Dear Scheller Community,
One of my favorite parts of being dean is connecting with our alumni, whether that's across the country or right here in Atlanta. In October, I traveled to Miami for Scheller in Your City and welcomed alumni back to campus with a special Homecoming edition, our first alumni event in the new Scheller Tower. It was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces and introduce our graduates to the newest addition to Tech Square.
Our Young Alumni Advisory Board also returned to campus for its fall meeting. Members spent time networking with students, participating in professional development, and discussing ways to strengthen alumni connections. I appreciate their continued investment in Scheller and the next generation of graduates.
October also brought two terrific Tech Talks Business conversations. I sat down with Jim Hannan of Koch early in the month, and Scheller partnered with Avant South to close its conference with Ronnie Chatterji, chief economist at OpenAI.
Our Full-time MBA program rose to No. 18 in the U.S. and No. 48 globally in the latest QS Global MBA Rankings, retaining our position as Georgia's No. 1 MBA program. We also ranked No. 7 nationally for return on investment. Our Executive MBA program ranked No. 17 among U.S. programs in the Financial Times Executive MBA ranking, including No. 3 for its alumni network. These results reflect the talent of our students and the dedication of our faculty and staff, who continue to find ways to make Scheller better.
Congratulations are in order for MBA student and GEMS President Roshina Rafee, recipient of Women in Technology's Early Career Excellence Award, and to MBA students Hannah Kahl and Pratham Patel for taking first place in the Bain & Company Case Competition at the recent ROMBA Conference. It's always a pleasure to see our students recognized beyond the classroom.
In a different but equally rewarding kind of recognition, Poets&Quants highlighted our annual Crawfish Boil among its favorite business school traditions. MBA alumnus Jose Antonio Visintini Podio described how the gathering brings students, faculty, alumni, and their families together. It’s a nice reminder that some of our best Scheller moments happen outside the classroom.
We welcomed the first cohort of students to our Agentic AI Strategies for Organizational Transformation executive education course this past month, with excellent feedback from participants. The course helps leaders understand how to put emerging AI technologies to work in their organizations. It's a great example of how Scheller continues to develop learning opportunities at the intersection of business and technology.
I also joined our staff at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for a day of thoughtful discussion about our new strategic plan. It was energizing to hear the ideas and candid feedback our colleagues shared as we plan Scheller's future.
On a more reflective note, I traveled to New York for a memorial honoring Steven A. Denning. Steven's generosity and commitment to Georgia Tech, particularly through the Denning Technology & Management Program, created opportunities that have benefited thousands of students.
We closed out October with our annual Schell-o-ween celebration, always a fun way to spend time together before the final stretch of the semester.
Looking ahead, I hope you'll join us for some of our upcoming events:
- November 5 – 6: Join us for Tech Talks Business featuring Claudio Zanardo, president and CEO of Pirelli North America (November 5, 5:30 p.m.) to mark the opening of the TechForward 2026 Conference (November 6), where students and business leaders will explore technology’s role in business.
- November 10: Scheller Student and Alumni Networking Night, bringing together alumni and current students.
- November 12: Tech Talks Business featuring Mark Rayfield, president and CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed, at 5:30 p.m. in Scheller Tower.
As we approach Thanksgiving and the final weeks of the semester, thank you for the many ways you contribute to Scheller. I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday.
Best wishes,
Anuj Mehrotra
Dean and Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Chair
Professor of Operations Management
Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business