12 highlights from our year
It was a year of milestones at Smith in our 2020-2021 year (May 1, 2020 to April 30,2021). Our programs were recognized for excellence and our analytics ecosystem won an important international award. We welcomed a new dean and we launched a new graduate degree, too. And our staff, faculty and students found ways to support businesses, organizations and workers during the pandemic. Scroll down to read these and other highlights from our year.
Smith’s reputation as a global business school was recognized with our strong showing on several international business-school rankings.
In March 2021, Queen’s University announced Smith’s new dean: Wanda Costen, a proven academic leader whose career also includes private-sector and military experience.
Analytics and AI are changing the world of business, and Smith is among the leaders in this field—a fact recognized with a prestigious international award.
Who are the emerging leaders in business? One of them is Ryan Riordan, Distinguished Professor of Finance, named a “2021 Changemaker” by the Globe and Mail.
Over the last year, we took a number of steps to create a more inclusive community and learning environment, including the creation of Smith’s EDII Strategy and Action Plan.
The Institute for Sustainable Finance, housed at Smith, issued a number of groundbreaking and important reports on Canada’s transition to a low-carbon future.
As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last year, our researchers used their expertise to study the pandemic’s effects and how to address the impacts on business and society.
Last year, as the pandemic raged, many people found themselves out of work and facing tremendous uncertainty. A unique initiative from Smith and Queen’s Law gave help.
Since 2016, Smith has helped Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) athletes plan for a career after sport. In April 2021, 10 more COC athletes came to Smith to build their business skills.
This past year, we launched the Master of Financial Innovation and Technology, the first program of its kind in Canada to address the significant gap in fintech education.
In September 2020, a unique initiative was launched through Smith to bring business training to a First Nations community in British Columbia.
The economic impacts of COVID-19 have been vast. Yet throughout the pandemic, Smith took steps to help businesses, non-profits and student job seekers bounce back and succeed.