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2025 was full of milestones at the Tepper School, with research breakthroughs, alumni successes, and rising rankings sparking interest across the community. These are the 10 stories that captured the most attention this year.

No. 10: New Research Explores How AI Can Build Trust in Knowledge Work
This year, researchers explored how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance performance and trust in knowledge work environments. They found that when AI systems provided feedback in real-time, performance and trust increased.

No. 9: Guest Speakers Announced for Tepper School of Business 2025 Commencement Ceremonies
Alumni guest speakers at this year’s Tepper School Commencement ceremonies included Brett Gordon (MS ‘04, Ph.D. ‘07), Benjamin Smith (MSIA ‘93), and William Meaney (MSIA ‘86). Additionally, graduate Alex Chen delivered the keynote address at the Undergraduate Diploma Ceremony.

No. 8: Tepper School Earns Top Marks in 2026 Niche Rankings
The Tepper School was recognized among the top business schools in the nation in the 2026 Niche rankings. Among the Best Colleges for Business, the Tepper School achieved a #6 national ranking and #2 in Pennsylvania.

No. 7: Using Principles of Swarm Intelligence, Tepper School Study Compared Platforms That Allow Brainstorming Among Large Groups
Researchers Ganesh Mani, Anita Williams Woolley, and Christopher Dishop found that conversational swarm intelligence, which combines swarm intelligence principles with generative AI, enabled large groups to brainstorm and prioritize ideas more collaboratively and effectively than traditional text chat.

No. 6: Tepper School of Business Announces Inaugural Golub Capital Board Fellows Cohort
This year, we welcomed the inaugural cohort of the Golub Capital Board Fellows Program featuring 13 MBA students who will each serve as non-voting board members for 13 nonprofit organizations across the Pittsburgh region.

No. 5: Tepper School MSBA Students Connect and Collaborate at Spring 2025 Campus Experience Weekend
Students in the part-time online Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program gathered in Pittsburgh in the Spring for a Campus Experience Weekend, which featured two days of immersive learning, professional development, and connection with classmates.

No. 4: Tepper School Earns Accolades for Online Business Programs in U.S. News & World Report’s Latest Rankings
The Tepper School once again ranked No. 1 among the 2025 U.S. News & World Report’s (USNWR) Best Online graduate non-MBA business programs for the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA), and ranked No. 3 in the 2025 Online MBA ranking.

No. 3: Tepper School Alumna Gunjan Kedia Appointed First Female CEO of U.S. Bancorp
Gunjan Kedia, MSIA '94, was appointed the first female chief executive officer of U.S. Bancorp, bringing more than 30 years of financial experience to the role. This achievement placed Kedia among a select group of women leading major financial institutions.

No. 2: Face Value: Ph.D. Student Flora Feng Uses AI to Measure Charisma and Uniqueness
2025 Ph.D. graduate Xiaohang (Flora) Feng published her research in the Journal of Marketing Research, examining the core concept of charisma and how it relates to celebrity. The research found that charisma is an important trait that inspires devotion, trust, and attention from others.

No. 1: AI-Driven Personalized Pricing May Not Help Consumers
Researchers Param Vir Singh, Kannan Srinivasan, Liying Qiu, and Yan Huang found that personalized product ranking systems on e-commerce platforms can enable AI pricing algorithms to charge higher prices, ultimately reducing consumer welfare even without price discrimination.Ìý
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