Dear Scheller Community,
It has been energizing to be part of the momentum we have been building over the summer months! Over the course of the past several weeks, I met with colleagues at Georgia Tech Panama and regional partners in Panama City and San José, Costa Rica, to explore opportunities to expand Executive Education across Central America. I also enjoyed conversations with our alumni in San Francisco and Houston and am looking forward to connecting with more alumni and industry partners in Los Angeles and San Diego next week.
One theme consistently comes up on the road: our students are talented, and parents and alumni often reflect on how our faculty and staff support their success. The Jones MBA Career Center reports that our full-time MBA Class of 2027 will return to campus after 100% of students seeking internships secured placements for summer 2026, and the Class of 2026 achieved the best rate of first job offers by graduation in three years. Thanks to our employer partners who invest in Scheller talent.
Our students were also building global connections this summer. Scheller undergraduates in the Leadership for Social Good Study Abroad Program worked alongside nonprofit partners in Hungary, and their reflections highlight the value of experiential, global learning in broadening perspectives.
As we welcome our new and returning students on campus, our commitment to providing an outstanding student experience continues to be recognized. The Full-time MBA program received five top 10 rankings from The Princeton Review, including four top five placements. Its No. 3 ranking for Best Classroom Experience marks eight consecutive years in the top five nationally. The program also earned No. 5 rankings for Best Administered, Best MBA for Operations, and Greatest Resources for Minority Students, as well as a No. 10 ranking for Best Campus Environment.
This momentum extends to the impactful, relevant research that our faculty are pursuing. New research from Daniel Yue, assistant professor of IT management, and Yiyang Zeng, postdoctoral fellow, examines who benefits when data centers enter a community and drew national media attention this month, including coverage in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fortune. Research by Xindi He, assistant professor of finance, finds that investors often take greater risks with gains from recent trades without achieving stronger returns.
Our faculty continue to make a broad impact. Adithya Pattabhiramaiah, professor of marketing and the inaugural faculty director of the Center for AI in Business, was featured by The Atlanta Business Chronicle as it highlighted the Center’s work in curriculum development, faculty research, Executive Education, and corporate partnerships to help organizations prepare for AI-enabled transformation. Charlotte Alexander, professor of law and ethics, was appointed a Georgia Tech ADVANCE Professor, joining an inter-college network that champions faculty development and success across the Institute. Zhaohu “Jonathan” Fan, lecturer and associate faculty director of the Center for AI in Business, received both a Bill Kent Family Foundation AI in Higher Education Fellowship from Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities and a Transformative Teaching and Learning HIPs in the Classroom grant from Georgia Tech’s Center for Teaching and Learning.
Please also join me in congratulating our Scheller alumni, Candice Broce, Malcolm Danmola, Katie Deutschler, Tyler Epps, Andrew Eskander, and Maria Roche, who were named 2026 40 Under 40 honorees by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. They become part of a distinguished group of alumni making meaningful contributions in their professions and communities.
Behind the scenes, Scheller has also begun developing its next strategic plan for 2026–2030. In the coming months, members of the Scheller community will have opportunities to provide feedback to the steering committee, and I will share more as the process continues.
I look forward to reconnecting as we gather across the country in the weeks ahead. Join us at one of our upcoming events:
- Aug. 5, Los Angeles: Scheller in Your City
- Aug. 6, San Diego: Scheller in Your City
- Sept. 2, Atlanta: Tech Talks Business featuring Jaime Gilinski, IE ’78, CEO of Grupo Nutresa
- Sept. 18, Atlanta: George Tower | Scheller Tower Dedication Ceremony (invitation with RSVP link is forthcoming)
Whether you join us in California or Atlanta, I hope you will register and take part in these opportunities to connect with the Scheller community.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus and continuing our collective journey of being Stellar at Scheller!
Best wishes,
Anuj
Anuj Mehrotra
Dean and Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Chair
Professor of Operations Management
Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business