Join us…Oct 23-25, 2025
DM/DBA/PhD 30th Anniversary Celebration
Weatherhead School of Management
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH 44106
Recharge, Reunite, Renew!!
All Alumni (and guests) are Invited to Join us for a Momentous Celebration – The 30th Anniversary of our Program!
Mark your calendar for October 23-25, 2025, as graduates from the Weatherhead School of Management’s Doctor of Management program, Doctor of Business Administration program and the PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems program reunite to celebrate three decades of excellence, innovation, and impact!
This is more than just a reunion — it’s a chance to reignite your intellectual curiosity, reconnect with old friends/faculty and engage in thought-provoking conversations that reflect the depth and rigor of our world-renowned practitioner-scholar doctoral program.
What to Expect:
A unique "back to the classroom" experience with cutting-edge insights on today’s most pressing business and leadership issues. Opportunities to network, reminisce, and celebrate with fellow alumni, faculty and staff. Conversations and programs that reflect on the program’s past, celebrate its present, and envision its future.
Among the Educational Sessions:
● Artificial Intelligence (AI): What it means for the future of work, decision-making, entrepreneurship,
and innovation
● Consulting: Evidence-Based Practice: Boundary-spanning ideas to accomplish business objectives
by effective and efficient decision-making
● Teaching: What impact has the program had on areas of teaching in academia and in the corporate
environment? What tips or lessons can you share?
● A Day in the Life of a Practitioner Scholar: Balancing practice and scholarship while making
meaningful contributions to organizations and fields
● Research that Matters: Bridging the gap between theory and real-world relevance
● International Geopolitical Dynamics - 2025 and Beyond: Making sense of international complex
adaptive systems
Other highlights include:
● Town hall session with Kalle Lyytinen
● Sessions with Program Directors: John Aram, Bo Carlsson, Kalle Lyytinen
● Discover curriculum enhancements; Learn about strategic initiatives
● Share your thoughts, ask questions, and provide input on the program’s direction
● Connect with faculty, peers, and leadership while gaining valuable insights into the evolving
landscape of the DM/DBA/PhD program
Also…
● Great food, great company, and great conversations with your distinguished peers of thought
leaders and trailblazers
● Celebrate the legacy and future of a program that has shaped leaders, scholars, and
changemakers around the world
● A memorable evening of reconnection and celebration with classmates and faculty, and a chance
to meet current students.
Agenda:
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025:
9:30 a.m. – Alumni Arrive and Register
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – ThinkBox
- Tour Tour CWRU Sears think[box], the largest open-access innovation center and makerspace in the United States
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch: Good Food, Great Conversations
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Town Hall - Welcome & Program Updates
-
Welcome and a Town Hall Meeting with Program Updates by Program Director, Kalle Lyytinen. This is an open forum on the current and future direction of the program. Engage in the dialogue: What we have built together and what lies ahead.
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. – Break
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – AI: Transforming Research and Practice
-
AI: What is the essence behind the hype? Every day we read about its potential impact on organizations, industries, institutions, and our everyday lives. What does it mean for the practitioner-scholar?
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. – Break
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions (Choose one to attend):
- Teaching: Insights and Impact - What impact has the program had on business schools and on teaching in academia and the corporate world? How has it changed us as educators, and how can we organize pedagogy around evidence-based teaching and management?
- Consulting: Navigating Complexity - Does the program make us better problem solvers and solution providers with real world impact? How do we enact evidence-based consulting and create new forms of boundary-spanning and solution seeking dialogue to accomplish business objectives?
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Cheers to 30 Years Reception
Welcome from Dean Andrew Medvedev and President Eric Kaler
Friday, Oct. 24, 2025:
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast: Rise and Shine
9:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Program Directors: Guiding the Journey
- Program Highlights, Reflections, and Insights with Program Directors Dr. John Aram, Dr. Bo Carlsson, and Dr. Kalle Lyytinen
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Faculty / Alumni: Academic Magic
- Transformative, Lived Experience: Making a Difference Personally & for Social Impact What is the common experience of a DBA student, how does the program change student’s thinking and action? What is the experience of a faculty? How does the program change faculty engagement, learning and approach to research? Has the experience changed and how does it vary?
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Lunch: More Good Food, Great Conversations
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. – The Global Arena: Strategies and Stories from the Global Stage
-
The Global Arena: One hallmark of the program has been global reach in students’ knowledge by bringing attention to global political and economic systems. What have we learned over the years about global arena shifts and how do they shape management action and scholarship?
3:15 p.m. -- 3:30 p.m. – Break
3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions - (Choose one to attend):
- A Day in the Life of a Practitioner Scholar - Practitioner -Scholar Careers: How did the program change us as a professional and affect our careers? What is a day in the life of a Practitioner-Scholar? How do we engage in management practice and scholarly works?
- Research that Matters: Real-World Relevance - Research: What has been the impact of DBA/PhD programs on managerial research? Our alumni and students do rigorous work, and they use their insights to inspire. Getting published takes perseverance. But the reward is real: your ideas reach others, spark change, and earn recognition.
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Reception: Where Conversations Flow and Memories Grow
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025:
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast: Coffee and Connections
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon – (Choose one to attend):
- Round Table Conversations - small group conversations organized around themes you care about most. Choose a topic that sparks your interest and pull up a seat! There’s a table (and a conversation) waiting for you.
- Sit In on a Class - you can choose to step back into the classroom and experience the energy of today's doctoral seminars. Alumni are invited to sit in on a live class session to listen, reflect, and maybe even contribute - just like old times.
Registration:
Early Bird Registration (ends August 31)
Full package (Thursday-Saturday) - $300
Thursday only - $125
Friday only - $125
Saturday only - $50
Guests are welcome to attend the Thursday and/or Friday receptions. Please register your guest separately for which reception(s) they plan to attend. Your registration includes the reception(s).
Thursday reception for guest - $65
Friday reception for guest - $65
Thursday & Friday receptions for guest - $130
Regular Registration (beginning September 1)
Full package (Thursday-Saturday) - $350
Thursday only - $150
Friday only - $150
Saturday only - $50
Thursday reception for guest - $65
Friday reception for guest - $65
Thursday & Friday receptions for guest - $130
Accommodations:
Area hotel information can be found here.
What to Wear:
Whatever you feel most comfortable wearing. Temperatures tend to vary this time of year in Cleveland, with mornings and evenings cooler than the afternoons. Snappy casual is recommended along with layers.
Updates are regularly made to the website and the registration page, so check back often. The schedule of the 30th Celebration will be updated with any changes or additions.
Registration Questions? Feel free to contact Nikki Anderson at nikki.anderson@case.edu
RSVP Deadline: October 1st, 2025
Register here for the 30th Celebration