The planning was led by Dr. Natasha Munshi, who became the Rubel School’s new dean last August, in collaboration with stakeholder representatives including the school’s faculty, students, alumni, Executive Board members and university leadership.
“The Rubel School’s vision is to be a hub for transformative business education,” said Munshi. “Our goal is to deeply engage with the business and local communities, to address their talent needs and develop innovative new programming.
By going through our graduate, undergraduate and certificate programs — which emphasize innovation, ethical and critical thinking, communication, analytics and business fundamentals — we envision our students creating a transformative
impact in the community.”
The new plan aligns with the university’s overall
strategic plan, which was unveiled
in 2019.
Munshi said the plan is centered on excellence in teaching; student learning; curricular innovation, enrollment and program growth; and community engagement. The plan identifies three strategic priorities:
- Deliver mission-aligned, innovative curricular and co-curricular offerings that make us distinctive in how we serve existing and future student populations and maximizes our commitment to equity and inclusion.
- Provide support for scholarship for faculty as well as ongoing professional development, coaching and mentoring for faculty and staff, so they can continue to deliver on our mission in the most effective manner.
- Engage, deeply and broadly, with alumni and community partners through faculty scholarship and external outreach to ensure the relevance and standing of the Rubel School of Business, and help our students find meaningful career opportunities.
One immediate outcome of the new strategic plan is the launch of the Executive Education and Certificate Programs initiative, under which a new certificate — the Women of Color Entrepreneurs Leadership certificate — will launch in March
2021. This innovative offering targets minority women entrepreneurs who are transforming communities through their work. The six-month program includes modules on leadership, financial acuity, marketing, social media, communication and negotiation,
and culminates in a capstone project and a pitch contest.
Corporate sponsors such as Republic Bank, Kroger and Pro-Rehab are sponsoring scholarships for women to attend this program. Munshi is exploring adding more specialty degree programs and certificate programs to align with market opportunities.
Munshi says that the Rubel School is on a positive trajectory. The school has recently launched:
- a monthly series of community workshops and Executive Speaker series.
- a podcast series that spotlights RSB faculty, student and alumni initiatives.
- a new executive board with senior executives and luminaries from the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors as members.
The mission of the W. Fielding Rubel School of Business is to provide inclusive, student-centered business education in the Catholic, liberal arts tradition that educates the whole person and leads to impactful careers. The school is accredited by
AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), which places it among the elite business schools globally. Not only is Bellarmine the first and only private university in Kentucky to achieve AACSB accreditation, but fewer than
five percent of business schools worldwide have achieved this distinction.