A Note from John Cribbs

A building on Wentworth's campus with the "Wentworth" name on the side taken by a drone with the city of Boston in the background

A Note from John Cribbs, Dean, Wentworth School of Management 

Dear Friends,

As the 2023-2024 academic year draws to a close, I am delighted to share these highlights from the School of Management with you.

Inside the classroom, students’ knowledge and skills were on display and engaged through a variety of lenses. Faculty expertise, aligned with the vision of supporting student success, also flourished with respect to curricular development:

  • Culminating Student Experience: 150+ students across Business Management, Computer Information Systems, and Construction Management completed technical capstone projects that involved industry mentorship and guidance to solve real-world problems. 40+ business/industry professionals were integrated into the classroom setting who, alongside expert faculty members, enabled this success!
  • Bridging Cultures: 19 Construction Management students engaged in a study abroad semester at South East Technical University (SETU) in Waterford, Ireland. As part of their immersive studies within an Irish classroom, students traveled through Europe alongside faculty members Sharon Brown and Monica Snow to witness best practices on live construction project sites across the continent. This included guided site visits in Norway, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
  • Honoring the Past: To continue to formally honor the relationship with and support provided to the School by the late Myles and Eugenia Sweeney, the Sweeney Programs of Construction Management has been re-established within the School of Management, offering new opportunities for growth and student support.

Outside the classroom, Management represented Wentworth and forged new partnerships:   

  • Students from the Business Management and Computer Information Systems Programs joined forces to compete in the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) Live Case Competition and took home the First Place Prize in this international competition! Not only did the team secure first place, they also set a record by achieving the highest score ever in the history of the competition. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and talent of our students and faculty within the School of Management. These students were coached by faculty member Santiago Umaschi.
  • Three seniors from the Construction Management Program competed in the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) Collegiate Ethics Competition for the first time in program history. Coached by faculty members Payam Bakhshi and Afshin Pourmokhtarian, they were able to achieve 3rd place in the written portion of the competition, 2nd place in the oral presentation stage of the competition, and received a nomination for best presenter within the overall competition.  
  • The School of Management reinvigorated its partnership with the CoreNet New England Professional Organization. As an outcome of this effort, students engaged in the Construction Management Program’s Commercial Real Estate Concentration were shortlisted during the proposal phase of the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge Competition during the fall semester and were one of three finalists to make it to the International Stage (Europe and the Americas) for final presentations and judging. They were successful in building out their final proposal and presentation while in attendance at the CoreNet Global Conference in Denver, CO, and ultimately showcased great poise and knowledge of required content during their time in front of the judges. These students took home the First Place Prize in this international competition!
  • Faculty members Michael Mozill and Santiago Umaschi successfully mentored an ACE Co-Op student to a 1st Place Win in a Pitch-a-Thon competition. The student secured a $5,000 grand prize.
  • Building on the success of Construction Management Study Abroad, the initiative has been expanded to include the Business Management Program. Juniors in their fall semester of this degree program are now able to engage in a semester abroad at South East Technical University in Waterford, Ireland. This growing partnership expands global access and opportunities for School of Management students across disciplines.
  • Building industry connections enables academic excellence through verification and validation of program learning outcomes and the ability to support students through scholarships. As such, the School of Management has continued to build the Construction Management Industry Advisory Board (CMIAB) membership base, which has seen a 33% increase, year-over-year. Successful expansion of this type of support has now led to the formation of the first Business Management and Computer Information Systems Industry Advisory Board, which launched in June 2024.  

Faculty expertise has been on display regionally, nationally, and internationally!

  • The Wentworth TLC Faculty Showcase offered a venue for nine School of Management faculty members to highlight areas of current and ongoing research. This was followed up by the Colleges of the Fenway Teaching & Learning Showcase where School of Management faculty members were also highlighted for their expertise in their fields.
  • School of Management faculty members were awarded and recognized this year through receipt of the Douglas C. Elder Professorship, approved sabbaticals for the upcoming year to pursue scholarly research efforts that will be leveraged to enhance the student learning environment and program curricula, and internal grants to support technical elective course development.
  • Longtime Construction Management Program faculty member Tom Taddeo has officially retired after 45 years of dedicated teaching and service to the university. His focus on student support, academic excellence, and high-value learning has left a lasting impression on alumni, current students, and the Construction Management team at-large.
  • Professor Cristina Cosma was the recipient of the 2024 Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section of the Society of Civil Engineers (BSCES) Citizen Engineer Award.
  • Six School of Management faculty members leveraged time this year to publish and present research findings and unique pedagogical approaches to audiences on the regional, national, and international stages. This spans conference proceedings and engagements from Nashville, TN, to Des Moines, IA, from Tallinn, Estonia, to Vilnius, Lithuania, and beyond!
  • The School’s focus on student support has been at the forefront of all planning efforts this year. This has been showcased through the successful hiring of a student-facing Academic Coordinator in Leach Schwanke and a curriculum assessment and accreditation expert in Associate Dean Iuliana Balascuta, Ph.D.

The School of Management team utilized the 2023-2024 academic year to engage in the development of new curricula, with student success at the forefront. We are excited to introduce to incoming students the recently approved programs and curricula of study, as well as faculty-led curricular enhancements that enable flexibility of educational experiences.

  • The Construction Management Infrastructure Concentration has formally bolstered strong interest, as nearly 20% of students in the 2023-2024 class of freshmen declared this track of study. As part of launching this program, the School of Management hosted the 2nd Annual Infrastructure Luncheon, with delegates of MassDOT, the MBTA, and Massport, as well as former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, Wentworth Board of Trustee Chair Greg Janey, and 10+ more industry experts in attendance. This event highlighted the importance of this area of study and validated the curriculum outcomes with the immediate and future needs of the sector.
  • To enable academic exploration of the greater lifecycle of the built environment, faculty in the Construction Management Program put forth a Built Environment concentration of study, which was approved this year. This allows incoming freshmen and sophomores the opportunity to learn fundamentals related to Commercial Real Estate and Facilities Management, alongside their core Construction Management courses for the degree. Additionally, minors of study associated with the Real Estate and Facilities Management disciplines, in alignment with the Built Environment concentration, have officially been opened to the university at large!
  • The Business Management Program successfully secured notice from the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) Board of Commissioners that it has been approved as a candidate for IACBE accreditation. This marks a significant step for the Business Management Program’s visibility and enhances the strength of the degree for all students involved with this area of study, as well as alumni from the program.
  • To help diversify student population and engagement, the Business Management team focused efforts on expanding the reach of our educational pathways by successfully launching a Bachelor of Science in Project Management degree, which is offered 100% online. This degree is currently geared toward transfer students, military professionals, first responders, and working professionals.

I am excited to begin a new academic year as Dean of the School of Management and look forward to sharing more of our successes with you.

Thank you!

John Cribbs, Ph.D.