Message from the Dean

Dear alumni, supporters and friends of Lindner,

On behalf of our entire community, I am thrilled to share the first issue of Portfolio after our pandemic pause. 

The last time I prepared these remarks, I had just stepped into this role as dean, and my colleagues had just moved into the new Carl H. Lindner Hall. Symbolic of the changes that occurred to date and the transformation still to come, we renewed our college’s mission and identity around five points of distinction:

1. Experiential learning — fueling professional growth through academic and hands-on experiences as a leading co-op business school.
2. Our problem-solving mindset — empowering problem solving in business through research, teaching and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
3. Flexible pathways — enabling students to pursue their interests and hone their skills across Lindner and UC.
4. Collaborative and inclusive community — valuing the individual strengths we each bring to Lindner and being highly supportive of each other.
5. Our vibrant urban setting — partnering with Cincinnati’s thriving business community to help students accelerate their careers.

You will see these points come to life in the stories told on the following pages.

Additionally, “pivot” and “renewal” are words that come to mind to describe what has unfolded since 2019. Our college abruptly pivoted to remote learning during the spring 2020 semester, converting more than 550 courses to online instruction thanks to the agility of our innovative faculty and exceptional Information Technology and Instructional Design teams. And we’ve pivoted again and again, learning and innovating along the way, to provide a learning environment that is engaging, safe and accessible for all students. 

We renewed our commitment to support students and each other. Our community, our city and our world collectively grieved loss, reflected on grave disparities that persist and hatched new opportunities for hope and resilience. We lived our purpose: empowering business problem solvers.

I’d like to express my deep gratitude to all who have helped continually define and bring our mission to life. The beautiful examples of leadership, creativity and care cannot be contained in these pages alone. I’d also like to extend an invitation to engage with us and help us live our mission. Our doors are always open.

Sincerely,

Marianne W. Lewis, PhD 
Dean and Professor of Management