 SEC MBA Case Competition. This is the first team from Vanderbilt Business to place first in the competition. 

Vanderbilt Business celebrated Management Hall; Dean Johnson announced he is passing the baton. 

Vanderbilt Business hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the largest renovation and expansion project in the history of Management Hall. Dean Johnson led the champagne toast, and all speakers noted his momentum in pushing the school forward. Dean Johnson announced his plans to not seek renewal as dean in October, and the school announced Thomas J. Steenburgh as the next dean, effective Summer 2023.

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