Kelley names IU alumna undergrad director

The world weighs on the mind of Kathleen Robbins, who was announced Tuesday as the new director of the undergraduate program for the Kelley School of Business.

In her new role, Robbins said she wants as many students as possible to study abroad because she believes it’s important to understand issues companies face overseas.

“Most companies operate on a global scale,” she said.

Robbins, who will manage the programs and services for undergraduate business students, has benefited from overseas studies.

She went through graduate school in the Netherlands after graduating from the Kelley School of Business in 2002. She then worked in New Zealand before being hired as an academic adviser at Kelley in 2005.

She said she learned how business decisions affect people of different cultures, as well as how to survive in unfamiliar situations.

Her office will continue to try and offer foreign programs that will fit everybody’s needs, Robbins said.

“No matter what a student’s schedule, we try to accommodate it,” she said.

Business school professor Munirpallam Venkataramanan, chairman of the undergraduate program, said there has always been some focus on internationalism, with many students studying abroad and a six credit-hour international dimensions requirement. But now there are many different programs, such as a class that sends students to “non-traditional” countries,  including China, Brazil and Ghana.

“She really has a passion for developing international programs,” Venkataramanan said.

She also said it’s in line with the University’s over-arching focus on internationalism.
Robbins’ office also has programs that range from attracting students to helping them pursue careers once they graduate.

Venkataramanan complimented Robbins on her good organizational skills, fairness, kindness and innovation.

Robbins collaborated on the Young Women’s Institute, whose goal is to attract high school girls to the business field. Venkataramanan said many students who attend the program go on to the Business School at IU.

Robbins said she hopes to accommodate every student by having a wide range of programs.

Freshman business student Melissa Klawans said programs that allow students to experience other cultures are important.

“Right now the economy is so global we have to have an understanding of cultures and everything to do well in the business world,” she said.