Dean's Vision for College of Business Administration

Gerald F. Cavanagh, S.J., D.B.A.

The mission of the College of Business Administrations challenges us to “…serve business organizations and society with competence, compassion and conscience. The College champions academic excellence and good character by encouraging intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social growth.” I whole-heartedly support this mission with the following goals.

My first goal is to help students gain the knowledge, skills and wisdom that they need in the global marketplace. Students learn in the classroom and from peers who come from 45 countries. Working together in campus organizations enables them to practice leadership skills in an environment that is similar to that in which they will spend their lives. Moreover, dealing with ethical issues, the impact of business decisions on others, and providing service to the poor in the city introduces them to those less fortunate, and also enables them to see new business opportunities for people around the world.

UDM’s College of Business Administration has educated many of the most successful business leaders of our area; business leaders who are successful in both their lives and in business possess moral maturity. These alumni help us to provide personal attention and mentoring for our students. This enables us to support the intellectual, spiritual, moral and social growth of students, helping them to develop sound judgment and good character.

We challenge our students to think critically and to plan their personal lives and goals so that they are not swept up in what others are doing, in what is being advertised or what is currently “cool”. Our students will have the resources and perseverance to provide products and services while being both financially and personally successful. They will provide sustainable products and services that will enable us to survive and prosper as individuals and as a nation for generations to come. Such leadership requires knowledge of one’s self, sensitivity to the needs of others and the skill to creatively serve those needs.

Another goal is to help our graduates see their own goal and the purpose of the market as being to provide goods, services and jobs to people around the world. They will then understand that our country and world will thus be more prosperous, healthier and safer for individuals and for families. I hope our graduates ask themselves the question: “How can I make this world a better place?” As our graduates become known for their "competence, compassion and conscience", the University of Detroit Mercy's College of Business Administration will be the most respected business school in our area. There is more on my vision in my book, American Business Values (Prentice Hall, 2006; 6th edition in 2009).

Gerald F. Cavanagh, S.J.
Interim Dean
Charles T. Fisher III Chair of Business Ethics and Professor of Management
College of Business Administration
Phone (313) 993-1204
Email: cavanagf@udmercy.edu