Philip Russel, School of Business Dean, Thomas Jefferson University

Thomas Jefferson University’s School of Business is navigating a rapidly shifting higher education landscape shaped by enrollment volatility,student expectations, and technology advancements. In an interview with Invest:, Thomas Jefferson University’s School of Business Dean, Philip Russel, shared some of the top priorities for the business school: “We want Jefferson to be a true lifelong-learning hub — a place people return to throughout their careers, continuously building new skills and refreshing old ones, as naturally as recharging a device or updating an app,” said Russel.

What changes have most impacted the university over the past year?

Over the past year, several significant changes have shaped Thomas Jefferson University. The university recorded its largest freshman class in its 201-year history, enrolling nearly 950 first-year students — a milestone that represents a 95% increase since 2017. The past year has also brought important recognition for the entire university. Jefferson climbed four places to No. 132 in the U.S. News ranking of national universities and advanced 26 spots to No. 110 in the social mobility category, which measures how effectively institutions graduate economically disadvantaged students. These improvements, including a 98% undergraduate success rate for employment or graduate school, reflect Jefferson’s commitment to student success through market-facing curricula and dynamic immersive experiences. 

The School of Business contributed meaningfully to the enrollment momentum, posting 19% growth in freshman enrollment and nearly 30% growth in graduate programs in 2025. At the same time, international graduate enrollment declined sharply, especially among students from India and China, which have been historically strong contributors to our graduate programs. Student preferences also shifted notably toward online learning, with strong demand for asynchronous online formats in the MBA, MS in Business Analytics, and MS in Organizational Leadership degree programs. Even undergraduate business students are signaling increased interest in hybrid and online course options.

These enrollment and modality dynamics are unfolding amid a shrinking pool of traditional college-aged students in the Northeast, intensifying competition across the region. At the same time, students and families continue to prioritize return on investment and workforce relevance. 

These forces have collectively accelerated Jefferson’s School of Business’ drive to be more strategic and agile in an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace — expanding online offerings, diversifying recruitment pipelines, building a stronger narrative around career outcomes and return on investment, and strengthening high-demand programs in emerging fields such as Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

What are you noticing about student expectations, or how they want to engage with their education?

Student expectations in higher education have evolved dramatically, and Jefferson’s experience mirrors these national and global trends. Today’s learners crave flexibility, customization, and career-relevant experiences from day one. Students expect engaging classroom environments with hands-on learning, industry-embedded projects, site visits, shadowing, and interaction with practitioners. Many students are working while studying, making hybrid modalities, intentionally designed schedules, and open blocks for internships and group work an essential part of our programs. 

Students also increasingly value transdisciplinary degree pathways that allow them to blend fields — business with healthcare, analytics with marketing — to prepare for an interconnected workforce. There is a desire for seamless digital experiences, strong advising, and academic structures that help students build job-ready skills quickly and meaningfully. At Jefferson, these expectations align with the growing demand for hybrid programs, experiential learning, globally relevant curricula, and flexible degree designs that support work experience and early industry exposure. 

How are employers influencing how you structure your programs and prepare students?

Employers are shaping our programs more directly than ever. We are closely connected to industry professionals through our School of Business advisory board — composed of active professionals across many sectors — as well as a strong alumni board. These connections give us insight into real-time emerging workforce needs.

Employers consistently emphasize a dual requirement: graduates who possess both disciplinary depth and strong professional skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. They also expect technological fluency, not just in traditional tools like Excel, but in analytics platforms, data visualization, and now AI literacy. In response, we have been intentional about aligning our curriculum with employer expectations. We are beginning to integrate AI and data analytics into our curriculum, not as abstract computer science but as practical business tools that drive process improvement, efficiency, and strategic decision-making skills. We recently launched two new online graduate degrees this year — a master’s in Data Analytics and a master’s in Business Analytics — to better prepare students for a data-driven job market. 

These ongoing employer partnerships inform our curriculum and ensure that our students graduate with the skills, confidence, and applied experience needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving workforce.

As business schools think about preparing the next generation, what skills or mindsets should they be prioritizing?

Business schools must prioritize developing both the mindsets and the applied skills that allow students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. First and foremost, students need an entrepreneurial mindset — a willingness to explore new possibilities, comfort with uncertainty and risk, and the adaptability to pivot as industries evolve. This mindset is valuable not only for entrepreneurs but for anyone entering a workplace where creativity and innovation are now a baseline expectation for career progression.

Equally important is interdisciplinary experience. Traditional business programs often operate in silos, which can constrain creativity and limit the ability to see problems from multiple perspectives. At Jefferson, our award-winning undergraduate Innovation Core curriculum intentionally brings students from business, design, and engineering together for a five-course sequence. When teams with different disciplinary languages and approaches tackle the same challenge, the solutions are consistently more innovative, human-centered, and market-ready than what business students produce on their own. 

Finally, professional communication skills have always been, and will continue to be fundamental. Students must know how to articulate ideas clearly, persuasively, and with the right audience in mind. We remind them often that it is not enough to just understand the analysis — you have to communicate it in a way that inspires action.

Business schools that cultivate adaptability, interdisciplinarity, creativity, technological proficiency, and strong communication skills will be best positioned to prepare students to lead in the complexity of the future economy.

Where do you see business education heading, and what shifts will define the next decade?

Business education will increasingly mirror the pace and complexity of the business world itself. Over the next decade, I expect a decisive shift towards flexible, less prescriptive curricula that allow students to adapt quickly as industries evolve. Rigid programs with fixed course sequences simply do not reflect the reality of a job market where new roles, technologies, and competencies emerge every year.

Students will still need a strong foundation in core business disciplines, but the future lies in customizable, modular, and cross-disciplinary pathways. Learners will want the ability to take courses across colleges, build specialized tracks, and integrate skills from fields such as design, engineering, health, and data science. That kind of adaptability will be essential—not only for career readiness, but for long-term resilience in a constantly shifting economy.

We will also see a deeper integration of technology, analytics, and AI literacy, along with a heightened emphasis on experiential learning, global awareness, and human-centered leadership. Business schools that embrace flexible structures, encourage intellectual exploration, and remain deeply connected to industry will be the ones that thrive in the next decade.

What are your top priorities for the next two to three years?

Our top priority is strategic enrollment growth that is driven through a distinct portfolio of academic programs and expanded-access innovation pathways. With the decline in traditional undergraduate demographics, we’re accelerating our focus on graduate education, online learning, and certificate-based upskilling. Many working professionals want to advance their careers without committing to a full degree. Demand for high-impact certificates, especially in areas like AI, analytics, and leadership, continues to grow. We are actively developing new offerings to meet that need.

We are also investing heavily in partnerships with community colleges, international universities, and corporations. These collaborations allow us to reach new learners, support employer needs, and build sustainable enrollment models.

Ultimately, we want Jefferson’s School of Business to serve as a true lifelong-learning hub—a place individuals return to repeatedly throughout their careers, picking up new knowledge and skills the same way they might pick up groceries. Continuous learning is the future of workforce development, and our goal is to position Jefferson’s School of Business as a leader in delivering flexible, relevant, and accessible education for every stage of a learner’s life.