Dean's Message

Ashish Mahajan

Welcome to the Odette School of Business!

Whether you're a prospective or current student, alum, or a member of the academic or business community, we are excited to connect with you. Our mission at Odette is guided by five strategic priorities: Sustaining World-Class Faculty and Research, Offering Innovative Educational Programs, Increasing Internationalization, Fostering Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and Achieving Institutional Recognition.

Since our founding in 1953, Odette has grown into a vibrant community that offers a range of programs, including the Bachelor of Commerce (BComm), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Management (MM), MBA with a Professional Accounting Specialization (MBA-PAS), and the Master of Engineering Management (MEM). Our students benefit from hands-on learning opportunities through co-op placements and active participation in a variety of student societies and clubs, where they develop valuable skills and forge meaningful connections.

At Odette, we are committed to continuous innovation. Our Dr. Mitchell W. Fields Data Analytics Lab supports the growing demand for data analytics, featuring state-of-the-art workstations and industry-leading software. We are expanding our capacity with the addition of a second data analytics lab. We have also refreshed the Walter Pasnik Financial Markets Lab, equipped with 11 Bloomberg Terminals and an impressive 130-inch video wall.

For the Fall 2024 semester, we look forward to welcoming 331 new undergraduate students, including 46 international students from diverse countries such as China, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Vietnam. With a total of over 1,800 students—1,000 undergraduates and 800 graduates—our small class sizes foster close interactions between students and our dedicated faculty. Our 65 full-time faculty members are experts across diverse disciplines: Accounting, Finance, Management & Labour Studies, Marketing, Strategy & Entrepreneurship, and Supply Chain Management & Business Data Analytics.

Our graduates achieve remarkable success, with a 92% employment rate as of Fall 2022. Many Odette alumni hold influential roles in both the private and public sectors worldwide. Our students are actively engaged in various clubs and competitions, such as:

  • Enactus Odette, which has diverted nearly $11,000 worth of waste from landfills,
  • Odette High School Leadership Initiative (OHLI), which has mentored over 1,300 high school students,
  • Odette Debate Team, the only Canadian team to compete at the American Parliamentary Debate Association tournaments at Harvard University, and
  • ACE Odette Chapter, which placed second in international marketing and in the top five for human resource management at the ACE Nationals in Toronto in 2024.

Our faculty members are dedicated not only to education but also to advancing their fields through impactful research. Over the past five years, they have published 252 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals and garnered over 23,200 citations. In May 2015, Odette earned AACSB accreditation, a distinction held by only 7% of business schools worldwide.

Odette's commitment to student success is exemplified by the Odette Student Success Centre, the only center on campus providing comprehensive student services, including academic advising, club relations, and career support.

We are proud of our history, our achievements, and our ongoing journey toward excellence. We invite you to explore our programs and join us in shaping a brighter future for our students and the communities we serve.

 

Onward!

Ashish Mahajan, Ph.D.

Interim Dean, Odette School of Business