A message from the Dean
Of Rubies and the Next Level: 40 Years for the COB
2007 marks the 40th year for the College of Business at Illinois State University and the 150th year for Illinois State University. Courtesy of Hallmark, the fortieth anniversary is considered the “Ruby” anniversary because the fiery red color symbolizes the passion that still remains after forty years.
For the College of Business, the symbolism is inescapable: the red of the ruby goes well with both ISU Red and our continuing passion for excellence in the College of Business.
I recently described the history of the College of Business as an arc moving steadily upward throughout our history. In every aspect, we have become better every year. From the quality of our students to the state-of-the-art research of our faculty, from teaching quality to alumni involvement, from career placement to technology, we have consistently become better and better. And the pace of our improvement has increased as well.
The trick is to continue to improve and get even better – at an ever-increasing pace -- over the next forty years and beyond. I am extremely optimistic that we will do so, in large part because of the passion of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and corporate friends for what we do here. Our national rankings by Business Week and the Princeton Review are only the first step. Those rankings and many other measures of success will continue to improve as we work even harder to live up to our mission.
At our Fall Faculty Conference, I challenged the faculty and staff to begin considering “the Next Level” for the College of Business. What exactly does that next level look like and what specific steps are needed to reach those new goals? You will soon hear more about some initiatives to manage our strategic plan over the next five years and into the future. At the same time, we hope to engage all of our constituents in a discussion of what “the Next Level” should be.
The ISU College of Business has a very bright future – brighter even than the 40th year ruby. In a few short years, we will be able to celebrate our golden anniversary – and the symbolism will be even more appropriate.
Have a Great Year.
Chuck
