From the Dean

With graduation behind us, we are focusing our attention on enhancing the Farmer School student journey and determining how best to ensure that our curriculum and out-of-class experiences are innovative, timely, and support our goal of becoming the number one public undergraduate business school in the country

This issue includes stories of current students, like Emil Barr, who founded StepUp Social to assist organizations –including Fortune 500 companies and universities – to create social media posts that resonate with teens and young adults . The company now employs several other Miami students and has revenue in excess of $1 million . We also celebrate the graduation of our first cohort of Passport students and hear words of wisdom from our graduation speakers, Diana Chudnovsky ‘23 and Neil Hunn ‘94 . Off campus and around the world, we hear about winter term study away and abroad memories .

We meet alumni Laura Palmer and Jeffrey Graham and learn how sharing a lunch led to sharing their passions and writing and producing “Always Lola,” a film that will be released digitally on August 1 . Miamians will recognize many of the locations as Oxford landmarks We meet ‘07 grad Lara Krug, CMO for the Superbowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs, and see how each step in her journey was integral to her success . Jim and Amy Chapman answer the question of ‘Why do donors give,” and we learn the meaning of L .I .F .E ., the newest center at the FSB .

I also share my thoughts on reaching and impacting this generation of students and connecting with them as knowledge workers – in an article that appeared in Insider Higher Ed .

JENNY DARROCH Dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership

IN MEMORIAM: Richard (Rick) Forsythe

Farmer School alumni and visitors to the school are familiar with the name “Forsythe,” because two of the most popular areas in the building are the Forsythe Commons and the Forsythe Technology Center and Library. Both were funded by Rick Forsythe ‘61 and his wife Sandra to honor his alma mater and to ensure that Farmer School students had the latest technology and other leadingedge resources.

“For Sandy and me, the goal was to help students make important connections — technological and interpersonal,” Rick said of the gift. “Technology is a priority for us, and we believe that the new technology center will truly connect our students to the world. The student commons will give students and faculty a place that promotes personal interaction.”

Forsythe continued to be involved in the Farmer School, donating to fund a professorship in entrepreneurship, and again in 2022 with an additional gift for the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship to provide funding for expansion and operational support. Rick has also served on the school’s Business Advisory Council, and on the advisory board for the Institute. He was inducted into the Miami Academy of Entrepreneurs in 2004. In 2021, he was awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by president Crawford.