As the associate dean of Pitt Business, Audrey Murrell initiated an innovative approach to business education that has used experience-based learning and a global focus to take every student From the Classroom, To the City, To the World.
The undergraduate business program has changed students’ lives.
And it quickly catapulted the College of Business Administration in the national business school rankings. This past year, Pitt Business climbed to No. 11 among public business schools nationwide and No. 1 among public business schools in Pennsylvania in Poets & Quants. The school is also ranked No. 1 of all schools for academic advising and No. 2 among public business schools for “Getting Grads the Jobs They Want.”
Student career outcomes improved under Murrell’s leadership to a 97 percent job placement rate. During her tenure, the school created a platform for alumni-student mentoring called Mentoring Match, which has given hundreds of students an opportunity to connect for career and networking advice. The school also developed micro-credentials for students through extracurricular programs like the Real Estate Finance Academy and the Digital Marketing Institute, which was awarded an “Innovations that Inspire Award” by AACSB International.
Murrell also took the international programs at Pitt Business to a higher level. She established the school’s first Office of International Programs and hired its first director. The office greatly expanded the portfolio of business-focused global experiences programs, anchored by the creation of the Global Business Institute. Student participation in global experiences has soared to 58 percent of all students, including a 21 percent participation rate in international internships.
Now Murrell will take her innovative approach to its next leadership level.
Effective June 17, Murrell will become the acting dean of the University of Pittsburgh Honors College. The Pitt Honors College accepts about 300 – 400 students annually and provides an enhanced academic experience for students across all academic disciplines.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the associate dean of Pitt Business for the past six years. I’m especially proud of what we’ve built together, as we’ve grown into a world-class business school that takes its students From the Classroom, To the City, To the World,” Murrell says.
Murrell served as associate dean of Pitt Business since 2013 and was part of the Pitt Business faculty since 1989. She also served two terms as director of the school’s David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, which helped to embed the Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics in the Pitt Business curriculum.
Murrell leaves behind a legacy of strong academics at Pitt Business.
The school elevated its admissions and enrollment during her tenure. The quality of the freshman class has climbed to above a 1350 average SAT score for the first time in its history. The class also became more diverse, being ranked No. 2 for student diversity among U.S. public business schools in Poets & Quants. Additionally, the school had the highest number of applications and deposits, and expanded recruitment into new geographic markets, including Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
The career development office at Pitt Business also set new milestones under Murrell’s leadership. The annual job placement rate for graduates now consistently exceeds 90 percent and their average starting salary has climbed to $57,000. The annual fall career conference has grown to nearly 100 hiring organizations.
As she looks ahead to her next opportunity, Murrell will always feel a special connection to Pitt Business.
“Most of all, I will treasure my memories of working with the members of the Pitt Business community. Our students are absolutely terrific and it was the joy of my professional life to work alongside our talented faculty and professional staff.”
