Spring 2022 Discovery magazine cover

Spring 2022

Introduction Letter

A note from Professor Alok Gupta

Professor Alok Gupta

Dear Colleagues,

Our hearts are heavy in the Carlson School community in the wake of the passing of both Professor Emeritus Andy Van de Ven and Professor Emeritus Gordon B. Davis. As leaders in their respective fields–organization theory and management, and management information systems–their work will leave a lasting legacy. It's in honor of their commitment to research, I share our latest issue of Discovery at Carlson.

Any researcher will tell you the hunt for connections can be frustrating. Two things that seem to be related in fact are not. As we all learned, correlation does not mean causation. But, sometimes, connections can be quite literal. Take new research from Assistant Professor Sunasir Dutta. He found the construction of new bridges, especially multi-modal ones, leads to greater investments in startups. Or findings from Assistant Professor Abdifatah Ali that person-to-person connection in learning communities is critical to retain diverse talent in academia.

These are just two of the studies you can read about in this issue of our faculty research magazine, Discovery at Carlson. In addition, we explore a growing, underlying risk to the American financial system; the importance of oversight to curb misuse of hospital record systems; new financial tools to reimagine healthcare; and more. 

Together, our world-class faculty—yes, we are ranked 10th in the world in the new UT Dallas rankings—are making an impact on society and using business as a force for good. I’m proud of our research contributions shown here and across our faculty. 

Please feel free to contact me at gupta037@umn.edu.
 
Professor Alok Gupta
Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Research
Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Information Management
 

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