Gareth James, Emory Goizueta dean: “I’m excited to continue fostering an environment where education is deeply personal, profoundly innovative, and always in service of preparing leaders for a dynamic world”
Personalized Pathways for a Dynamic World: Goizueta’s Vision for 2025
As I reflect on the past year, I am struck by the ways Goizueta Business School has innovated to meet the ever-changing needs of our students and the business world. The education we provide is not one-size-fits-all; instead, it’s designed to be as dynamic and diverse as the people we serve. My resolution for 2025 is to continue building on this commitment to personalized, future-forward learning.
Over the past few years at Goizueta, we’ve talked with students to better understand their lifestyles, career growth, and future aspirations—and reimagined our programs to meet their needs. Whether students are recent liberal arts graduates seeking foundational business skills through our Master in Management, military veterans transitioning to civilian leadership roles in our Master of Business for Veterans, busy working professionals who capitalize on the convenience of online and hybrid courses in our Evening MBA and Executive MBA, or professionals looking to evolve their knowledge and skills in a specific area through our Executive Education programming, we have pathways to meet them where they are. Programs like our Master of Finance and the MS in Business Analytics are filling talent gaps in key industries and equipping students with cutting-edge skills to navigate complex, data-driven business environments.
As a leading business school, we understand that flexibility is critical to our students. Thus, we offer our top-ranked MBA and specialized programs in multiple formats including fully in-person, online, and hybrid so that our students can immerse themselves in world-class education alongside other demands such as working, parenting, or leading across the globe. To uphold the quality students expect from Goizueta, we’ve invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology, such as our Roberto C. Goizueta Global Classrooms, to create a truly dynamic and interactive learning experience from anywhere in the world.
In addition to teaching our students how to leverage the latest in technology like AI, we are also exploring how we can leverage it to enhance their learning journeys. We’ve launched AI teaching assistants that provide tailored support to students anytime, anywhere. These advancements allow us to build an education that is as responsive and adaptive as the challenges our students face, ensuring they have what they need to thrive.
While our faculty bring leading insights to their classrooms, we also understand that many students are hands-on learners. Through experiential learning opportunities, students lead consulting projects for industry leaders like Coca-Cola, Delta, Georgia Pacific, The Home Depot, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Porsche. These hands-on opportunities ensure our students don’t just learn about business—they practice it in real-world contexts.
Lastly, we understand that a prosperous life isn’t only about professional success—it’s about personal fulfillment, too. That’s why I’m especially proud of initiatives like Professor Marina Cooley’s Life Design for the Modern MBA course focused on helping Goizueta students—who are passionate, ambitious, and often working in overdrive—to find meaning and fulfillment in both career and life. Paired with classroom learning, this course also offers MBAs a chance to venture out of the classroom and across the world, traveling to Copenhagen, Denmark to explore how the Danes approach their short work week, while having some of the most productive companies in the world. Further, Goizueta’s LeadHERship initiative offers mentorship, coaching, and learning opportunities, such as workshops and speaking engagements, to women in our programs focused on growing leadership potential and preparing for the unique challenges and opportunities women face during their professional careers. Combined with our broader focus on flourishing at Emory, these programs are shaping leaders who are not just effective in their fields but also thoughtful, balanced, and impactful in their lives.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue fostering an environment where education is deeply personal, profoundly innovative, and always in service of preparing leaders for a dynamic world. Together, we are shaping the future of business education—and I couldn’t be more optimistic about what’s to come.
—Gareth James, John H. Harland Dean, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School
