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Kelley School of Business

Marketing education innovators honored with the Jack R. Wentworth Lifetime Impact Award

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Lopo Rego/Jonlee Andrews/Rosann Spiro/Pat Hopkins

From left, Lopo Rego, Jonlee Andrews, Rosann Spiro and Pat Hopkins.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Two retired marketing faculty at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business – Jonlee Andrews and Rosann Spiro – were honored on Aug. 17 with the Jack R. Wentworth Lifetime Impact Award.

The Wentworth Award is named for the three-time alumnus who taught at Kelley from 1959 to 1997 and led the school as its dean from 1984 to 1993. Wentworth helped establish the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, which supports MBA students from underrepresented populations, as well as the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the Center for Real Estate Studies. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 89.

The Wentworth Award recognizes the lifetime achievements of “truly exceptional individuals who had a substantial and enduring impact on the Kelley School and the marketing discipline through their research, teaching, and service.” Recipients are chosen for the highly selective award through a vote of senior marketing faculty and approval from the dean.

Like Wentworth, Andrews and Spiro helped lay a foundation for Kelley’s success – working to position the school as a leading marketing program today.

“It’s nice to stop and reflect on the cumulative contributions and impact that an individual can make over time,” said Pat Hopkins, vice dean of Kelley Bloomington and the Conrad Prebys Professor. “The colleagues we are honoring today – Jonlee Andrews and Rosann Spiro — have made wonderful, lasting contributions to the Kelley community through their scholarship, teaching, leadership and mentorship.”

Hopkins spoke about how Andrews and Spiro heightened research and scholarly discussion among their peers, engaged and collaborated with corporate partners and hiring companies and inspired and propelled students toward success.

“On top of all that, you have been exceptional colleagues,” he added. (more…)

Eleven students from Indiana chosen for prestigious Kelley Scholars program

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Photos of six Kelley Scholars

Presenting the 2023 Kelley Scholars: Top, left to right, Teresa Yu, Colten Adams and Emma Sandman. Bottom, from left, Maya Gorney, Abigail Ortiz and Nicole Liu.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Eleven incoming Indiana University freshmen from across the Hoosier state have been selected as Kelley Scholars at the Kelley School of Business.

The Kelley Scholars, who intend to major in business at IU Bloomington, will receive standard tuition and fees, a stipend for living expenses and funding for academic activities such as overseas study.

The Kelley Scholars Program is funded by a multi-million-dollar gift from E.W. “Ed” Kelley and his family, made to IU in the fall of 1997. The university named its school of business for the Kelley family in acknowledgment of the gift.

This year’s class of Kelley Scholars was selected from a group of top students admitted to IU, who were invited to apply for the program because of their outstanding academic records. The application included references, a high school transcript, several personal statements on a variety of topics and an essay.

The incoming Kelley Scholars are:

Colten Adams, a graduate of Benton Central High School. He is a Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, and was salutatorian of his graduating class. He ran cross country and track and earned Academic All State honors in both sports. Adams was senior class president, a student council member, and a 10-year 4-H member. He earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Award gold distinction for his volunteer work within his school, church, and community. He plans on majoring in finance with a minor in political science and economics.

Kerry Ao, a graduate of Signature School in Evansville. He was valedictorian of his class, named an AP Scholar with Distinction, and awarded his International Baccalaureate Diploma. He served as business club president, Math National Honor Society vice president, student council treasurer, and a member of the National Honor Society. He represented Indiana at the 2023 United States Senate Youth Program. He is the co-founder of Intertwined, an AI-driven financial education software company, and was awarded TechPoint Mira Student Entrepreneur of the Year. He plans on majoring in finance and international business.

Mia Cochran, a graduate of Floyd Central High School in Floyds Knobs. She graduated summa cum laude and served as both president of National Honor Society and vice president of her class. She was named AP Scholar with Distinction, Indiana’s Rising Star, and “Ms. Floyd Central” for excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character. She was co-captain of the girls varsity swim team and was selected Academic All-State. In addition, she was a member of the student council and Rotary International Interact Club. She plans on majoring in finance with a co-major in Law, Ethics, and Decision-Making.

Allison Craig, a graduate of Columbus East High School. During her high school career, she was president of both Best Buddies and Student Assembly. She was also an All Conference and 2nd Team All-State soccer player, member of the Champions Together Committee, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honors Society member, and member of the basketball team. She plans on majoring in marketing and professional sales.

Maya Gorney, a graduate of Lake Central High School in St. John. During her high school career, she founded a Women’s Empowerment Club, was named an AP Scholar with Distinction, graduated summa cum laude, and played varsity tennis. Additionally, she was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in other volunteer activities within her community. She plans on majoring in accounting and finance.

Haley Hunt, a graduate of Carmel High School. During high school she was a freshmen mentor, member of the National Honor Society, officer for the CCPL Teen Library Council, and named a National Merit Finalist. She also founded a book donation organization that promotes literacy for underprivileged youth in Indianapolis. She plans on majoring in management and entrepreneurship.

Dariush Khurram, a graduate of Carmel High School. During his high school career, he was a National Merit Scholarship finalist and an AP Scholar with Distinction. In the summer of 2020, he co-founded an organization in his area with the goal of creating a more educated and unified community. Through this organization, he has helped coordinate numerous speaker panels, put up a large-scale mural, and run multiple fundraising events. Dariush was also an editor for his award-winning school newspaper and was involved in senate, peer tutoring, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa, and Model UN, among other clubs. He plans on majoring in business management.

Nicole Liu, a graduate of Noblesville High School. During her high school career, she was the president and co-founder of Peonies, a women’s advocacy group, served as a VOICE Indiana Ambassador and won CFTFK’s National Youth Advocate Group of the Year, and was the co-editor-in-chief of the literary magazine. She was a national qualifier in DECA, won the Scholastic Gold Medal and the Scholastic American Voices Award for her writing, and graduated summa cum laude. She plans on majoring in marketing.

Abigail Ortiz, a graduate of Ben Davis High School. During her last two years of high school, she interned with AES Indiana through the Modern Apprenticeship program within the company’s public relations team. She was highly involved in DECA. In addition, she was a member of National Honor Society, an Honors Student, a Top 30 student in her graduating class. She plans to study marketing.

Emma Sandman, a graduate of Shelbyville High School. During her high school career, she was a three-sport varsity athlete, senior class president, high school mentor, deacon, and a barista at a local coffee shop. In addition, she was named a Lilly Community Endowment Scholarship finalist and an AP Scholar. She plans on majoring in Finance.

Teresa Yu, a graduate of Carmel High School. She was the board liaison and communication chair of Carmel Key Club, vice president of the National Chinese Honor Society, the cello section leader of her school’s Philharmonic orchestra, a member of her school’s orchestra council and Symphony orchestra, a social studies peer tutor, a counselor at an art summer camp, and a volunteer at her local library. She was an AP Scholar with Distinction, a Constitution Day Poster Design Contest National Finalist, and received a language department award. She plans on majoring in marketing.

Headshot photos of five Kelley Scholars

Presenting the 2023 Kelley Scholars: Top, from left, Kerry Ao, Haley Hunt and Dariush Khurram. Bottom, from left, Mia Cochran and Allison Craig.

Kelley School of Business among top schools for management research

Posted on by Kelley School

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business is among the top 10 business schools in the United States in terms of management research productivity, according to an annual index compiled by Texas A&M University and the University of Georgia.

The Kelley School was ranked eighth nationally in the latest TAMUGA Ranking of Management Department Research Productivity, which tracks faculty research contributions to eight of the most-influential scholarly journals in the discipline of management.

Kelley also was ranked 12th worldwide.

The ranking gauges business schools based on the number of publications in eight top management journals by their faculty members. Research output by faculty in Kelley’s Department of Management & Entrepreneurship was more than any other business school in Indiana. It ranked second in the Big Ten, behind only the University of Iowa.

The Kelley School moved up in these management research rankings, rising from 12th in 2021 and 32nd in 2020.

Portrait of Erik Gonzalez-Mulé wearing a business attire

Erik Gonzalez-Mulé

Erik Gonzalez-Mulé, the Randall L. Tobias Chair in Leadership, associate professor of organizational behavior and human resources, and chair of the department, said the rankings reflect the support for scholarly research by Kelley School leadership as well as his peers’ desire to advance management knowledge.

“The Kelley School is committed to research excellence, and we are grateful for the resources and support afforded to our faculty so they are able to do their best work. Our department’s faculty members have consistently demonstrated their exceptional talent, intellectual curiosity, and unyielding passion for advancing management knowledge. These rankings are just the latest indicator of our collective productivity, which has been on a consistent upward trajectory.”

Kelley School Dean Ash Soni joined peers from nine other top business schools for meetings with leaders in Washington

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Dean Ash Soni and his colleagues at other business schools met at the White House with Jared Bernstein, chair of Council of Economic Advisers, and Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council.

WASHINGTON – Ash Soni, dean of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, joined a delegation of 10 business school deans who met on June 15 with legislative and business leaders and economists in Washington, D.C.

It was the first time that deans of the nation’s top business schools had come together collectively for such a series of meetings with U.S. senators and House representatives.

Afterward, they traveled to the White House and met with Jared Bernstein, President Joe Biden’s chief economist and chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; and Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council and former vice chair of the Federal Reserve.

They began the day with a breakfast meeting with leaders of the Business Roundtable, including its CEO, Joshua Bolten.

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) co-hosted the delegation at the U.S. Capitol, where they spent nearly two hours discussing issues with legislators and members of their staffs. Among those also in attendance were Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

The delegation also included deans from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, McCombs School at the University of Texas, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

After the meeting congressmen and their aides, Dean Ash Soni spoke with Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who co-hosted the meeting.

The purpose of the meetings was to discuss strategies to keep American businesses globally competitive and dynamic and to educate the next generation of diverse leaders to prioritize investing in America and our workforce, Khanna and Young said in a joint news release.

“A major part of that leadership is the ability to collaborate across the public and private sectors, which is why this event is important,” Young said. “I am grateful that these business school deans are sharing their time, ideas, and expertise with us, and I look forward to additional collaboration in the months and years to come.”

“This event is a great start to encourage collaboration between the private and public sectors and foster a spirit of unity among the next generation of leaders,” Khanna added.

Business schools will help build the future economy and mold the next generation of business leaders, so it’s important for deans be a part of these conversations, Young and Khanna said.

One question united every meeting: How can America’s business schools educate future leaders and support America’s economic future?

Soni, who also is the Sungkyunkwan Professor at Kelley, said conversations focused on issues at the forefront of business and governance, including the future of artificial intelligence, global health innovation, and sustainability practices.

“It mainly was a free-flowing conversation about issues and it was very bipartisan,” he said. “The business world moves very fast, and discussions like these are vital to ensure we’re all working toward a vibrant and innovative economy. It was very useful dialogue and a very good start. It was something that I look back on and value.”

On a personal level, Soni said his visit to the White House will be a precious memory. He has visited our nation’s capital many times, including through Kelley’s involvement in the Washington Campus educational consortium, which offers an intense five-day program of immersion courses. He had been to the White House as a tourist with his grandchildren, but never to the West Wing.

“It’s cramped. The corridors are narrow. The staircases are narrow. Offices are not that big. The waiting areas are small, but you know you are in the West Wing,” he recalled.

One member of the delegation previously worked in the White House. As they gathered for one of their meetings, he pointed to the ceiling and said, “We are right below the Oval Office.” At that moment, it impressed upon Soni just how close he was to the seat of executive power in the U.S. government.

In addition to the formal meetings, the delegation provided deans with opportunities to meet each other and discuss common issues and interests. Members of the group will follow up with each other later this summer.

“It was good to have the Kelley School there as part of that group,” Soni said. “Hopefully we’ll do this on an annual basis.”

The deans began the day with a breakfast meeting with leaders of the Business Roundtable, including its CEO, Joshua Bolten (fourth from left)

Kelley professor finds diversity of experience among board members leads to innovation

Posted on by George Vlahakis

While gender, racial and ethnic diversity bring value to U.S. companies, so does having a variety of educational, industrial and organizational experiences on corporate boards (Getty Images).

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – While gender, racial and ethnic diversity bring value to U.S. companies, research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business found that diverse educational, industrial and organizational experiences among managers and board members leads to R&D innovation creating economic and social value.

“We looked at their experiences and not just their demographic background – the more functional aspect of diversity. We looked at outcomes and found radical innovation when directors had more diverse experience, helping to guide firms toward more cutting-edge exploration and success,” said Aurora Genin, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship.

Aurora Genin

Aurora Genin

In other words, corporate leadership that includes people from educational backgrounds other than business and finance might be less myopic when facing uncertainty.

Many firms are responding to market and regulatory pressures to make the composition of their corporate boards more demographically diverse. Use of the “traditional pedigree” for directors limits the pool of possible candidates, creating a scarcity among those who are women or of color.

“Noting the benefits of diverse experiences in the boardroom, corporate executives can search beyond the tradition director pedigree (e.g. Ivy League-educated financiers), where female and minority individuals remain underrepresented,” she and her colleagues wrote. “In doing so, the firm can find more qualified candidates to assemble a demographically and intellectually diverse board, thus cultivating an inclusive corporate culture conducive to shareholder and stakeholder value creation.”

For example, Genin said, the limited supply of women, for example, in the director pool, makes them a scarce commodity.

“Companies are trying to recruit this limited number of female director candidates,” she said. “If you have one woman sitting as a director on 20 company boards, how much can they really contribute to the decisions, in terms of monitoring and advising?”

Genin is co-author of the article, “Board experiential diversity and corporate radical innovation,” in Strategic Management Journal.

Other authors are Wenting Ma, assistant professor of finance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; Vineet Bhagwat, associate professor of finance at George Washington University; and Gennaro Bernile, associate professor of finance at the University of Miami.

The researchers reviewed a sample of more than 11,000 observations of 971 firms with one or more patent applications between 1996 and 2014.

One example cited in the paper of a highly innovative company that values diverse experiences and collective literacy in the boardroom is pharmaceutical and biotech leader Moderna, which used a non-traditional approach – RNA technology – to develop one of the COVID-19 vaccines. It has an advisory board that includes those educated in medical sciences, economics, and journalism – as well as finance. Other firms may include board members with backgrounds in computer and political science.

“From leadership’s perspective, critical thinking is very important in terms of guiding companies to take higher risks and evaluating the trajectory of their R&D efforts,” she said. “If some of the people in the boardroom aren’t trained in the more pragmatic disciplines — such as someone trained in journalism — it helps them to think between the lines and beyond the face value of a decision.”

This is important because radical innovation involves high risks early on. Directors with an open and long-term mindset “can steer the upper echelon to emphasize frontier exploration in the firm’s R&D strategy,” researchers said.

“While there can be tension between short- and long-term value creation, it is not irreconcilable,” they added. “Firms can potentially achieve the best of both worlds by recruiting female and minority directors with nontraditional experiences, who are likely mindful of both current shareholder value and future growth opportunities.”

Graduate accounting students recognized at special Pentagon ceremony

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu, center, hosted an award ceremony for students from the Kelley School Bloomington at the Pentagon on April 28. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Christopher Kaufmann)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Brianna Bova started the Master of Science in Accounting and Data Analytics (MSADA) Program at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, she never imagined herself at the Pentagon receiving recognition from the U.S. Department of Defense. That’s where she found herself in late April this year.

Bova and seven classmates from the MSADA  and 3/2 MBA programs received certificates of appreciation from U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu for their work with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

Brianna Bova

Brianna Bova

“I never realized the impact I would be making during my year at Kelley” said Bova, who graduated in May.

For nearly 25 years, students in the Kelley Graduate Accounting Programs have brought fresh ideas to bolster businesses through field consulting projects. And for the last six years, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division has been a project client.

This year, two Kelley consulting teams of four students each contributed nearly 1,200 hours of work across a 16-week semester to take on challenges related to accounting and other business challenges. Their efforts have impacted workflow efficiencies and cost savings for the Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program (OSD ManTech).

One project team presented communication strategies to enhance OSD ManTech’s visibility to drive awareness and engagement that ultimately increases funding and successful project completion. The second team created a predictive model that reduces variance errors in budget forecasting processes.

Both projects exemplify the positive impact of forging strong, groundbreaking partnerships that provide students real leadership experience while developing solutions for critical business issues and strengthening the vitality of Indiana and the nation.

“I learned so many useful skills like teamwork, collaboration, and leadership that will help me in the future,” said Bova, who served as the client liaison for the communications project team. “I learned how to take my individual ideas and bring them to a team where we were able to work together on solutions.”

Editor’s note: This article was written by Brenda Bishop.

Students from Kelley’s MSADA and 3/2MBA proudly hold their certificates of appreciation, along with Pat Hopkins, the school’s vice dean at IU Bloomington. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Christopher Kaufmann)

All in the family: Mother and son earn Kelley degrees together

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Agrayan and Anita Gupta

Agrayan and Anita Gupta

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Agrayan Gupta started college at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in fall 2019, he couldn’t have imagined his mother, Anita, would become his study buddy. This month, the Guptas graduated from Kelley together — he with a bachelor’s degree and she with the Kelley Direct Online MBA.

The mother of two, Anita says sharing the Kelley graduation platform with her younger son is an honor. Agrayan says she is an inspiration. Both acknowledge they leaned on one another.

“My mom has constantly been there for me during my time at Kelley. She really pushed me to do work that is meaningful to me, like food insecurity,” said Agrayan, who works at Deloitte as a strategy consulting analyst.

“My son stood by me the entire time,” said Anita. “We have been pillars for each other. He patiently listened when I talked about my classes, and he helped me when I had doubts or wasn’t sure if an elective would be right for me.”

Anita’s Kelley Direct journey wasn’t easy. Like many professional women, she had to balance her studies with other responsibilities, including full-time work as a physician researcher and taking care of her family. But she was driven to fulfill her dream of making a difference for patients.

“I struggled through my first semester, as I was coming back to class after a long time,” remembered Anita, who graduated from medical school in 1993 and moved to the U.S. from India in 1996. “Kelley Direct has excellent professors and supportive staff who are always there for you, helping and guiding you throughout the program. They changed my outlook.

“You need to follow your dreams and know you are never too old to pivot your career path,” she added.

Agrayan’s path to Kelley is a direct result of his mother’s encouragement to follow his dreams. The Honors student, who majored in economic consulting and public policy, is interested in sustainable healthcare development and data interoperability. He says choosing the Kelley School for college made a lot of sense in every aspect.

“I wanted to get an interdisciplinary education where I could mix my interests in business, policy, and healthcare. Kelley made that dream come true,” Agrayan said. “Kelley’s supportive environment and course structure gave me a strong business foundation while allowing me to explore my areas of interest.”

Earning Kelley degrees together brought Anita and Agrayan closer than ever before. They pushed each other to succeed — studying together, sharing words of encouragement, and celebrating each other’s successes.

Like the Kelley grads before them and those who will follow, the Guptas know business is personal and that succeeding together is a greater achievement than going it alone.

Editor’s note: This article was written by Brenda Bishop.

Kelley professor: Use of CoCo bonds – hybrid securities issued by banks – do not protect taxpayers

Posted on by George Vlahakis

As the government grapples with finding solutions for the struggling First Republic Bank, a pertinent question arises as to whether CoCo bonds could offer a viable solution for the wider U.S. banking industry. (Photo by Can Pac Swire, via Creative Commons)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A financial tool used in the bailout of global banking giant Credit Suisse Group, hybrid securities known as “CoCo” bonds, would not protect taxpayers. Their use should continue to be left to the private sector, instead of being treated as regulatory capital after bank failures in the United States, said a finance professor at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

The recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the United States spilled over into Europe, where Credit Suisse Group was acquired by UBS Group AG, in a transaction brokered by the Swiss government.

The takeover surprised investors by wiping out 16 billion Swiss francs of AT1 CoCo bonds – or about $17.7 billion in U.S. dollars — while paying 3 billion francs ($3.3 billion U.S.) to equity holders. Credit Suisse used contingent convertible bonds – popularly known as CoCo bonds or AT1 bonds, treating them as debt and equity simultaneously. It used the bonds as debt for cheaper funding, as equity to meet regulatory capital requirements and to arbitrage between bond market and banking regulation.

This wasn’t an available option in the United States, thanks to U.S. banking regulation, in which Zhenyu Wang, a banking scholar and the Edward E. Edwards Professor of Finance at the Kelley School, helped to develop. As the government grapples with finding solutions for the struggling First Republic Bank, a pertinent question arises as to whether CoCo bonds could offer a viable solution for the wider U.S. banking industry.

Zhenyu Wang

Zhenyu Wang

As a vice president and the head of financial intermediation function at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York during the financial crisis of 2008-2009, he was directly involved in the bank bailout, the security design of the Troubled Assets Relief Program and the development of new capital requirements for banks.

He raised serious concerns about the design and use of CoCo bonds in banking regulation. The bonds are a unique hybrid security that combines the characteristics of debt and equity. They function as debt until they are either converted into equity or written down to lose value alongside or before equity.

While regulators and banks each can see merit in the use of CoCo bonds, their use in a crisis do not benefit taxpayers, Wang said in a new article published by the European Corporate Governance Institute, “Are CoCo bonds better than common equity as capital for financial stability?”

Instead, he questions whether the main purpose of CoCo bonds is to take advantage of the differential treatments in regulation, tax law, and bond markets.

“The main selling point by the proponents of CoCo bonds is that CoCo bonds help financial stability and protect taxpayers. However, the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS put Swiss taxpayers at risk again 15 years after they had bailed out UBS,” Wang said, referring to the 109-billion-franc new credit and guarantee provided to UBS by the Swiss government. “A poll conducted a few days after the takeover announcement shows three quarters of Swiss people are unhappy about the takeover brokered by their government. The convincing logic in the selling point of CoCo bonds must be flawed.”

Banks can use CoCo bonds to exploit discrepancies among capital markets, tax policies, and banking regulations. If investors price them as debt, governments treat them as tax-deductible, and regulators count them as equity.

“CoCo bonds do not effectively protect taxpayers from bank risks, especially in light of the inactive Tier 1 ratio – the ratio of a bank’s core equity capital to its total risk-weighted assets — and slow regulators,” Wang added. “Although CoCo bonds may be more useful than non-convertible, non-written- down bonds for rescuing unviable banks, it remains uncertain whether they are more effective than common equity as capital for ensuring financial stability.”

No U.S. banks have issued any CoCo bonds. The Financial Stability Oversight Council reported to Congress in 2012 that U.S. regulators would leave CoCo bonds as a private sector innovation instead of using them as regulatory capital. In 2012, Wang left the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to come to Kelley.

Wang also recently presented the lecture, “CoCo Bonds: Are They Debt or Equity? Do They Help Financial Stability?,” as part of a lecture series presented online by Kelley’s Institute for Corporate Governance .

 

A Kelley Honors Program profile: Sarthak Nagar launches his dream

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Sarthak Nagar, left, with Angie Raymond, chairperson of the Undergraduate Honors Program.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sarthak Nagar, B.S., ’23, fueled his passion for aviation by taking an in-depth look at the industry in his senior capstone project with the Kelley Business Honors Program. His fascination with Urban Air Mobility (UAM) — aircraft that operate at lower altitudes within urban and suburban areas — ignited his exploration into the business side of innovative air transportation.

He’ll put his insights into practice upon graduation, beginning his career as a financial analyst for United Airlines. Read how your passion can take flight in the Kelley Honors Program, as Sarthak shares his big takeaways: 

Pay attention to what inspires you 

“Last summer I was a financial analyst intern with United Airlines, and a hot topic of conversation was UAM. I was intrigued by the impact it could have for people and businesses in the future. Challenges excite me, and the supervised independent research project through the Kelley Honors Program gave me freedom to explore this topic in depth. There were many directions my research could take, so I worked with a faculty advisor — Angie Raymond, chairperson of the Undergraduate Honors Program — who guided me in narrowing the scope of the thesis.” 

Ask questions that excite you 

“What are the possibilities for UAM? It could make so many things easier—from delivering goods and medication, to saving time on trips to school, the hospital, or the airport. I decided to focus on the factors that all stakeholders must consider. How can UAM deliver quickly—and be affordable—for a consumer? Will aircraft require pilots or be self-driving? Which companies are best positioned to take advantage of the UAM market? The start-up company Wisk, which is backed by Boeing, has already developed a self-flying, all-electric, four-seat air taxi. Lilium and Airbus are also poised as leaders in this market, among many others. I set off to learn who has the greatest potential to launch UAM in ways that are as efficient — and quiet — as possible.” 

Energize your efforts by sharing your work 

“The Kelley Honors Thesis Showcase brings together student researchers and their faculty advisors for an opportunity to talk about their work. Focused research requires commitment—and having fun along the way with support from peers is awesome. After I presented, faculty and students immediately came up to me asking when we can expect flying taxis to be implemented. The showcase helped me realize how much my peers and the faculty care about the projects.” 

Aim for your highest goal 

“I’m heading to United Airlines Chicago headquarters in July to begin a career in financial planning and analysis. I look forward to developing my financial modeling skills, strengthening my communication through presentations to leaders, and traveling the world. Eventually I’d like to work in a business development role with the company, helping United Airlines explore synergies with UAM. To anyone considering Kelley, find what you’re passionate about. There’s something for everyone here, and the support to make the most of it.” 

Interested in the Kelley Business Honors Program? Explore the possibilities. 

Editor’s note: This article was written by Mary Thomason-Smith.

Eight specialties in Kelley Full-Time MBA Program rise significantly in U.S. News rankings

Posted on by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University Kelley School of Business rose significantly in eight of 12 specialties as part of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings. This included placing three specialty areas in the top 10 – Accounting, Entrepreneurship and Information Systems.

In all, 10 specialty areas at Kelley ranked in the top 25, while the Full-Time MBA Program at IU Bloomington continues to be ranked 22nd overall and is seventh among public universities.

The Evening MBA Program at Indianapolis ranks 15th overall among part-time MBA programs and seventh among publics.

Looking at each specialty area ranking in the Full-Time MBA Program,

  • Accounting moved up to No. 7, up from eighth last year
  • Business Analytics rose to No. 14, from 21st a year ago
  • Information Systems went up to No. 8, from ninth last year
  • For International Business, the school went from not being ranked to No. 21
  • Finance rose into the top 25, moving to No. 21, from 27th last year
  • Management rose to No. 13th, from 16th
  • Marketing improved to No. 11, from 12th
  • Supply Chain Management moved up to No. 17, from 20th

The school’s ranking for its Entrepreneurship specialty remained steady at seventh and second among public universities. Its ranking in Production/Operations went from 11th to 15th. The two remaining specialty rankings, where Kelley was unranked, were in areas where the MBA program does not offer a program.

Ash Soni, dean of the Kelley School and The Sungkyunkwan Professor, said the specialty rankings reflect the respect that the school’s faculty and their activities have garnered from their counterparts, especially though increasing research contributions and collaboration.

The school recently learned that it was ranked ninth in the University of Texas at Dallas’ worldwide rankings of top research schools. Its faculty research output was more than any other school in the Big Ten. The school also was ranked ninth among North American business schools and second among public programs.

“U.S. News’ specialty rankings of our programs are both a testament to our faculty’s contributions and engagement in important issues facing business today and to the quality of our Full-Time MBA Program, which delivers a leading-edge curriculum,” Soni said. “Some business schools may ‘specialize’ in one or two areas, but we make a difference across a range of areas.”

 U.S. News’ rankings are based on statistical and reputational data about graduate programs at U.S. colleges and universities and are available on U.S. News and World Report’s website.

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