One-On-One with Mike Mensah, Ph.D.

Mike Mensah, Ph.D., speaks about his years as dean of KSOM.
One-On-One with Mike Mensah, Ph.D.

This article originally appeared in The Scranton Journal, which you can read online at scranton.edu/journal.

Mike Mensah, Ph.D., speaks about his years as dean of KSOM.

After 13 years, you have stepped down from your position as dean of KSOM. You’ve done everything from launch new programs to promote the development of ethical and just business leaders. What achievement is closest to your heart?

I am, of course, very proud of the culture of productivity, innovation and collegiality created by the Kania community. However, sometimes it is the so-called “small things” that stick with you the most. With the guidance of the SBDC staff, The Women’s Entrepreneurship Center engages our students to help lower-income women in our region start and grow their own businesses. There is nothing closer to my heart than the work done here to transform real lives.

You joined the accounting faculty more than 30 years ago. Tell us how KSOM has grown and/or changed over the years.

I think the heart and focus of the KSOM have not changed since I got here 30-some years ago. We were, and are still, a very collaborative team and very student-centered. What has changed is that we are much bigger and have become more intentional and organized. We work within formal and ambitious strategies to provide the best student experience and move the Kania School toward the top of our peer group in quality and impact. We are now a nationally ranked business school.

How has getting a business degree changed in the past few decades?

I would say that in a way it has become more complex. The business world has become so much more challenging with globalization and attendant intensification of competition, mind-boggling developments in technology, incredibly complex financial products and markets and many more innovations. Students must build the foundation for functioning in this new world of business within the same four-year period used 50 years ago. In addition, students face much tougher competition to land a good career placement and must prepare themselves more intentionally to meet employer expectations. It is a more challenging process but also more exciting, because there are more resources to support efficient, integrated learning. Technology and more deliberate attention to student learning by business faculty are particularly helpful developments.

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