Graddy receives promotion at IBS

Kathryn Graddy, the Fred and Rita Richman Distinguished Professor in Economics, was appointed to a three-year term as senior associate dean at the International Business School, Provost Lisa Lynch announced in an Aug. 15 email to the student body. 

Graddy is a former chair of the Economics department, according to an Aug. 15 BrandeisNOW article, and holds a doctorate from Princeton University, an MBA from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. According to Lynch’s email, her “scholarship, teaching excellence and past service as chair of the economics department make her a perfect choice for this new role.”

In an email to the Justice, Graddy wrote that working as chair of the Economics department and as a program director at IBS “set [her] up well to understand Brandeis IBS and its relationship with the university.”

“I know who to call and how the university works,” she wrote. “I know the faculty of both the economics department and the business school well, and I very much like my colleagues.”

Graddy’s new administrative position will require her to teach fewer courses in future semesters, but she emphasized that she will continue teaching as much as the position allows. Graddy is currently teaching a class on game theory.

As senior associate dean, Graddy wrote that she hopes to make “everyday life easier and more efficient for both the students and the faculty at IBS. … [A]n efficiently run business school on a day to day basis will allow students, faculty and the administration time to focus on loftier achievements, ultimately resulting in strong national and international recognition of Brandeis IBS.”

 Graddy explained that her concerns for the position are less about the challenges involved in the role than about “properly recognizing and harnessing the current strengths of Brandeis IBS. The current IBS incoming class has higher GRE and GMAT scores than any previous class in IBS history, and the undergraduate business program goes from strength to strength. … I can’t help but look forward to the coming year.”

—Carmi Rothberg

Petri returns as IBS dean

As the University continues searching for a new dean of the International Business School, its founder, Peter Petri, has returned to serve in the interim, Provost Lisa Lynch informed the University in an Aug. 15 email. 

Bruce Magid, the most recent dean of IBS, stepped down on Aug. 10 to take a new position as executive vice president of partnership development in North America at INTO University Partnerships, a British education company. 

“As the founding dean of Brandeis IBS, Professor Petri is uniquely qualified to lead the school while a global search for the permanent dean is conducted,” Lynch wrote. “He is a renowned scholar who is both appreciated by his students and highly respected by the school’s faculty and staff.”

Petri started teaching economics at the University in 1974, serving as the dean of IBS from 1994 to 2006. As an expert in international trade and finance, he has consulted with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank, according to his personal website. 

In an email to the Justice, Petri explained that he is excited to see how the deanship and IBS itself have changed since he was dean a decade ago. “Learning how this ‘new’ school works is exciting. It involves lots of interesting conversations with faculty, staff and students. It means a lot of time on the telephone with alumni and professionals,” he wrote. “And it’s also really fun to reconnect with wonderful alumni — for example, the Chair of the Brandeis University Board, Larry Kanarek [’76], was one of my first great economics students when I began teaching here.”

As for his plans for office, Petri wrote that he will aim to keep IBS in a state of innovation. “The professional world is changing very fast, so we have to move into new fields and areas of expertise, and connect with the world’s most dynamic regions. The huge importance of data analysis in online marketing is an example of such changes,” he wrote. “So we will spend a lot of time on our curriculum and on real-world projects and internships, and on bringing alumni, professionals and students together.” 

The University will soon begin a global search for Magid’s replacement, according to Lynch’s email. While Petri wrote that he will not involve himself too heavily in the search for the new dean, he added that he is willing to help out if asked.

—Abby Patkin

Lopez begins as ICC director

The University’s Intercultural Center welcomed Madeleine Lopez as its new director on July 25, filling a position that’s been vacant for over a year.

Lopez will head the ICC and all its umbrella organizations and will “continue to build on the legacy of the [ICC] … which fosters growth and awareness of the myriad cultures at Brandeis and provides development and leadership opportunities,” according to a July 28 email announcement from Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel. 

Lopez, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Princeton University, has been a lecturer in Latina and Latino history at the University since 2013. She previously served as the founding director of the Cultural Education Center at Hamilton College, a center similar to the ICC that also promotes cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. 

While she noted that she is still learning about last year’s Ford Hall 2015 protests and their surrounding events, she wrote that she is looking forward to engaging in diversity talks on campus and that she envisions the ICC being at the forefront of “how we discuss diversity at Brandeis.”

Although her position was vacant for some time, Lopez wrote that the ICC has been in “good hands” with Program Coordinator Elba Valerio and Department Coordinator Tara Whitehurst. “While their [sic] may be logistical and budgetary hurdles to overcome this year, I am fortunate that the campus community is willing to support the Intercultural Center. We have a great deal of work to do in order to continue building trust among students as well as preparing for the 25th Anniversary,” she wrote. 

Ultimately, she noted, the ICC is a cause that is close to her heart: “As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, the campus’ intercultural center was my home away from home. It was a place to celebrate, learn and develop leadership skills. It is my hope to replicate a similar experience for students,” she wrote.

—Abby Patkin

Univ. hires executive VP for finance and administration

Stewart Uretsky has been appointed as the executive vice president for finance and administration, University President Ronald Liebowitz announced on Aug. 12 in an email to the student body. Uretsky’s appointment follows terms as vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C.

Liebowitz wrote in his email that Uretsky “has an impressive track record of designing and managing thoughtful and effective finance, budgeting and administrative systems, which is exactly what Brandeis requires as we set priorities and build a financial model that helps us make data-based, mission-focused and resource-efficient decisions to reach institutional goals.”

The University announced the news in a press release the same day, mentioning Uretsky’s “deep experience at academic institutions.” The press release quoted Liebowitz’s praise for Uretsky’s “financial acumen and operational expertise.”

“His skills and experience will be vital as we work together to address the varied challenges within higher education,” Liebowitz said.

The press release also quoted Uretsky, who proclaimed his excitement for the position. “I am eager to take on this important role at Brandeis,” he said, adding, “I look forward to working with Brandeis’ impressive faculty and staff to support the educational mission of the university.”

Before his time at Brookings, Uretsky served as chief financial and administrative officer at Conservation International, according to the press release. He also worked in finance and operations roles at Harvard University and served as chief administrative and financial officer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Uretsky’s term begins on Sept. 6. He could not be reached for comment by press time. 

—Carmi Rothberg