From the Desk of Dean Sarker

The following is an abridged version of Dean Saonee Sarker’s remarks from the 2024 Pamplin Engagement Summit.

Next-Gen Pamplin and the Pamplin-Plus Student

What do I mean when I talk about Next-Gen Pamplin? 

At Pamplin, we want to provide next-gen business education, conduct rigorous and relevant research, and create meaningful impact through responsible behaviors. How do we reach the Next-Gen Pamplin? And why Next-Gen Pamplin? 

Many shifts within the business environment require us to change course and think about our next generational view of the college. There are things such as essential changes. Data is often seen as the new oil (Baiyere et al. 2023). AI’s flexibility and generativity are affording users an expansive set of possibilities. There is an emphasis on combinatorial approaches, where we can take pieces, combine them into different things, and generate something completely different. The sustained competitive advantage of a business, or even a college, stands not in siloed ways or those little pieces, but in how we uniquely combine those pieces. 

Then there are the economic shifts. There are new ways of value creation, how we are delivering products and services, and how we are capturing them. This means we need to take a strong look at those shifts and how they are informing our education, our programs, and our operations.

This helps us understand why we need a Next-Gen Pamplin. So, what is Next-Gen Pamplin? Next-Gen Pamplin is going to be organized around two major themes.

One theme is academic excellence. This will emphasize the skills needed to be a responsible leader in the digitalized workforce. We are looking at mandatory skills for all our Pamplin graduates in six different categories: data and algorithmic decision-making, financial literacy, communication, sustainability, digital ethics, and global and cultural competence.

Experiential learning will also be a part of Next-Gen Pamplin. These transformational experiences can come in the form of mandatory internships or global study-abroad programs.

Today's education is about on-demand. Students are not only demanding the modality (whether it be from home or in a remote location) in how they want an education, but they are also demanding that they be able to combine it in ways that fit their needs. It's no longer the time when students will fit their life into our programs. We need to fit our programs into our students’ lives. That's where the modular combinatorial approach comes in and will help guide our Next-Gen Pamplin. 

Research excellence will continue to be an emphasis. We want rigorous research as well as relevant research. How do we convey our rigorous research in a relevant way to a wider range of audiences, ones with closer ties with industry? Sponsored research initiatives with an emphasis on transdisciplinary work can provide one pathway to that. Integration with the Innovation Campus, not just the physical campus, but also the concept of the Innovation Campus, can provide another pathway.

It is through Next-Gen Pamplin that I present to you the Pamplin-plus student. 

The Pamplin-plus students will have an entrepreneurial spirit that will make them agile thinkers, leveraging opportunities and solving complex business problems through a collaborative approach that can transform data analytics into insights and action. They will be proficient in digital technologies and platforms as well as be active lifelong learners. They will be real-world problem solvers, rigorous, relevant, and responsive to the needs of business and industry, always looking forward to tomorrow. They will be responsible. They will be accountable. They will have the skills of inclusivity, of fiscal literacy, and will also be ethically aware and sustainable.

Now, how do we achieve Next-Gen Pamplin and give the world the Pamplin-plus student?

Together.

There are a lot of exciting things happening at the Pamplin College of Business, especially with the new strategic planning process and the Pamplin 2029 initiative. We have our work cut out for us, but I know my college colleagues, my faculty, and my staff are ready.

Announcements

Raman Kumar appointed Alumni Distinguished Professor

With a career spanning nearly four decades, Raman Kumar's impact on Virginia Tech’s academic community is profound and far-reaching.

Kumar, the R.V. and A.F. Oliver Professor of Investment Management in the Pamplin College of Business, has made extraordinary contributions to the university’s teaching, research, and service missions, touching the lives of generations of students, and expanding Pamplin’s brand internationally. He is an outstanding teacher and researcher who has dedicated his life to his students, profession, and Virginia Tech. 

Read article here.

Teaching Workshop

Policies, Resources, and Strategies related to Teaching and Learning in the Classroom (TLC). Please indicate your interest in topics and timing: http://pampl.in/PamplinTeaching

Pamplin Polyphony

Calling all musically inclined Pamplin Faculty and Staff to jam! Please let us know your interest and availability: http://pampl.in/PamplinBand

Choose your Apparel item by May 10

As we wrap up the semester and look forward to a restful summer, please save the date for our annual Pamplin Kickoff Picnic, happening Friday, August 30th on the lawn at the Holtzman Alumni Center. 

As is tradition, faculty and staff will be gifted a Pamplin branded apparel item. This year, we are excited to offer several pieces for you to select from. 

By Friday, May 10th, please complete this survey to choose your apparel item. A size chart will generate when you make your selection. Orders will be delivered to your department in August. 

Please email Caitlin Camire at ccamire@vt.edu with any questions. 

Spring 2025 Cohort of DEIB Around the World

Attention all passionate educators! We are seeking a dynamic faculty member to lead and teach the Spring 2025 cohort of DEIB Around the World, an immersive 10-day journey to Switzerland. This exciting opportunity involves guiding approximately 20 – 25 students through cultural exploration and showcasing the business case for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in one of Europe's most picturesque settings. We invite educators with a commitment to fostering DEIB in a global context to lead this transformative adventure. This is a paid position starting Spring 2025. If you’re interested, email DEIB@vt.edu for more information. 

Updates from Pamplin IT

Looking ahead, we at the Pamplin IT team hope you all have a safe and productive summer. Here are a few important announcements and reminders:

  • PDN Machines: We are still awaiting delivery dates for the PDN machines. We will notify you as soon as they are available.
  • Kaltura (video.vt.edu) Update: Starting in May, videos that have not been played in 24 months will be automatically removed. Please review your content if you wish to retain it. (https://news.vt.edu/notices/2024/05/provost-tlos-video-storage.html)
  • Damaged or Broken Computers: Summer is an excellent opportunity for repairs. Contact us for warranty repairs or other fixes to ensure your equipment is ready for the fall semester. Submit a ticket: http://pamplin.help 
  • New Employees: If you have new employees joining this summer, please inform us so we can facilitate a smooth onboarding process.
  • Fixed Assets Inventory: If you have not yet reported all your VT assets, please do so here: http://pampl.in/AssetVerification 
  • Updates and Security Patches: We will continue to push necessary updates and security patches to keep our systems secure and efficient.

Pamplin honors its faculty and staff at end-of-semester celebration

Dean Saonee Sarker presented several awards to faculty and staff of Pamplin College of Business at the recent end-of-semester celebration.

Please see the photo gallery for more pictures from the event.

Employee Spotlight

Each employee below has been submitted for this recognition by their colleagues. 

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Pamplin graduate students and faculty honored at the Graduate School's 2024 awards reception

Students and faculty were recently honored at the Graduate School’s annual awards. Held during Graduate Education Week, with its theme of recognizing superpowers, the event recognized master’s and doctoral degree students, as well as faculty mentors, from across Virginia Tech’s campuses and programs for their work.

Outstanding master’s degree and Ph.D. students chosen by each college received honors, as did faculty members chosen by the colleges.

Among the honorees from the Pamplin College of Business was Charis Tucker, a doctoral student in the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management, who was named as an outstanding doctoral degree student.

Shannon Lawrence-Montes, an MBA student, was named the outstanding master's degree student for Pamplin.

Business Information Technology professor Idris Adjerid was recognized as Pamplin’s outstanding faculty mentor.

Congratulations to Charis, Shannon, and Idris!

Pamplin’s Professional Sales Program shines in competitions

This past academic year, the students in the Professional Sales Program were busy representing Virginia Tech and Pamplin at numerous sales competitions.

In fall 2023, students competed at the “Rumble in Rocktown” sales competition at James Madison University. There, the Virginia Tech sales students placed in three of the top five overall positions, including 2nd place for Will Weider, 3rd place for Christina Cheatham, and 5th place for Serena Karam.

In spring 2024, the students attended sales competitions at Robert Morris University as well as the National Shores Sales Challenge (NSSC) at Salisbury University. At both events, the Hokies rose to the occasion.

At the Robert Morris University sales competition, Eva Carney secured 1st place overall in the role play challenge and won $2,500. 

At NSSC, the third largest collegiate sales competition in the country, the Virginia Tech team placed 3rd out of 38 schools competing. The team was led by Serena Karam, who, against approximately 125 competitors, placed 3rd in the speed sell challenge and 2nd in role play.

The Virginia Tech Professional Sales Program is part of the University Sales Center Alliance (USCA), which provides opportunities for students to participate in national sales competitions, where they can showcase their skills, network with industry professionals, and gain invaluable exposure. These competitions serve as a platform for students to demonstrate their abilities and take their sales acumen to the next level.

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Special thanks to Jim Dickhans and the Pamplin IT team!

The Pamplin IT team, led by Director of IT Jim Dickhans, had a very busy 2023-24. Throughout the year, there were notable migrations and upgrades that enhanced operational efficiency and service delivery.

Key accomplishments for the year include:

  • Completed a major storage system change, which included cataloging data, assigning quotas, and enhancing management capabilities.
  • The phone system received a significant update, improving connectivity and feature availability across the college.
  • Successfully migrated email services to Microsoft Exchange, providing a robust and feature-rich unified communication platform.

The IT team’s dedicated help desk handled thousands of incidents, ensuring that issues were resolved promptly and efficiently, maintaining the team’s commitment to support every member of our community.

Submit staff and faculty for upcoming issues here: tbprice@vt.edu

Upcoming Events

Employee Appreciation and Hokie Wellness Fair

May 15 from 10am-2pm at Lane Stadium

Your attendance is encouraged, we hope to see you there! This event is for ALL VT employees.

 

Book Discussion

May 29 from 2-3pm in Pamplin 1028

This month we will read and discuss Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind . Crunched for time? Consider listening to the audiobook on your commute. If you don’t have time to read the full book but would like to attend the discussion you are more than welcome.

Pamplin Picnic

Friday, August 30 on the lawn at the Holtzman Alumni Center

For more events, check out https://pamplin.vt.edu/events.html