Letter from the Dean

Dr. Bahman Mirshab

Dean
College of Business and Information Technology

Welcome, my friends, to the inaugural edition of A Bit About CoBIT, an easy read about the exciting goings-on in our College!
LTU’s College of Business and IT is a unique school that integrates business and technology and is situated in a premier STEM-based institution.

It’s our hope that when you meet our professors, learn about the important research that both professors and students are conducting, and the critical career and life preparation our students are receiving, you’ll consider supporting our educational programs and/or becoming involved with the College of Business and Information Technology’s two degree programs in Business Administration and Information Technology.

I’m very proud of our team. In my ten years as dean, I’ve witnessed the success of the majority of our graduates as they secure and excel at the careers we at LTU have prepared them for. In recognition of this success and the quality of our programs, Lawrence Tech is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only five percent of the world’s business schools are AACSB-accredited, the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. As an AACSB-accredited school, LTU is uniquely qualified to deliver an exceptional business and IT education.

In this first edition, you’ll meet the longest serving faculty member in CoBIT, Dr. Srikant (Sree) Raghavan, one of the founding professors of our MBA program, the first graduate program at LTU. You’ll meet Drs. Areej Salaymeh and Seyed Ziae Mousavi Mojab who head our Business Data Analytics graduate and undergraduate programs. Data analytics have become the decision driver in every business in every industry in America and around the globe. Our students will be ready to make a major contribution to corporate and economic growth with the ethical use of data.

Intimately related to Business Data Analytics is our program in Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Mojab will explain the benefits of AI to all fields, including medicine, manufacturing, transportation, you name it. There’s a story in this issue of A Bit About CoBIT about our Marketing program, masterfully taught by Drs. Murat Hattat and Swati Verma. Of course, having the data is critical, but you must be able to sell your product or service using that data. Our Marketing students are learning about marketing’s four P’s by applying them in real-world marketing simulations, a teaching technique they wouldn’t find in any other university. I don’t want to give it away, but you’ll learn about marketing research that both professors have undertaken.

Our faculty are nationally and internationally known in the fields of SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results) and Leadership too. In future newsletters, you will be meeting Drs. Jackie Stavros and Patty Castelli.

Our College is so fortunate to have the dedication and guidance of an Advisory Board, a group of noted professionals from a variety of professions and industries. We’re delighted that you’ll get to know John Bebes in this edition. Another of our Advisory Board members is also a graduate of CoBIT. With her amazing background, I think you’ll find the story about Dr. T. Jann Caison-Sorey a fascinating one.

As important as it is to educate our students about business and information technology, it’s the life lessons we wish to impart as well. That’s why LTU has joined forces with the PuLSE Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding and eradicating poverty in our communities. Participating Faculty Member Dr. Massood Omrani is a member of PuLSE Institute’s Academy of Fellows, and the Institute’s founder, dean of the Academy of Fellows, and editor-in-chief, Bankole Thompson, is a member of our Advisory Board. You’ll learn how business and poverty are intertwined and why our partnership with PuLSE makes a difference.

And if all this great news gets you excited to know more, it would be my pleasure to formally introduce you to the College of Business and Information Technology. I invite you to consider supporting our education of future B&IT professionals with a financial donation. For example, funding a scholarship in your name, the name of your family or your foundation is one way you could make a major contribution to the life and success of a young person. I’d like you to meet Madeline Hudson. Not only will you be wowed by this future marketer, but you’ll see what a difference a scholarship can make…what a difference you can make!

As our new mantra says, “Be Curious. Make Magic.” Please join us as we continue to make magic at LTU.

Again, welcome to CoBIT,

Dr. Bahman Mirshab
Dean, College of Business and Information Technology
248.204.3050
bmirshab@ltu.edu