Manning Magid is first woman to lead faculty and research activities at Kelley IUPUI

Posted on July 1, 2022 by George Vlahakis

INDIANAPOLIS — Julie Manning Magid, professor of business law and ethics and the executive and academic director of Tobias Leadership Center, on July 1 became the first woman to lead faculty and research activities for the Indiana University Kelley School of Business at IUPUI.

Julie Manning Magid

As executive associate dean for faculty and research, Magid will serve on the leadership team of the Kelley School of Business, the IUPUI Academic Deans Council, oversee fiscal affairs, serve as department chairperson for all Indianapolis-based faculty, and guide faculty recruiting, promotion and tenure.

“With Idie being the first female dean, I think it’s important that she’s also appointed the first woman in leadership at Kelley Indianapolis, in its history,” Magid said. “I’m honored and excited to continue her legacy of creating opportunities for others and advancing greater equity.”

Idalene “Idie” Kesner announced in early April that she will step down as Kelley dean, effective July 31, after a decade of service and return to teaching. She was the first woman to serve as the school’s dean. Magid succeeds Ken Carow, who served as executive associate dean at Kelley IUPUI since 2016.

“It has been an honor to serve Kelley as the executive associate dean for faculty and research for six years and previously as the associate dean for Indianapolis research and programs for six years,” Carow said. “Kelley is a remarkable and innovative leader in business with an amazing group of faculty and staff dedicated to advancing research, teaching, and service. I’ve worked with Julie for 22 of my 25 total years at Kelley. She is an excellent leader and I look forward to working with her and seeing her impact on Kelley Indianapolis.”

The Kelley School faculty in Indianapolis are a unique interdisciplinary department of the overall business school.

“The complex problems that we’re facing in the future require an interdisciplinary perspective,” Magid said. “I think that the Kelley School recognized this when creating an interdisciplinary department that offers a lot of opportunities, often around research issues, to help solve problems. I am excited about exploring that model further, of what an interdisciplinary business program can do for solving complex problems.”

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Kelley School Indianapolis seeks growing businesses for student consulting

Posted on June 7, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Students in I-Core present their findings to faculty and company representatives.

INDIANAPOLIS — When students graduate from the Kelley School of Business at IUPUI, they learn more than what’s inside their textbooks. Through the renowned Integrated Core, or I-Core, project, students cap off their undergraduate degree with a hands-on consulting project with local companies that are looking for new revenue streams.

This collaboration has contributed to successful and innovative ideas at many companies in and around Indianapolis, large and small, while preparing undergraduate business students for real-world challenges. The Kelley School is accepting applications from Central Indiana firms looking for help reaching future success.

Christy Walchle, vice president of operations at WSI Technologies in Indianapolis, was looking for business solutions when she partnered with Kelley students at IUPUI on an I-Core project. At the time, one of WSI’s subsidiary companies was planning to launch a new interview recording application and wanted to look beyond the firm’s typical public safety clients for additional marketing opportunities.

Christy Walchle

“The students helped us come up with other avenues for that market and how to position the product,” Walchle said. “These students are so accustomed to our app-based world. We knew they could help us focus strategically from the perspective of users who prefer apps. The students’ creative juices help us think outside the box.”

Walchle says the deliverables the students provided her company in their final presentation and business briefs inspired conversation among company leadership. Rather than a student project that is politely accepted and never implemented, Walchle says the time her company spent with I-Core students produced takeaways that were applicable and useful to the business’s growth.

I-Core teams include five to six students working on each company’s project, guided by Kelley faculty. There is no cost to firms partnering on I-Core projects, only the time a company representative spends with the students.

“The student teams put together a management brief that we sent to our leadership team. It was fun hearing the comments back and forth between our leaders, discussing the various points the students made,” said Walchle, who has completed additional I-Core projects with Kelley students. “Everybody in our leadership team had a favorite, and we were all was so impressed with what a professional recommendation the students provided. It was great to see the pride they took in completing this work. They did a fantastic job, and it was an excellent experience.”

Kim Donahue

Throughout the semester, students work closely with companies to understand the organizations, discuss their needs and goals, and analyze potential opportunities. At the end of the semester, each team presents its findings and recommendations to a panel of company managers and the I-Core faculty.

“During the project, we researched their customers, learned about their challenges, created solutions, and debated with our teammates about which idea is worth pursuing,” said Taras Stefyuk, a Kelley senior at IUPUI majoring in management. “It was the most challenging semester of my college life, but I am glad I successfully finished it.”

While I-Core projects are centered around creating revenue-generating ideas through capital investments and operations updates, both students and company partners tend to get a great deal more out of these collaborations.

“Company representatives have enjoyed the interactions with our students, and they appreciate having a fresh set of ideas and opinions from the youngest generation, often taking advantage of recruiting for internships, mentorships, and full-time jobs,” said Kim Donahue, teaching professor and the I-Core coordinator for the Kelley School at IUPUI.

Angela Williams

Companies who collaborate with Kelley students on I-Core projects are investing in future business leaders, as more than 95% of Kelley students from IUPUI stay in central Indiana after graduation. Through I-Core, companies can present themselves and their job opportunities to a pool of high-quality business talent preparing to enter the job market.

Sherwin Williams Company has been an ongoing participant in I-Core projects. Talent Acquisition Specialist Angela Williams says the experience has successfully attracted many Kelley graduates to the company’s management and sales internships and training programs.

“I-Core helps us attract innovative, diverse thinkers and affords us the ability to shape our business in 2022 and beyond,” Williams said. “It’s a way for us to network with students in an intimate classroom setting and allows them to learn more about Sherwin Williams as a whole. We build awareness as students connect with our brand, and we give back by helping them gain hands-on experience.”

How to get involved

If you would like your business to partner on an I-Core project, complete an application. Companies must be:

For-profit organizations
In business for five years ideally, with a minimum of three years in operation
Able to show an operating profit for at least three years, with a minimum of one year
Incorporated as an S corporation, C corporation, or an LLC
Be open to sky-is-the-limit ideas

This article also appears on the Kelley School of Business IUPUI news blog.

Ash Soni named interim dean of IU’s Kelley School of Business

Posted on June 3, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Ash Soni has served the Kelley School in numerous roles since arriving in 1981.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ash Soni, executive associate dean for academic programs at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, has been named interim dean of the school starting Aug. 1.

Soni joined the school in 1981. He is a professor of operations and decision technologies and the school’s SungKyunKwan Professor, with expertise in enterprise systems and applications, emerging technologies, operations research and business analytics, supply chain management, and computer simulation.

“Ash has served as a prominent, effective leader at the Kelley School for more than 40 years,” IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav said. “His history of helping guide the school through many transitions and changes qualifies him well for the interim dean role. I truly appreciate Ash stepping up as we prepare for a thorough national search to try to replace the quite irreplaceable Idie Kesner.”

Idalene “Idie” Kesner announced in early April that she will step down as Kelley dean, effective July 31, and return to teaching. Kesner was the first woman to serve as the school’s dean and earned her MBA and doctoral degrees at Kelley.

“I am thrilled to help lead the Kelley School during this transition,” Soni said. “I appreciate how committed our university leaders are to the school’s continued success, and I look forward to continuing the incredible progress we have made under Dean Kesner’s tutelage.”

Ash Soni

Soni earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manchester, his Master of Science from the University of Strathclyde, and his MBA and Doctorate in Business Administration from Indiana University Bloomington. He has received many awards, honors and certificates, including the John W. Ryan Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Programs and Studies; Kelley Direct Teaching Program Excellence Award, which he won four times; and the MBA Teaching Excellence Award, for which he was honored 10 times.

The Kelley School of Business has been a leader in American business education since 1920, preparing students to lead organizations, start companies, develop new products and services, and shape business knowledge and policy.

With more than 126,000 living alumni and a total enrollment of nearly 14,500 students and 329 faculty members at IU Bloomington, IUPUI and online worldwide, the Kelley School is among the premier business schools in the country.

The school is frequently ranked among the top programs in the U.S. and globally. Its Kelley Direct online MBA and Master of Science programs are ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review. U.S. News also rates Kelley undergraduate programs among the best, ranking it eighth overall. Ten specialty programs are in the top 20 of their areas, with eight of those — including accounting, entrepreneurship and marketing — in the top 10.

The Brian D. Jellison Living Learning Center offers Kelley students a diverse community of peers in a residential program that focuses on their personal, academic and professional development. Kelley students can choose from nearly 60 custom study abroad programs in 29 countries.

Kelley conference on AI in healthcare taking place at 16 Tech Innovation District on April 29

Posted on April 19, 2022 by George Vlahakis

INDIANAPOLIS — Shruti Iyer, principal innovation architect at Oracle Health Sciences, will keynote the conference, “The Potential of Artificial Intelligence and Smart Devices in Healthcare, being presented April 29 in Indianapolis by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Iyer will kick off the conference, the latest event in the Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference Series, organized by Kelley’s Center for the Business of Life Sciences. The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute – located in the 16 Tech Innovation District – is the conference host.

Shruti Iyer

“The potential uses of artificial intelligence in diagnosing conditions and treating patients are growing,” said George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences and a senior lecturer at the Kelley School. “Regulatory bodies weigh benefits versus patient risks as they consider approving products using AI. Among other things, this conference will explore how AI and the phone in one’s pocket may well represent the next leap forward in healthcare.”

Sessions will focus on applications of artificial intelligence in current use and its potential and limits for further uses. Presenters will include specialists from the IU School of Medicine and the University of Missouri, the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute as well as senior executives at Anthem, CareAscend, Community Health Network, Elanco, Eli Lilly and Company, hc1, LifeOmic, OneBridge, Roche Information Systems and Zimmer Biomet. Support also comes from the State of Indiana.

The conference is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1210 Waterway Blvd in Indianapolis and will be presented online. It will begin at 9 a.m. and wrap up at 3:15 p.m. The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute will offer a tour of 16 Tech at the conclusion of the conference.

As principal innovation architect at Oracle, Iyer leads clinical innovation in the Health Sciences Global Business Unit and works with cross-functional teams in transforming complex challenges into innovative, simple, and patient-centric solutions to advance clinical development and care delivery.

Prior to Oracle, Lyer worked at Medtronic in a variety of roles driving end-to-end medical device development in the neuromodulation and cardiac rhythm and heart failure businesses. She most recently led product risk strategy for a remote patient monitoring solution for late-stage heart failure patients.

She has a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Medical Device Innovation – both from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities – where she also graduated as a Technological Leadership Institute Fellow.

The registration fee for attending in-person is $175 and includes lunch. The cost for those attending virtually will be $75. Students at accredited Indiana institutions of higher education may qualify for a discounted rate. Registration and additional information are available on the conference webpage or by contacting Kelli Conder at the Kelley School at 812-856-0915 or kconder@indiana.edu.

The Center for the Business of Life Sciences also offers a certificate program for professionals passionate about a career in life sciences or those wishing to better understand how business and science interact.

IU Kelley School of Business Dean Idie Kesner stepping down after a decade of service

Posted on April 8, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Kesner in October 2012, after her initial appointment as interim dean.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Idalene “Idie” Kesner announced on April 8 that she will step down as dean of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, effective July 31, and return to teaching.

Kesner, an alumna who earned her MBA and doctorate at Kelley, became dean in May 2013 after holding several leadership roles at the school.

The first woman to lead Kelley, she directed the school through a prodigious period in its history that has included growth in undergraduate and graduate enrollments without diluting admissions standards, greater student diversity and international expansion. Today, Kelley has a total enrollment of 14,471 students at IU Bloomington, IUPUI, and online worldwide.

Prior to her appointment as dean, she chaired the Kelley School’s Full-Time MBA Program from 2003 to 2006 and the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship from 2006 to 2009. She co-directed the school’s Consulting Academy from 1996 to 2003. From 2009 until her appointment as interim dean in October 2012, she was associate dean of faculty and research.

Before returning to teach at Kelley in 1995, Kesner had a titled professorship at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, where she taught for 12 years.

Kesner’s research is in the areas of corporate boards of directors, chief executive succession, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisitions, and she has published articles in numerous journals including Academy of Management, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management and Harvard Business Review. She has taught in more than 100 executive programs and served as a consultant for many national and international firms working on strategic and board-related issues.

Dean Kesner and former undergraduate chair Ramesh Venkataraman celebrate with students who are looking forward to beginning their careers in 2014.

She currently sits on the boards of various companies and has served on the board of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the main accrediting body for business schools. In 2019, she became the second woman to be named “Dean of the Year” by Poets & Quants, a leading news site about business education.

“It has been an honor serving as dean for the Kelley School for 10 years — one year as interim dean and nine years as dean,” Kesner said. “I won’t recount the many accomplishments of our Kelley faculty, staff, students, and alumni over this period, but it’s safe to say that as a group we have achieved much. Because of you, this school is positioned well for the future.

“I am grateful that you have allowed me to be in your good company,” she added. “Nothing in my career before or after will compare to serving this great organization and being part of this great family. Thank you for granting me the privilege of serving as dean for this amazing school.”

An interim dean will be announced in the near future.

Kesner will return to the faculty after a one-semester administrative leave.

Kelley Impact Competition, created with alum’s support, helps chamber address DEI issues

Posted on April 5, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Hosted by the Kelley Institute for Social Impact, the Kelley Impact Case Competition brings together socially minded students in order to find and implement solutions to a social issue in Bloomington.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As a student at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Lance Breitstein fell in love with the stock market. He read or watched anything he could find on the topic, whether it was a book, a blog or a video.

“What I realized was that I really wanted to go into the field of stock trading,” recalled Breitstein, a 2011 Kelley alumnus who today lives in Chicago.

After getting a bachelor’s degree in finance, Breitstein spent a “wonderful” decade working at Trillium Management, one of the nation’s first and fastest growing digital trading firms. He managed its Chicago office and became one of its top traders.

Lance Breitstein

But by 2018, Breitstein felt he had accomplished much of what he had set out to do professionally and began thinking about how he could give back. He was deeply affected by something he read, “The Life You Can Save,” a 2009 book that has fueled the effective altruism movement and inspired major philanthropists to give more effectively.

“I realized that it’s not so much ‘can we do these things.’ We can, but it’s a lot of psychological biases to giving that prevents these things. My realization was that it’s not about picking a cause, it’s more so how can you get each person doing their own little part,” he said.

Breitstein realized he wanted to do more than simply write checks to different causes — he wanted to find ways for himself and others to “exponentially amplify” giving in some form, whether it was time, money, or wisdom.

It went back to what he learned at Kelley about “compounding” — the process in which an asset’s earnings are reinvested to generate additional earnings over time. But instead of just a financial asset, it also could involve the “good that you can do.”

A new kind of case competition is born

Around that time, he came to Bloomington for a return visit at the Kelley School and found a shared desire to challenge students to find new ways to address and resolve social issues, starting with those faced in Bloomington.

With support from the school’s Kelley Institute for Social Impact, the Kelley Impact Competition was born. Students would be introduced to a local public service organization and a key challenge it faces and then compete for $15,000 in student prize money. Most importantly, the winning team would receive $10,000 in seed money to put the winning idea into action.

The competition is open to all IU undergraduate students. Organizers welcome participation from teams of four students who demonstrate a variety of academic and professional interests.

“What really struck a chord with me with the impact competition is that you’re able to get right out in front of these socially minded college students, who truly care about these issues, and you are empowering them and showing them that they can make a difference and tackle these issues in the community around them,” Breitstein said.

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IU Kelley School students shine and continue to come out victorious in case competitions

Posted on March 29, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Kelley students, from left, Nimish Bhat, Christopher Nosewicz, Ansh Chawla and Sahir Mir.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Each year, there are dozens of business case competitions worldwide, where students apply their real-world grasp of business concepts under tremendous pressure. For those in Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, it’s been another solid year, including some recent victories for students studying finance, investment management and real estate.

Case competitions are to business schools what moot court competitions are to law schools. They require teams of usually four students to review and analyze a business issue — under a tight deadline — and present their best solutions to judges in presentations.

The events usually bring together students from top schools across the nation and sometimes the world. In addition to prize money, students winning the contests receive attention from corporate recruiters looking for top talent and, of course, bring prestige to their schools. Originally an element of the MBA experience, case competitions are viewed as crucial for a growing number of undergraduate business students.

Patrick Hopkins

“I am extraordinarily proud of our Kelley undergraduate teams’ success in recent case competitions,” said Pat Hopkins, chair of the Undergraduate Program and the Glaubinger Chair for Undergraduate Leadership. “These students continue a legacy of excellence as they represent the school in competing against the best and brightest business students in the country.

A competition that offers a real-life exposure to consulting

A team consisting of four freshmen at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business recently won the Deloitte National Undergraduate Case Competition. Another team of Kelley real estate students also came in first place, in the ICSC Foundation Case Competition.

Deloitte hosted its competition at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas on March 18, which is limited to students who are early in their college studies – they must be freshmen or sophomores. They also must demonstrate a strong interest in a career in professional services and a grade point average of 3.3 or higher.

The Kelley School team competed with those from 15 other universities across the United States, most of whom consisted of sophomores. The Kelley team was selected through a local Deloitte IU case competition in February.

Members of the winning team were Christopher Nosewicz, a Fry Scholar from Geneva, Ill; Sahir Mir, from Plainsboro, N.J., Nimish Bhat, from Carmel, Ind., and Ansh Chawla, from Allen, Texas.

“I had the privilege of being their coach for the competition at Deloitte University and couldn’t be more impressed with how they worked through a tough case and crafted a compelling presentation to senior Deloitte leaders,” said Colin McCarthy, a 2019 Kelley alumnus who serves as a consultant in the Office of the Chair at Deloitte US. “I know myself, the incredible IU team, and all Deloitte IU alums are feeling extra proud to be Hoosiers from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business!”

Students offer thoughts about revitalizing a floundering mall

Held remotely, the case study for the ICSC Foundation Case Competition hit on one of the biggest issues facing the marketplaces industry’s mind — the revitalization of a foundering mall.

A case was presented to students at Kelley, Baruch College, California State-Northridge and Loyola Marymount University, along with demographic information, a rent roll, an evaluation of current expenses and a map of surrounding land uses.

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Research: Partnership between humanitarian organizations and governments is essential for providing cash assistance to refugees

Posted on March 22, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Ukrainian refugees entering Poland on March 7. (Courtesy: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In the last four weeks, more than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country to escape Russian forces, facing an uncertain future and placing new economic demands on host countries such as Poland. Besides this recent crisis, more than 80 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, notably in Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.

While humanitarian organizations are providing in-kind assistance in the form of food, hygiene products and shelter, many are increasingly turning to cash payments, with the intention of providing refugees with spending flexibility, restoring their dignity, and improving the wealth of their host communities.

New research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business reveals that cash assistance is a double-edged sword. If a humanitarian organization provides cash assistance without considering the supply chains’ responses including price inflation due to retailers’ market power, the humanitarian organization will inadvertently harm both refugees and local residents. Prices rise for everyone, and refugees receive fewer goods.

Owen Wu

“In the last 150 years, humanitarian organizations have become experts in assisting beneficiaries via in-kind assistance. Recently, cash assistance has gained remarkable traction as an effective type of aid because it also benefits local economies. To avoid price inflation, however, humanitarian organizations have implemented their cash assistance programs mostly in competitive markets,” the authors wrote in the paper, “Donations for Refugee Crises: In-kind Versus Cash Assistance,” published in advance by Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

“An unresolved challenge facing humanitarian organizations is to provide cash assistance to their beneficiaries when local retailers have market power,” they added. This “is an important problem because there are many communities that not only host refugee camps but also deal with retailers’ market power.”

Owen Wu, associate professor of operations and decision technologies and a Grant Thornton Scholar, and Alfonso Pedraza-Martinez, chairperson and associate professor of operations and decision technologies and the John & Esther Reese Professor, co-authored the study with Telesilla Kotsi, assistant professor of operations and business analytics at The Ohio State University.

Kotsi, Wu, and Pedraza-Martinez noted that while refugees like the power and flexibility of purchasing goods to meet their own needs, retail prices are higher than the wholesale prices that humanitarian organizations pay for in-kind assistance. “Although cash assistance benefits local retailers, it reduces the amount of goods received by refugees and price inflation hurts both refugees and local residents,” they said.

Alfonso Pedraza Martinez

Their research shows that when humanitarian organizations coordinate with local governments, they can extend cash assistance to host regions with market power. In their paper they propose partnerships between the humanitarian organizations and local governments that effectively curb the retailer’s market power.

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Rather than hit the beach or slopes, these Kelley students spend spring break making a difference

Posted on March 11, 2022 by George Vlahakis

Apurva Gadde, president of Kelley’s Alternative Break Program, worked with indigenous women in Oaxaca, Mexico.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Three years ago, Indiana University Kelley School of Business student Gracelyn “Grace” Pavy traveled to Puerto Rico for spring break. But instead of looking for sun, sand, and libations, she spent the week working with a non-profit organization focused on sustainable farming.

“This included eating the food previous groups planted, planting food for future groups, composting, and teaching young students about sustainable practices,” recalled Pavy, a senior from LaPorte, Indiana and a Kelley Scholar. “I learned a lot about setting personal goals to minimize my individual carbon footprint as well as how to apply circular economic thinking into my future career.”

Fifty-one Kelley students are traveling to five destinations across the United States to participate in alternative spring break trips, restarting a decades-long tradition at the school that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gracelyn “Grace” Pavy

Some students are traveling to Detroit to participate in a program that fosters urban revitalization through entrepreneurship. Others will travel to South Dakota to work with Native Americans on a project that helps preserve their culture. Another group will learn about prison reform in Washington, D.C. through the organization Thrive DC. Other trips will take students to South Carolina, where they will assist with water sustainability and social entrepreneurship projects.

“Students get the chance to learn more about social issues from one of our partner organizations, and engage with the local communities in an attempt to try to make a difference,” explained Apurva Gadde, a senior from Hyderabad, India and president of the student organization Alternative Break Program. “They typically spend most of their time volunteering with the organization and reflecting on their experiences as a group at the end of the day.

“Students are motivated to go on our trips if they’re willing to branch out and learn more about a social issue, and if they want to experience something college career-defining,” Gadde added. “While these trips focus on social issues, volunteering, and learning, they are also a great way to find a community of people who care about similar issues, which is enticing to many.” (more…)

Seven trailblazing Kelley School women recognized through new series of banners

Posted on March 1, 2022 by George Vlahakis

The banners complement those featuring recognizing African American alumni, which were installed last spring.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In advance of Women’s History Month, the Indiana University Kelley School of Business recently installed a new series of banners recognizing an accomplished group of female alumni who have been part of the school’s history and efforts to be inclusive.

The banners highlight trailblazers not only at Kelley but also at the university level. They included one of the school’s first female faculty members and someone critical to the creation of a network for women in the business school. The banners highlight successful women who were the first to graduate from the school with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

They also recognize the first woman to earn a Kelley degree through the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management – an organization that has greatly contributed to increased diversity in corporate management ranks – and the first Kelley alumna to be named an IU trustee.

Blance McNeely Ween

Blanche McNeely Wean

In 1922, just two years after its establishment, the School of Commerce (today the Kelley School) admitted its first female student, Blanche McNeely Wean. A Bloomington native and the daughter of the owner of a grocery store and the local Yellow Cab Co., she had enrolled at IU two years earlier to study education but took as many business classes as she could.

“She shared with a male professor that she had ambitions to join the business world, stemming from her work experience. The professor told her that business was a ‘man’s world’ and suggested she stick to education,” wrote Ellie Kaverman, in an article for the Indiana History Blog.

She was soon followed by two other women, Anna Hasler and Athleen Catterson, who transferred from the University of Chicago and were admitted concurrently. All three women graduated together in 1923, and McNeely Wean was the first to meet all of IU’s degree requirements.

After graduation, McNeely moved to Lafayette to begin working as a teacher, and married Francis Wean in 1926. In 1930, her husband unexpectedly passed away, leaving her to raise three daughters under the age of three at the onset of the Great Depression. She returned to Bloomington and began substitute teaching stenography at the school.

While teaching at IU, McNeely Wean worked on obtaining her master’s degree (in economics) and was offered a trial position as the head of the business department at Central Normal College in Danville (later renamed Canterbury College). Rather than uprooting her family, she woke up every Monday morning at 2:30 a.m. to drive to Danville and teach a 6:00 a.m. class.

In 1932, McNeely Wean received an official offer from Central Normal College to head the business school, serve as the dean of women for the college, and serve as the student newspaper’s advisor—with the expectation that she would first graduate with her master’s degree from Indiana University that same year. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree in May 1932, and then moved her family to Danville. She continued at Central Normal College for fifteen years while also working as an accountant for outside businesses. All three of her daughters earned their undergraduate and graduate degrees at Indiana University.

Esther Bray

Esther Bray

Raised on a northern Indiana farm, Esther Bray came to IU in 1922 and earned a business degree five years later. A decade later, she was invited by President Herman B Wells to return and teach at the school. She went on to teach business education for 34 years.

By comparison, the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1881, would not appoint its first female faculty member, Dorothy Swain Thomas, until 1948. The first woman to become a tenured professor at Harvard Business School, Regina Herzlinger, was appointed there in 1971. Mary Munter, the first woman to teach full-time at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, arrived in 1983.

For many years, Bray would be the only woman on the IU business school faculty. “Esther was instrumental in the development of young women both in and out of the business school,” noted Ellie Kaverman, in an article produced for IU’s bicentennial.

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