From Breaking Records to Which Movie You Should See, Leeds Shines Bright in 2023
It was a year of celebrations.
Vijay Khatri became Leeds’ first Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean, a leader who inspires innovation while promoting unity. In the fall, we welcomed an extraordinary, record-breaking freshman class. And throughout the year, Leeds received some of its highest rankings ever.
Here’s a deeper look at what made Leeds shine in 2023.
On a High Note
By the end of 2023, one thing was clear: Leeds had a monumental year in the rankings.
The undergraduate program earned its highest-ever ranking in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 List of Best Colleges, tying for the No. 18 spot among public schools and landing in the top 3% of all accredited business schools in the country. In April, the Best Full-time MBA Program rankings for 2024 were released by U.S. News & World Report with Leeds ranking No. 32 among public business schools.
Then, in November, LinkedIn released its inaugural list of the Top 50 MBA Programs that grow students’ careers and ranked Leeds the No. 36 best MBA among all AACSB-accredited, full-time programs in the U.S. and the No. 12 best public program in the country.
Taking the Lead
Early in 2023, Tandean Rustandy announced a $5 million gift to create the Tandean Rustandy Endowed Deanship at Leeds—the first named deanship at CU Boulder. And the timing couldn’t have been better: It helped recruit an exceptional dean and provided extra resources to execute a vision that will continue the school’s impressive growth trajectory.
Under the leadership of new dean Vijay Khatri, the Leeds community quickly warmed to his style of inspiring innovation while promoting unity. A visionary leader, he values the power of collaboration to achieve a common purpose. Now, after six months at the helm, he’s excited to implement strategic initiatives ahead: “We’re at a great moment in time.”
Class of 2027 Makes History
Last fall marked the first time in history that Leeds surpassed every enrollment goal with its incoming freshman class.
Chalk it up to years in the making—a momentum-fueled achievement that made the Class of 2027 the most diverse and academically gifted in Leeds’ history, becoming the largest class in nearly a decade.
A higher number of students identified as coming from a diverse background, and for the first time ever, Leeds welcomed more women (55%) than men (45%). As exciting as the enrollment results were, so were the 2023 4-year graduation rates, with over 80% of students graduating within four years.
See what student success looks like.
Student & Community Stories
Research & Innovation
Paper Weight: Impactful Faculty Research Drives Increase in Leeds’ Rankings
As research productivity soars worldwide, Leeds professors continue to enjoy outsized influence in advancing business knowledge.
More Highlights
Should we see ‘Barbie’ or ‘Oppenheimer’ tonight?
In her paper published in the Journal of Marketing Research, associate marketing professor Alix Barasch found that a noncommittal response can make a person seem dishonest–because when someone says they have no preference, we suspect they really do. The findings made the Top 5 Scholarly Insights of 2023 list by the American Marketing Association. She also received the prestigious Early Career Award from the Association for Consumer Research (ACR) for her scholarly contributions to consumer behavior research.
A Lifetime of Mentorship
The ACR honored CU Distinguished Professor John Lynch with the inaugural Simonson Lifetime Mentorship Award. His impressive career includes serving as the former director of Leeds’ Center for Research on Consumer Financial Decision Making and senior associate dean for Faculty and Research.
Most Influential
Tony Kong, associate professor of organizational leadership, received the Academy of Management’s Most Influential Article Award for his paper on the consequences of emotional misrepresentation in negotiation.
Paper Trail
Zhiyi Wang, an assistant professor in information analytics, and Shaoqin Tang, a strategy and entrepreneurship PhD student, received the best paper award at The Strategic Management Society’s annual conference.
A+ Faculty
Ten ultra-talented Leeds faculty members received awards for academic excellence and achievements at last spring’s commencement. Leeds professors Manuel Laguna, John Lynch, Russell Cropanzano, Jeff Reuer, Tony Kong and Jeff York were also recognized among the top 2% of scientists in the world.
Innovating & Inspiring
Professor of information systems Kai Larsen won the inaugural David B. Balkin and Rosalind and Chester Barnow Endowed Innovative Teaching Award last spring for implementing innovative teaching practices with his Simplyx interactive learning courseware and materials. In October, he and the award finalists presented their innovative methods at the Leeds School of Business Innovative Teaching Award Workshop to inspire Leeds faculty to apply them in their own courses.
Taking a Knee
When NFL players began kneeling in protest of racial inequality and police brutality back in 2016, they often ended up leaving their teams, for better or worse, but often for better. Leeds Professor Ethan Poskanzer studied the career consequences in the journal Organization Science.
Digital Downsides
Mobile money has seen major growth over the years, especially in impoverished areas. But as Leeds assistant professors David Drake and Gloria Urrea discovered, it’s still not where it’s needed most.
Faces of Leeds
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