The Albers Brief caught up with Albers Associate Dean Madhu Rao, who will be moving to Colorado. In January, he starts his new role as Academic Dean at Regis University's Anderson College of Business and Computing.
I had been working in the University of Maryland system after my PhD when my then-partner got an offer from a big-time tech start up in Seattle in 2001. This was at the height of the dotcom boom, and I figured I’d be
able to retire by the age of 38 and spend the rest of my life on my yacht, traveling between Bali and Bora Bora. Plus, my brother was working for Microsoft, so it made sense to consolidate the siblings in one place. The startup went bust after a year.
Fortunately, Albers had a position open, and I was lucky to land it. My first day at SU was September 11, 2001, a day that is difficult to forget.
Pretty much everything other than the underlying mission of cura personalis and social justice. New building, new faculty members, new global relationships, new University President. The only constant of course is Joe Phillips, the Dean, who started on the same day as me.
It is comforting to know that, despite all the social, economic, technological, and environmental changes we’ve seen over the past 20 years, Seattle U’s commitment to developing leaders for the common good has remained unchanged.
I learned to address thorny or uncomfortable issues immediately and heads-on.
Madhu Rao Associate Dean, Albers School of Business and EconomicsI don’t want to sound like I know how the next person in my role should operate. I’ll avoid giving unsolicited advice. All I can offer are some of the lessons I learned in seven years as Associate Dean:
I have been fortunate to work with people across campus on significant committees that have had an impact on the way we grow as an institution and educate our students.
Madhu RaoI don’t really think about legacy. In my mind, the term is framed around the question of “How will I be remembered?” To me, at least, that centers the discussion on the individual rather than the impact of their work.
I prefer to think about my time at Albers and SU in terms of my projects and scholarship which have been meaningful to our students, my colleagues, and our community.
I’ve enjoyed getting students excited about technology. I’ve loved taking students abroad to countries such
as China, India, Argentina, and Chile and giving them a glimpse into how a huge percentage of the world actually lives and perhaps a better sense of their own privilege.
I have been fortunate to work with people across campus on significant committees that have had an impact
on the way we grow as an institution and educate our students.
Of course, if my name will be remembered after I leave Seattle U, it will be forever linked to two decades of running the Albers March Madness competition. I hope it was seen as a family tradition that brought a sense of camaraderie, fun, and laughter to all those who participated. And a sense of wonder at the fact I have not had my tenure revoked for some of my trash talking along the way.
Photo of Madhu teaching an Introduction to Information Systems and E-commerce class in 2011 by Yosef Kalinko. All other photos by Madhu Rao.