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Business education is changing as institutions respond to workforce needs, industry expectations, and shifting student career goals. In this Higher Ed Careers interview, Kelly Cherwin, director of editorial strategy at HigherEdJobs, speaks with Paul A. Pavlou, dean of the Miami Herbert Business School at the University of Miami, about leadership, program innovation, and how these trends are influencing the roles of deans, faculty, and higher education professionals working to align academic programs with career outcomes.
Kelly Cherwin, HigherEdJobs: With more than 25 years of experience in academic leadership and a background in information systems and data science, how do those experiences shape your priorities and leadership approach as dean of Miami Herbert Business School?
Paul A. Pavlou, dean, Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami: My background in artificial intelligence, information systems, and data science taught me to see institutions as integrated systems, not silos. A great business school is not built by excellence in a single area alone. It is built by aligning student success, faculty talent, and industry relevance around a clear strategy.
That is how we lead. We believe in data-driven leadership, ambitious goals, and disciplined execution. We use data and AI to inform decisions, but we never lose sight of the human side of leadership, because institutions rise or fall based on people, trust, accountability, and shared purpose.
At the University of Miami, this approach has helped us build momentum across research, teaching, and impact. Notably, our Business Technology Department reaching the No. 1 national ranking for research productivity in top information systems journals is one signal of that momentum. Having double-digit gains in the rankings across our major programs is another signal. But the deeper priority is creating the conditions for sustained excellence so that research, innovation, and student outcomes reinforce each other year after year.
Cherwin: On the school’s website, the phrase “Made for Momentum” immediately stands out. How does that idea of momentum shape your vision for the school’s direction and student outcomes?
Pavlou: “Made for Momentum” is not a slogan for us. It is a mindset.
Momentum means intentional acceleration in a world that is changing faster than most institutions are willing to admit. Higher education can no longer be organized around static models while the economy is being rewritten by AI and digital transformation. We are building a business school designed for rapid change, continuous adaptation, and market relevance.
For students, momentum means we are not only preparing them for their first job. We are preparing them for lifelong career success. The future belongs to people who can keep learning, keep adapting, and keep creating value as industries evolve. Our role is to help them build that mindset from day one at the University of Miami.
Cherwin: Miami Herbert emphasizes hyper-personalization and career propulsion. How are these pillars being translated into the design of programs and student experience?
Pavlou: We believe the future of education is not mass production. It is precision education at the individual student level.
Hyper-personalization starts with a simple reality: students do not arrive with the same goals, the same strengths, or the same constraints. So why should we deliver the same mass experience to everyone? We design programs with flexibility, custom advising, modular pathways, and personalized support so students can shape their own unique experience that fits who they are and who they want to become. In short, “Your Degree, Your Way.”
Career propulsion is equally intentional. It is not something we leave to chance at graduation. We build it into the student journey from day one through experiential learning, industry engagement, mentorship, and career coaching from the beginning. We are not just helping students graduate. We are helping them build a robust career trajectory that will carry them for the rest of their lives.
And our third pillar, the “Miami Advantage,” is a critical part of our model. Miami and South Florida is not just our location. It is our extended classroom. Our students learn in one of the most dynamic business ecosystems in the world, with direct access to leaders and companies shaping finance, technology, healthcare, real estate, entrepreneurship, and global trade.
Cherwin: Your background in information systems, data science, and digital strategy is highly interdisciplinary. How does that expertise influence how you approach modern business school leadership?
Pavlou: Modern business problems do not follow academic boundaries. Neither should modern business schools.
My interdisciplinary background has shaped a leadership philosophy centered on integration. We need students who can connect data to strategy, AI to ethics, and innovation to execution. The next generation of leaders will not succeed because they know one function deeply, especially with AI increasingly doing more functional work. They will succeed because they can make smart decisions across functions in the face of increased uncertainty.
This approach also changes how I think about the business school itself. A business school today must operate as a learning system. It must sense change early, adapt quickly, and continuously redesign what and how it teaches. AI is accelerating that urgency. If we are teaching yesterday’s siloed workflows, we are preparing students for work that AI will quickly replace. Our responsibility is to prepare them for higher-order intellectual work that remains uniquely human and increasingly elevated with the aid of AI.
Cherwin: The STEM-designated MBA and specialized master’s programs show a shift toward data-driven education. How do these programs support evolving workforce and industry needs?
Pavlou: The market is sending a very clear message. Employers want leaders who can think strategically and operate fluently in a data-rich, technology-enabled environment, increasingly shaped by AI.
Our STEM-designated MBA and specialized master’s programs are built for today’s market reality. Our programs combine analytical depth and AI fluency with leadership, communication, and decision making so students can translate insight into action. Technical capability alone is not enough. The real advantage is knowing what to do with data, how to leverage AI, and how to lead people through uncertainty.
We also develop these programs in close interaction with industry. That keeps the curriculum relevant and future facing. In a world shaped by AI, the winners will not be those who simply use new tools. They will be those who can redesign work, organizations, and strategy around AI tools. That is what we are training our students to do.
Cherwin: Miami is positioned as a global business gateway. How does the school leverage its location and industry connections to prepare students for international and cross-sector careers?
Pavlou: Miami gives us something rare in higher education: a true global business laboratory in a booming city.
This city sits at the intersection of the Americas and is often viewed as the capital of South America, the Wall Street of the South, and the Silicon Valley of the East. That creates an extraordinary environment for preparing students to lead across borders, sectors, and cultures. We do not treat this as a branding point. We build it directly into the educational experience.
Through live projects, executive engagement, internships, and partnerships, students gain exposure to real decision making in real organizations. They learn how business is conducted across geographies, how markets move, and how leadership must adapt in multicultural environments.
In a world where AI can increasingly process information, the human advantage becomes judgment across diverse contexts. Miami helps our students build exactly that kind of global agility.
Cherwin: As Miami Herbert advances its “Moonshot” goal of becoming a Top 20 business school through personalized education and strong industry alignment, what advice could you offer to other institutions seeking to strengthen their own programs and student outcomes?
Pavlou: First, be clear about who you are and what you can uniquely become. Institutions lose their way when they chase every trend instead of building their strengths. We have a strength in business technology with our #1 ranked faculty, and this is why we are building the business school around AI, including an AI major and a master’s in AI.
Second, listen deeply and lead decisively. Students, employers, alumni, and faculty will tell you where the world is moving, but leadership requires converting multiple perspectives into a coherent strategy. Our strategy is informed by all of our stakeholders but integrated around our overarching goals.
Third, invest in culture. Strategy matters, but culture determines whether strategy becomes reality. Great schools are built by empowered faculty and staff who believe they are building something meaningful together. Our culture at the University of Miami is our competitive advantage.
Fourth, rethink the role of the university in the AI era. We are no longer only conveyors of knowledge. AI can do that at scale. Our role is to develop judgment, critical thinking, leadership, and the ability to work with AI as a teammate. The future of higher education belongs to institutions that understand this shift early and adapt their approach quickly and decisively.
Finally, measure what really matters. Rankings matter, but they are not the mission. The mission is lifelong student success, relevant research, and meaningful community impact. If you focus on those, momentum, rankings, and success will follow.
