Babson Professors Look Ahead to 2025
The new year brings new uncertainties. It also brings new possibilities.
Reflecting on the months to come, Babson professors took time to discuss what they’re looking forward to in 2025: travel and family, work and writing, classes to teach and trends to watch.
They brought up a certain prestigious ranking that Babson recently received, and what could be lying ahead for the College in the new year, and more than one professor mentioned the rise of AI and what it could mean for business and the world at large.
Much happens in a year. Here is what Babson professors have their eye on.
Travel and Teaching
Travel and teaching are on James Hoopes’ mind for 2025. In March, he’ll be traveling with 20 students for his Virtuous Capitalism course to Malaysia and Thailand, where they will visit Buddhist, Confucian, and Islamic companies that are famous for their social responsibility. Hoopes is the Murata Professor of Ethics in Business.
“We will meet the founders and discuss how the conception of virtue in their different traditions has contributed to their remarkable success,” Hoopes says. “Maybe the biggest learning objective of the course is to understand that no part of the world has a monopoly on business ethics. Americans sometimes pride themselves on their freedom from graft, nepotism, etc., but some U.S. companies could learn from Asian companies about such virtues as compassion, which is emphasized in Buddhism, good will (Confucianism), and generosity (Islam).”
Thinking of Family
As 2025 begins, David Nersessian P’25 is thinking of his children. Both study at Babson. His daughter is in her senior year, while his son is in the MSEL program, and they often pop by his office to hang out and talk. Nersessian is a professor of law.
“They both graduate in May 2025, which leaves me on borrowed time, as it’s very unlikely that the three of us ever again will spend so much time together in the same place,” Nersessian says. “When it comes to their children, I think that all parents experience a fundamental paradox. Looking back, we miss terribly the people they were at different ages—the newborn’s eyes staring into your own, the myriad firsts of growing up (first steps, first goal in a sport, first musical concert), the scholastic milestones, etc. But looking forward, we’re on the edges of our seats, eagerly and intensely curious about who they are becoming and so excited for them and their future.”
AI and Small Business
As he often is, Erik Noyes is thinking of AI. In particular, he’s thinking of helping small business owners in 2025 thrive in an AI-driven world. An associate professor of entrepreneurship, Noyes is the director of Babson’s Generator Interdisciplinary AI Lab. He is also the Michael London ’92 and Stephen H. Kramer ’92 Term Chair in Entrepreneurship.
Professors talk of travel and family, work and writing, classes to teach and trends to watch. They also discuss the College. “The future at Babson is truly inspiring,” says Alvaro Boitier, assistant professor of economics.
“In 2025, I’m excited to see The Generator at Babson launch its AI Innovators Bootcamp for small business owners,” Noyes says. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, yet many are struggling to keep up with the rapid advancements in AI. This bootcamp will empower entrepreneurs with the knowledge they need to integrate AI into their operations, unlocking efficiencies and business growth.”
A New AI Course
Speaking of AI, Vicky Zhu is looking forward to offering her new experimental course, Deep Learning in Business, this spring as a pilot elective for undergraduate students. Zhu is an assistant professor of applied mathematics/quantitative methods.
“I hope this new course can diversify our students’ AI knowledge portfolio at Babson,” she says. “I am also very excited about expanding my machine learning research and collaborate with our faculty and industry experts on some innovative business applications.”
A Writer’s Hope
A short story writer, novelist, and poet, Mary O’Donoghue admits to having a particular mindset when thinking ahead to 2025. “My writer’s disposition doesn’t often set me giddily looking forward to many things. Call it my age, call it the age,” she says. “Instead, I tend to anticipate, to consider, to guess at, to wait for.”
O’Donoghue is a professor of English. “Writing this in the late style that is December 2024, I wonder if my teaching and writing in 2025 will be adequate to resisting what is dispiriting in our time,” she says. “I hope to amplify the true writing voices of students who may feel diminished to the point of silence. I intend on writing fiction that asks more questions, satirizes more pieties, and exposes more cruelties than I have heretofore achieved.”
Navigating Challenges
In 2025, Wanyi Wang is looking forward to exploring how finance can drive innovation and empower entrepreneurial leaders to navigate today’s evolving challenges. She is an assistant professor of finance.
“At Babson, finance plays a pivotal role in shaping leaders who tackle real-world problems with creativity and resilience,” Wang says. “As a new faculty member, I’m excited to meet my students and, hopefully, convince them that finance is not just about numbers, formulas, and Excel shortcuts, but about solving some of the world’s biggest puzzles—and maybe even making it fun along the way.”
The Need for Curiosity
As AI continues to change the landscape of business, education, and society in 2025, Stephen Brand says that one skill is emerging as perhaps the most critical for professionals to cultivate: curiosity. Brand is an assistant professor of practice in entrepreneurship.
“The ability to ask probing questions, explore new possibilities, and continuously seek out knowledge will be paramount in a world where AI handles many routine tasks and is our partner in more creative endeavors,” Brand says. “Curiosity will fuel innovation, drive problem solving, and enable individuals to adapt quickly to new technologies and ways of doing business. It will be the curious minds that find novel applications for AI, identify unexplored opportunities, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in their respective fields and in cross discipline explorations.”
Timely Discussions
In 2025, Kankana Mukherjee is excited for the discussions that will take place in her classes on business strategy and game theory. Those discussions promise to be timely. Mukherjee is an associate professor of economics.
“Several disruptive forces have intensified over the past year. Geopolitical tensions, innovations in generative AI, and the new wave of antitrust cases against technology giants are all transforming the business landscape and the relative position of competitors at a radical pace,” Mukherjee says. “We will explore these issues from a lens of game theory in which each player or company is competing to create and capture value. The emphasis will not only be on how to manage risks or play a given business game well to gain competitive advantage but also acquiring insights on how to be proactive and seize opportunities to responsibly shape the business game.”
What’s Next for Babson?
With The Wall Street Journal ranking Babson last year as the second best college in America, finishing just behind Princeton, Alvaro Boitier wonders what’s next for the College in 2025. He’s an assistant professor of economics.
“The ranking is a testament to Babson’s entrepreneurial spirit, academic rigor, and dedication to excellence,” Boitier says. “Coupled with its consistent No. 1 ranking for entrepreneurship education, Babson is setting a new benchmark in higher education. As we look ahead to 2025, I’m thrilled to see if Babson can achieve the ultimate milestone: securing the top spot nationally and beating Princeton this year. The future at Babson is truly inspiring.”
