SCHOOL DIRECTOR REPORT

By Dr. Jennifer Jeffrey, MBA, PhD Associate Professor and Director of the School of MEM

Welcome (Back)!

This September ushered in a welcomed return to in-person learning, with students and faculty back on campus for the first time in several years. I confess that I felt a little nervous about what to expect; we’d all spent the last few years peering at each other through a screen, doing our best to build connections and foster a sense of community at a time of unprecedented stress and uncertainty. It turns out I needn’t have worried though… much to my delight, my classes were filled with the same articulate, engaged, and hardworking students that I’ve come to expect over my time as a professor at King’s. Students were just as eager as faculty to get back to campus and into the classrooms, and I think this year we made great strides at recapturing the sense of community that makes the School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics (MEM) so special.

We kicked off the year with a welcomeback reception for students: a joint initiative between the School of MEM, King’s University College Student Council representatives, and our key student clubs. This reception included alumni speakers and networking, academic awards for our students, and an opportunity for the over 100 attendees to learn about the various industries and professions available to graduates. It also set the tone for the year of “career-readiness and community” as a key focus, given the dozens of events, big and small, that followed throughout the year to help prepare students to hit the ground running after graduation. The last event of the season was also one of the biggest, as the annual career fair had nine alumni speak to students about their career paths, and a dozen graduate schools and firms set up recruiting booths targeting MEM students. For everyone who participated in a campus event this year – alumni, employers, and students – we are grateful for your support.

Student leadership is an integral part of the learning experience, and makes campus life all the richer.

Speaking of support, I would be remiss not to mention that the events on campus are often done in partnership with the student clubs of MEM: the King’s EconoMath Society (KEMS), the BMOS Club, King’s Capital Management (KCM), and the Accounting Club. I want to congratulate these clubs and their student leaders for organizing and leading so many successful events this year, and to encourage returning students to continue their legacy in the 2023-24 school year. Student leadership is an integral part of the learning experience, and makes campus life all the richer.

Scholarship within the community continues to thrive, with 24 peer-reviewed publications from the faculty this past year. Dr. Josephine Gemson, a Finance faculty member, also coauthored a book on private equity financing in infrastructure and real estate, with a forward by Harvard Business School professor Josh Lerner. Congratulations, Dr. Gemson, on this monumental accomplishment! Faculty members have been sharing their research ideas and progress through a monthly research series spearheaded by the Economics group, and participation and engagement has been truly remarkable. A collaboration between three MEM faculty members – Drs. Jingjing Xu, Renfang Tian, and Felipe Rodrigues – even led to Dr. Xu, the principal investigator, receiving a King’s Research Excellence Scholarship… congratulations, Dr. Xu!

Our own students have likewise caught the research bug, with many sharing happy news of graduate school acceptances to U of T, Columbia, UBC, and Ivey, to name a few. Faculty have been forwarding along their email messages, and I am proud to say that these always express sincere gratitude for the mentorship and guidance that our faculty has provided. Likewise, many of our graduates are off to start exciting new roles in banking, government, accounting, and a host of other industries. We wish you nothing but the best in your new roles and this new and exciting chapter of your lives.

Our School of MEM benefits from many partnerships, and I want to recognize in particular the partnerships with Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE) and Chongqing Technology and Business University (CTBU). Both schools experienced milestone celebrations this year… congratulations on 70 years! We have nearly twenty students graduating from the School of MEM this year through these partnerships, and our campus has been made all the richer by their presence. And speaking of milestones, the School of MEM will be celebrating its own milestone anniversary as next year marks our fifth as a professional school. We hope to see many of our students and alumni joining us for a celebration and reception in the fall; please keep an eye on our website for details.

And finally, while we had much to celebrate this past year, the School of MEM also experienced its worst loss, with the tragic accident that claimed the lives of two of our students and injured two others. To those affected, we offer our deepest condolences for this unimaginable and heartbreaking loss. I also want to express my gratitude to those who quickly offered support to our students and families affected throughout this period, with drop-in counselling, opportunities for prayer, and the development of a student memorial fund. I was moved by the care and compassion displayed towards our MEM community.

I wish everyone a relaxing and restorative summer, and am eager for what the upcoming 2023-24 academic year has to bring. Congratulations to our graduates, many of whom I hope to personally see at the June convocation – and do keep in touch. To have succeeded despite the pandemic and its many setbacks is a remarkable accomplishment. We are expecting big things from you and know that you will do us proud! And to our returning students, please take the time to recharge. I am confident that 2023-24 will bring another busy year of learning and growing with the School of MEM.