The Making of Term Chairs, the Importance of Small Business

Babson College faculty have been recognized with term chair appointments, share their advice on entrepreneurship and consumers purchasing holiday gifts online, and reflect on the growth of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.

Two Faculty Members Awarded Term Chairs

Lecturer in Finance Paul Griesmer was awarded the Anne Tamer Hajjar and Charles C. Hajjar ’86 Term Chair in Real Estate, and Professor of Marketing Anirudh Dhebar was awarded the Susan and Gary DiCamillo Term Chair in Teaching Excellence. A real estate professional with over 30 years of experience, Griesmer said he was “honored” for the recognition and looks forward to discussing the real estate curriculum at Babson College with the chair’s namesake. Dhebar has taught at Babson College for more than 20 years and previously taught at Harvard Business School and the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “On behalf of all current, past, and (hopefully) future students and the entire community at Babson, a very, very appreciative ‘thank you,’ ” Dhebar said.

Griesmer and Dhebar join Sebastian Fixson, Wiljeana Glover, Laurie Krigman, Dessi Pachamanova, Miguel Rivera-Santos, Elizabeth Swanson, and Jerome Taillard as current term chairs.

Online Buyer Beware

Marketing division chair Lauren Beitelspacher sat down with Boston 25 News to share consumer advice for online shopping during the holiday season. She stated company-endorsed products may not be of higher quality, reminded consumers to be conscious of third-party sellers, and warned customers to be wary of product reviews, as many can be deceiving.

Closing in on a Program Goal

Professor of Finance Richard Bliss was featured in a Boston Globe story on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. More than 9,000 entrepreneurs have graduated from the program, which Goldman Sachs pays for to allow small-business owners to attend for free. “Small businesses have an outsized impact on their communities,” said Goldman Sachs Foundation president Asahi Pompey. “Small business is no small thing.”

Bliss hopes to continue to run the program even after the number of graduates surpasses its namesake. “It’s clear that we have something that works,” he said.

President Spinelli Discusses Entrepreneurship at UBS

President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD shared business expertise at a Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) Private Wealth Management forum in New York last month in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week. “Unlocking Value: Wealth Strategy for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners” was moderated by UBS Private Wealth advisor John Barefoot MBA’01 and also featured a networking reception. Earlier last month, Associate Professor Tina Opie participated in a fireside chat on authenticity, diversity, and equity with Suni Harford, president of UBS Asset Management.

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Tagged Faculty, Advice, Campus, Commentary, Research

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