At the University of Louisville, some Cardinals follow those migratory birds’ patterns and fly away once they leave the school’s nest, returning to home states or embarking on exciting adventures in new cities. But many UofL Cardinals stick around Kentucky and focus on ways to make a difference right here in the commonwealth.

Whether near or far, every Cardinal makes the personal and academic journey to become a champion for their community. For many, the journey to keep moving forward never ends. That’s why we’ve assembled this micro playlist inspired by the momentum and spirit of that journey and are introducing you to five Cardinals who influenced each track.

Meet them now, click through to explore more of their stories and set your Cardinal playlist for the summer.

Track One: “1234” by Feist

To some, data is just numbers. But to alumnus Danial Malik ’15, ’22, ’25, those numbers tell human stories. With a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), master of public health in epidemiology from the School of Public Health and Information Sciences and master of science in business analytics–health analytics from the College of Business, the first-generation immigrant from Pakistan has found his purpose in using data to improve lives in the commonwealth.

Malik combines his technical prowess with compassion to use analytics that identify health care gaps in patient communities across Louisville. His work highlights how technology, when paired with empathy, creates healthier and happier communities.

Track Two: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel

The anthropology department’s Chloe Hale ’24 came west to UofL from Martin County, a rural area in eastern Kentucky along the West Virginia border. Hale’s Appalachian community suffers from regular access to clean drinking water due to factors such as infrastructure and mining contamination, leading her to feel a sense of guilt when she was a student in an urban center with safe, easily accessed water always a twist-of-a-knob away.

Hale took her feelings and used them as fuel to focus her studies on an anthropological exploration of Martin County’s water supply and local hairdressers who rely on clean water to make a living, showcasing the impact water insecurity has on Kentucky communities and inspiring others to help make a difference.

Read more about Hale’s hometown hairstylists project here.

Track Three: “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus

The idea of community wasn’t something Ben Donlon ’12, ’16 learned in a textbook – but it was taught to him by his parents, both educators in his Danville, Kentucky, home. As Donlon journeyed to UofL to earn his undergraduate degree from A&S and professional master of business administration from the College of Business, the commitment to service they instilled stuck to him like glue.

After years of experience with nonprofits and success-nurturing leadership, and as the current 2024-2025 president of the Young Professionals Association of Louisville, Donlon is fostering leadership and connection among emerging young professionals around the city – proving that the best way to help a community grow is to plant strong roots.

Track Four: “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree

Philosophy major Tanisha Ann Hickerson ’03 graduated from UofL with a bachelor’s degree from A&S, but her lifelong philosophy has been one of community involvement. Hickerson, a former attorney and now Jefferson County district court judge, has dedicated her personal and professional life to serving others – both in and outside the courtroom. Whether mentoring students or young professionals in Louisville, she pushes those around her to realize their protentional and see how their work helps others.

Honored as philosophy department’s 2025 Outstanding Alumni, Hickerson shows that when you participate in your community you not only make a difference, but you also open doors for impactful career opportunities.

Track Five: “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers

Typically, we go to doctors. But thanks to School of Medicine alumna and Department of Medicine assistant professor Bridget Hittepole ’06, we go with doctors as part of Walk with a Doc. Hittepole leads the Louisville chapter of the program, which welcomes everyone of any age or ability to walk or roll their way to better health. The monthly, family-friendly event helps community members connect with health care professionals outside the four walls of an office.

Recognized as a 2025 Health Care Hero by Louisville Business First, Hittepole embodies the passion for bettering the Louisville community through health and wellness initiatives that improve care access for all.

Henley has served in her current role since 2018. Prior to coming to North Dakota, she was executive director of MBA programs and associate professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.

Henley held other positions at Kennesaw State and has taught management courses there and at the University of Southern Mississippi and University of Texas at Arlington. Before entering academia, she worked in transportation logistics and financial analysis in Dallas.

“Dr. Henley has extensive leadership experience, is adept at building alumni relationships, strongly supports academic research and has a history of building ties with the business, government and nonprofit communities,” said UofL interim Provost Katie Cardarelli. “I believe she will be a great fit here and will take the College of Business to an even higher level.”

Henley earned a doctoral degree in organizational behavior and psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi.

“It is an honor to be named as the next dean for the University of Louisville College of Business,” Henley said. “Having the opportunity to serve at such a prestigious university, back in my southern roots, is truly a privilege. I look forward to helping propel our college into the next phase of innovation, entrepreneurship and thought-leadership as we inspire the future generation of business leaders.”

To learn more about Jackson’s journey and his inspiring accomplishments, UofL sat down with him for a Q&A.

UofL News: What drew you to the University of Louisville?

Jackson Robbins: I am a Louisville native and grew up as an avid UofL sports fan. As I entered high school, I became aware of the various academic programs, national research accolades and the great reputation of my hometown university. I love the campus, my friends and the feeling of being home but away from home simultaneously. I also have found community and brotherhood in the Fraternity Phi Kappa Tau.��

UofL News: What is the Congressional Award Program for Youth, and how did you earn the Gold Medal?

Robbins: The Congressional Award Program for Youth is the highest Congressional award for young adults aged 14 to 24. I earned the Gold Medal by logging around 1400 hours in four required areas: voluntary public service, physical fitness, expedition/exploration and personal development.

Participants can achieve a bronze, silver, or gold medal and/or certificates in each.��I started in high school and completed my hours earlier this year.�� ��

UofL News: Can you talk a little about what you did for each category?

Robbins: For volunteer service, my heart and passion lies with people with disabilities. While in high school, I participated several times as a companion at Shine Disabilities camps and activities.�� Early on, when I met my “Shine Buddy” – Trent. It was an honor to continue to spend time with him as a friend and mentor. It totally helped me to have compassion and to understand that not everyone’s the same, but all are special to God and have a special place in our world. I also served at Dare to Care and every summer I enjoyed volunteering and mentoring younger athletes at our summer basketball camps. Now in college, and as a proud and active brother in Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, I’ve helped work on our national service project, Paul Newman’s Serious Fun Network.

For physical fitness, I chose to set specific goals in my sports of cross country and basketball that helped me in personal discipline and sharpen my skills. I also developed my own personal fitness weight training program.��

For exploration and expedition, every participant is required to document a trip that must be completely planned and executed by the participant. In summer 2023, a buddy and I traveled to upper Michigan and were employed for a week at his family’s tourist attraction. I was required to provide travel plans, what I learned about the area, the people and exactly what I did. The town has 3,000 permanent residents but has thousands of summer visitors. The trip really helped to mature me as an aspiring young business entrepreneur.��

For personal development, I completed a few different things. One example is that I started working a part time job at age 14 at Jersey Mike’s Subs.�� I also attended in person and graduated from Dale Carnegie’s 8 week “Skills for Success” course at age 16.�� Dale Carnegie training is globally recognized as a leader in communication skills training. Some famous graduates include Warren Buffet and President Ronald Reagan.��

UofL News: What motivated you to pursue the Congressional Award? And what��advice do you have to others trying to pursue this award?

Robbins: One of the reasons to pursue this award is that it is available to any young person and it’s totally attainable to accomplish this goal. And you get to do it while just being you. I want to encourage all UofL students in the age range to get going and get encouraged!�� It is worth the effort. If you are already an involved person, sign up now so you can make those hours count. This program motivated me to reach goals and is a fantastic and rewarding way to reach them.����

Also, I am so grateful for Jim and Claudette Patton, the Southern Region advisors, who were always available to help guide me through the process to complete this goal for submission and approval at the National Congressional Youth Award organization.������

UofL News: What are your future plans?

Robbins: I plan to pursue an MBA or consider attending law school.��

The program is a nine-month training course where students gain hands-on experience creating and testing their ideas in the real world. The curriculum includes opportunities to prototype new designs while participating in workshops and lectures led by faculty at the UofL School of Medicine, College of Business and J.B. Speed School of Engineering.��

“This is about training the next generation of innovators in health care and medicine,” said In Kim, a professor of pediatric medicine and program lead. “With Bluegrass Biodesign, we hope to equip UofL students with the tools they need to launch technologies that can save lives.”��

Students complete the program in multidisciplinary teams, each blending undergraduate and graduate students in medicine and engineering. The idea is that they each bring insights from their own area of expertise that could help them solve problems and innovate.

“What we find is that innovation is a team sport,” said Beth Spurlin, an associate professor and co-director of the program. “The best solutions come from different people with different perspectives working together. With Bluegrass Biodesign, we give students the opportunity to experience that before they even leave campus.”

Eight teams — a total of 58 students —participated in the 2024-2025 cohort.��Logan Davis, an M.D./MBA student, said the experience taught him just how much work goes into developing the innovations his patients will one day rely on. His team worked on a device to help patients who struggle with both urinary control and motor tremor and/or dexterity. The solution for the former is to self-catheterize, which can be difficult without full control of your hands or arms.��

“We wanted to target this set of problems to give back some comfort and autonomy to these patients,” said Davis, who also was co-president for the 2023-2024 cohort. “This is a process I am so thankful to have been a part of, and I plan on using the biodesign process Bluegrass BioDesign is based on for the rest of my career to design/improve care for all of my patients.”

The student teams also complete business training via , the office’s accelerated entrepreneurial bootcamp that is part of UofL’s National Science Foundation program, housed in the . In the 2024 cycle, all eight teams received $3,000 in funding, along with mentorship and training, via the I-Corps program.

“We are thrilled to formalize the collaboration between Bluegrass Biodesign and UofL’s I-Corps program,” said Jessica Sharon, senior director of innovation programs and new ventures, who leads I-Corps and LaunchIt. “We are proud of these students’ hard work in the program to identify and validate market needs they are working to solve!”

Applications for the next cycle of Bluegrass Biodesign will be open for submission at the beginning of the spring 2025 semester. Learn more and apply .

The UofL Fulbright winners were awarded grants to teach English abroad in Turkey, Thailand, Moldova, Spain, Jordan, Taiwan and Germany.

The��Fulbright Program, administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of ����ֱ��al and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

Since 2001, UofL has been a Fulbright powerhouse, producing 175 scholars (the most in Kentucky) and earning national recognition seven times.

Those receiving ��are:

• Medina Aslan��’24, , of Krymsk, Russia, to Turkey.
• Julia Barclay��’22, ’24, of Union, Ky., to��Thailand.
• Beverly Granger ’18, ’24, College of Arts and Sciences, of Louisville, Ky., to Moldova.
• Olivia Hanke ’24,��of Louisville, Ky., to Spain.
• Anna Hylen��’23,��, of Wilmore, Ky., to Jordan.
• Kaitlyn Purcell ’24, ,��of Georgetown, Ky., to Taiwan.
• Abigail Stanger ’24, College of Arts and Sciences, of Gilbertsville, to Germany.

In addition to the teaching assistantships, sophomores Alexandria Ipock-Groves, College of Arts and Sciences, of Madisonville, Ky., and Saadhavi Maskey, , of Lexington, Ky., were selected as recipients of the . Participants experience an academic program at a United Kingdom university and explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK.

Other prestigious scholars

Three UofL students were awarded . The Boren Awards provide students in all fields of study with funding for immersive study abroad in languages and regions of interest to U.S. national security.

Awardees include the following graduate students:

• Yelena Bagdasaryan, School of Public Health & Information Sciences, will study Czech in the Czech Republic
• Alexis Daniel, College of Arts and Sciences, will study Portuguese in Brazil; and
• Mikaella Tanales, College of Arts and Sciences, will study Mandarin in Taiwan

Four students were awarded the from the U.S. Department of State. The CLS program provides opportunities for overseas language and cultural immersion in critical languages that are essential to the United States’ engagement with the world.

CLS recipients are:

• Kamal Amirneni, senior, College of Arts and Sciences, of Aldie, Va.
• Ryan Apperson��’24, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Business
• Laura Hanna, senior, College of Arts and Sciences
• Rehan Kahloon, senior, College of Arts and Sciences,��of Louisville, Ky.

Other students also earned unique honors and opportunities.

Forest Clevenger ’22,��College of Arts and Sciences,��of Louisville, Ky., was awarded the

Eden Baize, senior, College of Arts and Sciences, was selected as the recipient of the This scholarship promotes the advancement of knowledge in an expanding global community.

Edler Jonhatan, senior, was awarded fellowship, an academic preparation program for undergraduate juniors committed to public service careers.

And, two students received scholarships the university had never been awarded before.

Shraddha Patel��’24, College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded the FAO Schwarz Fellowship. The selective fellowship provides an intensive two-year experience where participants hone their leadership development and professional skills to pursue careers in social impact.

Afi Tagnedji��’23, was selected for the which brings together graduate students from various disciplines across Stanford University.

More on these scholars and winners of other prestigious academic scholarships can be found at��

Through the Ascending Star Fellowship program, the partners with academic units to accelerate scholarship and promote the national reputation of exceptional mid-career researchers. During the year long program, the fellows work with an external mentor and are coached through an ambitious project that moves their scholarship to the next level of development.����

This year’s class — representing four schools — includes:

• Faisal Aqlan, , whose work focuses on automation, process improvement, engineering education, and sensor-based virtual reality for manufacturing and healthcare applications.��
• Daniel Bennett, whose work focuses on how environmental change influences entrepreneurship and innovation, and the implications for regional and national economic development.
• Melanie Gast, , whose work focuses on race, class, and gender in higher education.
• Omid Ghasemi Fare, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, whose work focuses on geothermal energy, thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling and characterization of soils, unsaturated soil, heat and mass transport in porous media, transportation geotechnics and geotechnical earthquake engineering.��
• Meg Hancock, , whose work focuses on gender and diversity in sport organizations, career development in sport and sport and social change.��
• Elizabeth Munnich, College of Business, whose work focuses on developing and evaluating strategies for improving health and reducing healthcare spending by more efficiently and effectively utilizing healthcare resources.
• Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, whose work focuses on converting carbon feedstocks from plant biomass, waste plastics and carbon dioxide into advanced fuels, biomaterials and battery components.
• Siobhan Smith-Jones, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on exploring African American women as interpretive communities and, through the fellowship program, on Black horror television.
• Ian Stansel, College of Arts and Sciences, director of UofL’s Creative Writing Program and fiction/non-fiction writer.��

“I’m ecstatic to work with this year’s cohort and help further their already stellar careers and scholarship,” said M. Cynthia Logsdon,��associate vice president for research and innovation, who leads the fellowship program. “They’re already ‘stars,’ of course, but our goal is to help them shine even brighter.”��

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, must be nominated by their unit and must show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”��

“My husband said to me, ‘You don’t like this job, you don’t like what you’re doing. Go back to school and do something you want to do,'” Martin said.

In her previous job, Martin enjoyed training new talent and wanted to pursue a degree in human resources. Her stepdaughters were also an inspiration.

“I watched what they went through in their own lives and what inspired them. They needed a good role model,” said Martin. “No one ever thought I would be a college drop-out. I wanted to go back to get my bachelor’s degree for them but also for myself.”

This spring, Martin will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in management, completed online while working full-time. She will also become the second student to complete the management certification.

Established in 2021, the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence in the focuses on recruiting and educating underrepresented populations and women on the possibilities of franchising as a pathway to entrepreneurship. The franchise management course, which Martin initially intended to just be an elective, was a turning point in her academic journey.

“Ten minutes into the recorded orientation from center director Kathy Gosser and I knew they were the best thing ever,” Martin said.

Opportunities began opening for Martin. She applied to attend the 2024 International Franchise Association convention, where she joined three other students on a 5-day trip to Arizona to meet with franchisers, business owners and others.

“Without the College of Business and without the Yum! Global Center for Franchise Excellence, I would not have had that amazing experience,” Martin said. ����

As she neared graduation, Martin felt a sense of accomplishment going from a college dropout to successful business student and she thought she was done. But then, a professor challenged her to think about what came next.

“I realized there is more out there,” Martin said.

Martin was accepted into the program and will return to UofL in the fall.

“You’re never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream,” she said. “Opportunities are out there; you just have to work hard and go for it.”

The list includes researchers whose work was the most cited — that is, referenced by another researcher — in either calendar year 2022 or over the course of their career. The list spans 22 disciplines, from business to engineering to medicine.

“Each and every day, UofL researchers are breaking ground by discovering new knowledge,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s interim executive vice president for research and innovation. “The citation of a scholar’s work is essentially a stamp of approval that the work is important and worthwhile. The fact that so many of our researchers are listed among the most cited shows that knowledge is truly groundbreaking and has impact. It shows UofL research is being used to help to improve lives and expand our understanding of the world and our place in it.”

Citations are an important measure of success for academics. Typically, citations mean the researcher made a meaningful and original contribution to the world’s knowledge — and that their peers agree.

The 119 current UofL researchers, representing eight UofL schools and colleges, included on list are below.

• Thomas Abell,
• Yousef Abu-Kwaik, School of Medicine
• David Adamkin, School of Medicine
• Manju Ahuja,
• Bahaaldin Alsoufi, School of Medicine
• Farrukh Aqil, School of Medicine
• Richard Baldwin,
• Charles Barr, School of Medicine
• Richard Baumgartner,
• Aruni Bhatnagar, School of Medicine
• Roberto Bolli, School of Medicine
• Douglas Borchman, School of Medicine
• Konrad Bresin, College of Arts & Sciences
• Lu Cai, School of Medicine
• Jeffrey Callen, School of Medicine
• David Casey, School of Medicine
• Matthew Cave, School of Medicine
• William Cheadle, School of Medicine
• Yanyu Chen,
• Jason Chesney, School of Medicine
• Kevin Chou, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Barbara Clark, School of Medicine
• Daniel Conklin, School of Medicine
• Michael Cunningham, College of Arts & Sciences
• Douglas Dean, School of Medicine
• Gill Diamond,
• Lee Dugatkin, College of Arts & Sciences
• John Eaton, School of Medicine
• Ayman El-Baz, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Rif El-Mallakh, School of Medicine
• Ronald Elin, School of Medicine
• Adel Elmaghraby, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Paul Ewald, College of Arts & Sciences
• Mary Fallat, School of Medicine
• Aly Farag, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Wenke Feng, School of Medicine
• James Fiet, College of Business
• Eugene Fletcher, School of Medicine
• Joseph Fowler, School of Medicine
• Per Fredriksson, College of Business
• Robert Friedland, School of Medicine
• Hichem Frigui, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Susan Galandiuk, School of Medicine
• Yury Gerasimenko, School of Medicine
• Mahesh Gupta, College of Business
• Ramesh Gupta, School of Medicine
• Lynne Hall,
• Gerald Hammond, College of Arts & Sciences
• Brian Harbrecht, School of Medicine
• Susan Harkema, School of Medicine
• Peter Hedera, School of Medicine
• David Hein, School of Medicine
• George Higgins, College of Arts & Sciences
• Thomas Higgins, School of Medicine
• Bradford Hill, School of Medicine
• Joshua Hood, School of Medicine
• Suzanne Ildstad, School of Medicine
• Steven Jones, School of Medicine
• Sham Kakar, School of Medicine
• Mehmed Kantardzic, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Carolyn Klinge, School of Medicine
• Charles Kodner, School of Medicine
• Richard Lamont, School of Dentistry
• Gerald Larson, School of Medicine
• Rainer Lenhardt, School of Medicine
• Cheri Levinson, College of Arts & Sciences
• Stanley Levinson, School of Medicine
• Yongsheng Lian, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Mark Linder, School of Medicine
• Bertis Little, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Yiyan Liu, School of Medicine
• M. Cynthia Logsdon, School of Nursing
• Frederick Luzzio, College of Arts & Sciences
• Arthur Malkani, School of Medicine
• Gary Marshall, School of Medicine
• Robert Martin, School of Medicine
• Craig McClain, School of Medicine
• Stephen McClave, School of Medicine
• William Paul McKinney, School of Public Health and Information sciences
• Kelly McMasters, School of Medicine
• Madhu Menon, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Michael Merchant, School of Medicine
• Carolyn Mervis, College of Arts & Sciences
• Donald Miller, School of Medicine
• Hiram Polk, School of Medicine
• Jan Potempa, School of Dentistry
• Julio Ramirez, School of Medicine
• Janina Ratajczak, School of Medicine
• Mariusz Ratajczak, School of Medicine
• Brad Rodu, School of Medicine
• William Scarfe, School of Dentistry
• Arnold Schecter, School of Medicine
• Charles Scoggins, School of Medicine
• David Seligson, School of Medicine
• Brad Shuck,
• Leah Siskind, School of Medicine
• Mark Slaughter, School of Medicine
• Joshua Spurgeon, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Thomas Starr, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• J. Christopher States, School of Medicine
• Yi Tan, School of Medicine
• Sucheta Telang, School of Medicine
• Kenneth Thomson, School of Medicine
• Gordon Tobin, School of Medicine
• Suresh Tyagi, School of Medicine
• Neetu Tyagi, School of Medicine
• Roland Valdes, School of Medicine
• Jeffrey Valentine, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
• Banrida Wahlang, School of Medicine
• Hui Wang, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Scott Whittemore, School of Medicine
• Kim Williams, School of Medicine
• Stephen Winters, School of Medicine
• Richard Wittebort, College of Arts & Sciences
• Roman Yampolskiy, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Jun Yan, School of Medicine
• Li Yang, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Pavel Zahorik, School of Medicine
• Jacek Zurada, J.B. Speed School of Engineering

“Shared governance is a critical part of the University of Louisville’s success,” said Schatzel. “I want to assure you that I am deeply committed to considering the opinions of this group as we make decisions about the future of our university.”

Fostering a culture of success for students is among her priorities. Doing so, according to Schatzel, takes a “high-tech and high-touch” approach – one that considers data analysis, student advising, accessibility to classes and services, peer-to-peer tutoring and other factors. As she considers that and other initiatives, Schatzel said she will “listen widely” to make the most informed decisions.

See the president’s for more information about President Schatzel and to register for an upcoming listening session.

ACTION ITEMS

Unanimous approval was given for the creation of an . The program will consist of four three-credit hour courses, which are currently offered at the university’s College of Business. According to Ryan Quinn, chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, a professional certification in sales is a relevant credential among all academic disciplines and vocations. The program initially will be available to College of Business students and eventually will be open to students from across the university as the program grows.

Approval was also given to the creation of the . According to Quinn, the center’s efforts in research and leadership development are already part of the College of Business’ . Quinn said establishing the center adds legitimacy to the project’s efforts; provides a location through which donations can be solicited; provides formal status within the university; and positions the center and the university as global leaders on the topic of positive leadership.

The Faculty Senate unanimously approved a which recognizes the excellent work Provost Lori Stewart Gonzalez did while she served as the university’s interim president.

OTHER BUSINESS

Mindy Christian, manager of UofL’s Emergency Management Program, urged senators to familiarize themselves with the emergency management and preparedness plans as well as the other information and resources available on the program’s . She also asked senators to help direct occupants in their buildings to the website, so campus safety remains front-of-mind for the university community.

For nearly a decade, Guan has led various academic innovations in the College of Business. In his senior leadership role, he has focused on strategic initiatives as the college addresses challenges brought on by technological innovation, globalization and demographic change. His knowledge of the college’s strategy and operations, his close working relationships with different constituencies in the college and beyond, and his demonstrated ability to engage the business community make him an ideal person to lead.

“I am confident that Interim Dean Designate Guan will be a highly engaged leader for the college during the period of transition,” Bradley said.��

“It is an honor to be appointed interim dean of the College of Business,” Guan said. “I very much respect this institution and the students it serves, and it is my intention to build upon the momentum we have created over the last five years of Dean Mooradian’s leadership. It has been a privilege to be part of Dean Mooradian’s leadership team, and I feel that I am well prepared to lead the college during our search process.”

Mooradian and the College of Business’s chief of staff, Joe Neary, will work closely with Interim Dean Designate Guan to ensure a smooth transition for the college. The university leadership team will move forward with a formal dean search for the college in the spring of 2023. At that time, a professional search firm will be selected, and a search committee will be formed consisting of both elected and appointed members of the college. The university will provide more details regarding the search process this winter.

In his announcement, Bradley took a moment to recognize departing Dean Mooradian.

“I want to express both my and Interim President Gonzalez’s sincere appreciation to Dean Mooradian for the many ways he has strengthened the College during his tenure,” Bradley said. “I am thankful to Interim Dean Designate Guan for accepting his appointment, and I look forward to partnering with you all on this journey to the College of Business’s next chapter.”

While he is interim in title, Guan’s role in developing many of the college’s initiatives over the last four years means the college is in a prime position to continue its growth and innovation for students and the Cardinal Community.

“We are indeed in excellent shape as we enter the fall semester. Our enrollment is strong, as is our financial position. We continue to improve the student experience and focus on increasing our graduation rate,” Guan said. “All these, and many more, are reasons to feel very optimistic about the College of Business.”