Smeal Update: December 10, 2021
New PSU president’s academic home will be Smeal
In case you missed Thursday’s announcement, it gives me great pleasure to share the news of the appointment of Penn State’s new president, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi. As a highly respected professor of marketing and former business school dean, Dr. Bendapudi will have her academic home at Smeal. I look forward to sharing with her the many outstanding things that we have accomplished to position Smeal as a global leader in business education. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Bendapudi to Penn State and to Smeal.
MAcc team advances to finals of national competition
A team of six Integrated MAcc Class of 2024 students have advanced to the finals of the Deloitte Audit Innovation Campus Challenge, which will be held April 8 at Deloitte University, Deloitte’s leadership center in Westlake, Texas. The Penn State team is one of only 12 schools participating in the nationwide competition held each year by Deloitte to advance to the national finals. The Smeal team includes: Anthony Martinelli, Claire Bannister, Rene Richardson, Madison Tomaselli, Harrison Treiman and Nicholas Vaughn. Susie Wright, associate teaching professor, serves as faculty adviser for the team.
Business Building will be locked down over winter break
As we approach the official start of winter break next week, we wanted to share some important facilities information. The Business Building will officially and automatically be locked at 5 p.m. Dec. 17 and remain locked until 7 a.m. Jan. 3, 2022. All interior doors with electronic locks will also be affected. Anyone with card access will still be able to enter the building. In addition, the Business Building will be participating in the annual Holiday Heat Reduction Program. Between 5-11 p.m. on Dec. 17, buildings will begin to transition to unoccupied mode, which means temperatures drop to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and ventilation ceases. Starting on Jan. 2, buildings will return to 60 degrees. Then, on Jan. 3, temperature settings return to 70 degrees in time for normal morning startup and ventilation settings return to occupied status.
Preparing for January return to campus
Smeal leadership and the Ad-hoc Return-to-Work Committee continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19, particularly in light of the new Omicron variant. We will continue with the plan to increase our physical presence in the Business Building for spring 2022, while recognizing that conditions could change such that another pivot is required. Submitted plans for spring 2022 work arrangements will be reviewed, balancing continued support for flexibility for employees where possible with ensuring business and customer needs are met. We anticipate finalizing these arrangements prior to the winter break. Supervisors will notify employees of their approved work arrangements once finalized.
Save the Date: Briscoe on Digging Deeper
Forrest Briscoe, professor of management and Frank and Mary Jean Smeal Research Fellow, will talk about the Great Resignation with Penn State President Eric Barron on the next episode of “Digging Deeper.” The December episode airs at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 19 on WPSU-TV.
Smeal in the News
Moritz quoted on WBRE/WYOU and in WSJ
Brent Moritz, associate professor of supply chain management, was quoted recently in two stories about supply chain issues. Moritz told WBRE/WYOU that recent global supply chain disruptions can be compared to other generational disruptions and this has led to inflated prices throughout the supply chain. Moritz told the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) that shippers are accepting the rising price of warehouse space near population centers because of consumer demand.
Know someone who rocks? Nominate them!
Each month the Smeal Staff Advisory Committee names a You Rock! Award recipient. You can nominate a co-worker for the You Rock! Award online.
The Smeal Community Weekly Poll
Click this link to participate in this week’s survey. Results will be shared during the next Smeal Community Zoom, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.