Asper School of Business appoints new associate deans, Nathan Greidanus and Wenxi Pu
Leaders in research, teaching and engagement to oversee Professional Graduate Programs & Executive Education and Teaching & Learning portfolios
The Asper School of Business has appointed two new associate deans. Nathan Greidanus is the new Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education, and Wenxi Pu is the new Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning. Greidanus and Pu will assume these roles officially on July 1, 2024.
“I am thrilled to welcome Nathan and Wenxi to these roles and to work closely with them to continue to advance the Asper School of Business’ mission to offer exceptional business education here in Manitoba,” says Dean Bruno Silvestre. “Both highly regarded in their teaching and research, Nathan and Wenxi demonstrate impressive drive, innovation and bring unique insights from their years of experience. The Asper School of Business is really well-served for the years to come.”
Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education – Nathan Greidanus
As Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education, Greidanus will oversee strategic initiatives related to the MBA, MCSM and MFin programs, offered by the Stu Clark Graduate School, and the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre. Greidanus has previously taken on this portfolio, serving as acting associate dean in 2023.
During his 15 years of service at the Asper School of Business, Greidanus has been involved in professional graduate programs and executive education at both administrative and teaching levels, chairing the MBA committee from 2013 to 2015 and later serving on the professional graduate programs committee.
Greidanus is also the academic director for Manitoba’s Director Education Program, a program jointly offered by Asper Executive Education, the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
The Associates Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Greidanus is motivated by the desire to increase societal well-being through sustainable economic development in both his research and teaching. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, international business strategy and sustainable development and governance, with recent publications exploring ADHD and entrepreneurship and economic inequality and entrepreneurial activities.
Says Greidanus, “For over a decade I have had a strong passion for growing and supporting our professional programs. I’m excited to continue this work as associate dean, and plan to focus on the quality and student experience within our current and to-be-developed offerings.”
Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning – Wenxi Pu
Taking on the new Teaching and Learning portfolio for the Asper School of Business, Pu will support innovation and improvements in teaching to elevate student learning both inside and outside of the classroom, working with all faculty members to embed quality, development, benchmarking and review processes across the Asper School.
Since joining the Asper School of Business in 2020, Pu has crafted four courses in management information systems, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and experiential learning into his teaching. In his previous role at Clemson University, Pu won multiple teaching awards for his approach to business statistics and management information systems courses.
The Associates Fellow in Innovation, Pu researches topics like stigma and mental health in the ever-evolving context of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). His recent work has examined social media, post-traumatic stress disorder and hiring and media coverage of climate change.
Pu looks forward to bringing his technological expertise to the role, preparing faculty and students for an AI-infused future.
“I believe what we teach, how we teach, and how we test will go through a vast transformation, and I hope to facilitate that transformation here at Asper by building AI-powered platforms for our instructors and students, taking advantage of experiential learning and working closely with companies in and beyond Winnipeg. I also aim to reinforce sustainability and human flourishing in our teaching and learning practices,” he says.