S7E1: Honoring the Past, Present, and Future of The David Eccles School of Business w/ Dean Kurt Dirks

Welcome back to our 7th season of the Eccles Business Buzz! And
what better way to kick it off than with our new Dean Kurt Dirks.





Dean Dirks started his role just a few months ago, on July 1st,
2024. Prior to joining us here at the Eccles School, Dean Dirks
was the Bank of America Professor of Leadership at the Olin
Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. In
addition to serving as a faculty member, Dean Dirks served in
multiple senior leadership roles at WashU, including as Acting
Provost, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Leadership, Vice
Chancellor of International Affairs, and as Senior Associate Dean
and Interim Dean at the Business School. 





Kurt sits down with Host Frances Johnson to share with us a bit
about his journey as a first-generation college student, the
critical role of public universities, and the importance of
creating a culture of belonging at the Eccles School. Dean Dirks
also discusses his vision for business impact, the significance
of ethical leadership and trust, and the evolving landscape of
business education and AI at Eccles.





Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School
of Business and is produced by University FM.



Episode Quotes:




The significance of ethical leadership and trust in
shaping our approach to emerging technologies like
AI 





[Dean Kirk Dirks] 22:01: We have a responsible AI initiative at
the U, which is thinking about this, not just at the business
school, but across the entire university. And so, it's something
that we are a part of, our faculty are a part of, and thinking
about that.





On the other side of it is certainly thinking about helping our
students understand their values. And when those values get
challenged, how do they respond to them? Certainly, something
important about being leader in whatever way we think about that,
that term is really understanding your responsibility in society,
in business to try to make the world better and how that applies
in, you know, day to day life. And so, that's certainly one of
the areas where I hope we can get each of our students to think
about, that their role as a leader in society, making the world
better and how that is steered by their values and their purpose.





[Frances Johnson] And again, this idea that everything is
business, right? We're not just learning to crunch numbers. We're
not just learning to analyze data, but we're really thinking
about, what's important to me? How can I bring that to an
organization? How can I seek out organizations that align with
that? And then how can I make a positive difference? So, the
interconnection really continues.





[Dean Kirk Dirks] Very powerful. There is no doubt that, if we
help our students along all those facets, again, the values, the
quantitative and economic skills that they have and the business
mindset, I think we're going to serve them well for their life
and career.





How building trust can foster a unified
community





[Frances Johnson] 07:25: What role does trust play as we really
try to build a cohesive community at the Eccles School where
everyone has a place?





[Dean Kirk] 07:44: In terms of the role of trust and how that
fits with them, when we think about earning that trust, it really
is around three things. And I think it speaks to this notion. One
is a sense of competence and capability, that we have the
knowledge and skills and support to really help them be able to
succeed at what they want to do. Second is we talked about
character, that piece of values that is important to allow
students to feel a connection and that our values are consistent
with theirs. And then the last piece, which really speaks
directly to this is caring, that, often, when people want to be
able to trust someone, they want to know that, we think about
them and care about them. And I think that's a really important
part of this set.





Dean Kurt shares a piece of advice he wished he had when
he was starting his college journey





30:22: One of the most wonderful parts about being a university
student is that self-discovery. You're certainly learning a lot
about business, but equally important, learning a lot about
yourselves and new paths. So, go out and try something new this
semester. Meet a new group of people, try a new experience at the
U, something that you may not have done before. And perhaps,
you'll get a surprise that maybe it becomes your future.



Show Links:

Dean Dirks - The David Eccles School of Business

Kurt Dirks | LinkedIn

Instagram Post from Move-in Day 2024 at the U

S4E1: Helping Companies Do Good While Doing Well feat. Jim
Sorenson

S6E7: Driving Economic Inclusion Through Entrepreneurship
with the Eccles MBC w/ Rena Vanzo & Paul Brown

David Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) • Instagram

Eccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) • Instagram