By: Anil Makhija

One of the great delights of this centennial year has been engaging with many alumni who have helped transform Fisher into one of the premier business schools in the country. Recently, I was honored to meet with one such group, as Fisher welcomed back alumni from our PhD programs.

The reunion event, which featured breakout sessions, a dinner and reception, was a wonderful opportunity to speak with many of the sharpest minds in the fields of management sciences, accounting, management information systems and management and human resources.

In preparation for the reunion, it was fascinating to learn of the long history of the business PhD programs here at Ohio State. Some notable “firsts” included:

• the first PhD in Business Organization (modern-day marketing) was awarded in 1924
• the first PhD in Economics, which was housed in the college of business, was presented in 1926
• the first accounting PhD was awarded in 1950
• the PhD in Labor and Human resources was established in 1979
• the Management Information System (MIS) PhD coincided with the creation of the Academic Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems in 1984

It was inspiring to hear from three PhD alumni—Chan Hahn (management sciences), Henock Louis (accounting) and Charlie Stevens (management and human resources)—who shared with us reflections of their time in the PhD program at Ohio State and all the ways it has influenced their careers. Their thoughts and their tremendous professional accomplishments underscore the incredible depth and breadth of Fisher’s PhD programs and reinforces the impact we are having on the practice of business.

The event, which was as much a celebration of the research accomplishments of our alumni as it was a reunion, reminded me what Provost Bruce McPheron said at the college’s birthday party on March 7:

We were honored to welcome Dr. Joseph Alutto, distinguished professor of organizational behavior, emeritus at Fisher. He shared with us his insights as former dean, provost, vice president and two-time interim president of Ohio State. He encouraged those in attendance to explore our ever-growing campus and to experience how the many physical changes here at Ohio State are impacting our mission of creating the next generation of leaders.

Events such as this one underscore my belief that our alumni are our college’s greatest legacy. Seeing so many talented researchers and thought leaders back on campus reaffirms our PhD program’s role as a critical differentiator for Fisher and a powerful tool in our mission of creating ideas, encouraging scholars and positively making a difference in communities around the world!