To support the McIntire School in its mission to maintain a leadership position in global business education and research, the School created the McIntire Global Advisory Board.
"Commerce School Announces Formation of McIntire Global Advisory Board," From McIntire news blog, Oct. 11, 2018
As all business is a worldwide endeavor, success requires a strong yet nuanced international perspective. To support the McIntire School of Commerce in its mission to maintain a leadership position in global business education and research, the School has created the McIntire Global Advisory Board (MGAB). Board members will impact current and future business leaders from around the world, and engage with scholars and researchers in business education on Grounds and abroad.
The MGAB’s wide-ranging plans for supporting the global activities of the School span global positioning, program development, thought leadership, and philanthropy.
“At McIntire, we are more convinced than ever of the need for our students to appreciate the complex global context in which they will build their careers,” says McIntire’s Associate Dean for Global Affairs and Professor in Global Strategy and Finance Peter Maillet. “With our significant international student population and alumni, as well as recent expansion of our global programs, the time is right to add a global advisory board to our board structure.”
To increase McIntire’s global visibility, the Board aims to grow the School’s reputation for its world-class business education, while assisting with international events and highlighting groundbreaking faculty and student work to regional media. Offering many opportunities for alumni, parents, friends, and partner organizations to stay closely involved with McIntire, the Board will promote admission opportunities and mentorship of students interested in working internationally while supporting the cross-curricular research of the Global Commerce Scholars program on Grounds. In addition, members will help cultivate relationships among alumni and reach out to organizations for engagement with McIntire students.
Board member Ed Deng (McIntire ’00), Co-Founder and CEO of digital health platform Health2Sync, has already been instrumental in facilitating company visits in Taiwan for the Global Immersion Experience (GIE) component of the M.S. in Commerce Program. “My activities in Japan, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia have allowed me to witness how the digital economy has become an integral part of business and offers strong growth, especially for Asian nations. I will continue to assist McIntire in its execution of global programs such as the GIE and shape thinking around important trends.”
Other significant MGAB goals include providing thought leadership by serving as a faculty resource for global curricula development, identifying guest speakers, and offering input on symposia that discuss innovative ideas concerning global business topics. Philanthropy support and stewardship on behalf of the School round out a robust set of initiatives set for the Board, which holds its inaugural meeting in October 2018 at Rouss & Robertson Halls.
London-based board member Meg Horvath (McIntire ’81) feels that it is fitting that the launch of the MGAB coincides with the beginning of UVA’s third century. “As rich inheritors of Mr. Jefferson’s vision to provide a world-class education to future leaders, it is our duty to carry that vision forward beyond these shores. All business is global, so McIntire must be global.”
To further that aim, Horvath also expects the Board to strengthen some of the Commerce School’s already established initiatives, including “the considerable programs developed under Dean Zeithaml’s leadership to ensure that all McIntire students spend time abroad and develop a global perspective.” She also notes that for students unable to study abroad, the board has a commitment to bring what the world has to offer back to Grounds: “We need to recruit the best and brightest from around the globe to expand the diversity of our community and to enrich the culture of the Academical Village. Finally, I hope that the MGAB will play a role in advancing the global recognition of McIntire’s academic excellence in order to open doors for our graduates and faculty. I am excited about the tasks ahead and honored to be a part of building McIntire’s global presence.”
Maillet is similarly optimistic about the Board’s future, thanks to the invaluable participation of the Commerce School’s international community: “I am delighted that 16 highly accomplished and enthusiastic McIntire alumni and parents have agreed to serve as inaugural members, representing Asia-Pacific, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. I look forward to MGAB’s help in strengthening the School’s presence abroad; supporting our global programs; and advising us on the direction of our globally focused courses, research, and case writing.”
The McIntire Global Advisory Board meets twice each year: at McIntire in October, during the School’s fall board meetings, and outside the United States in the spring, hosted by regional board members on a rotating basis.