An anniversary offers us the chance to celebrate, reconnect and reflect.
In September, more than 300 alumni and friends from across the globe returned to campus to commemorate our
25th year as a graduate school. Reunion Weekend also marked 30 years since the first graduates of our founding Lemberg Program in International Economics and Finance received their diplomas. As dean, it was especially rewarding to see so many familiar faces back at Brandeis. And as a community, the occasion marked an exciting opportunity to come together and reflect on how far we’ve come as an institution — and where we’re headed next.
The Lemberg Program was conceived by a group of international trade economists and applied econometricians in the mid-1980s. At the time, the concept of a professional master’s degree focusing on business, economics and finance was innovative — especially a program with such a strong international and quantitative focus. In this sense, our founders were visionaries: today, specialized master’s degrees are in high demand, while our globalized, data-driven economy requires technologically sophisticated professionals adept at working across borders and cultures.
Our first graduating class in 1989 comprised just 12 graduates. Fast forward to 2019: our
entering class of graduate students across all programs is now nearly 25 times that size. The
undergraduate business program is thriving and ranks consistently among the most popular majors at Brandeis University. And yet throughout this impressive growth period, at our core we remain a human business school with open doors and a strong sense of community. We are tightly integrated with the larger university and continue our collective work to uphold the values of Justice Louis Brandeis, who considered business an “occupation which is pursued … not merely for one’s self.”
In recent years we’ve doubled down on our quantitative focus by achieving STEM designations for all degree programs. The successful launch of the highly competitive
Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program, the development of a deeper analytics component in our
Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, and the rollout of a new
FinTech concentration in our
Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program are just the latest examples of this commitment, which allows our students to gain knowledge and exposure to the disruptive new technologies shaping our world — including blockchain, artificial intelligence and data analytics.
This success is all thanks to the collective efforts and generous contributions of our alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends. The stories we heard from alumni and faculty throughout Reunion Weekend made it clear that our community is expansive and our connections are strong. We know that together we will continue achieving our collective mission by transforming today’s students into tomorrow’s globally fluent, technologically adept business leaders. Thank you for your continued support.
Kathryn Graddy is the dean of Brandeis International Business School and the Fred and Rita Richman Distinguished Professor in Economics.
