U.S. business schools have experienced drastic changes in the past few years, and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management –– with help from the Cornell NYC Tech campus –– is no exception, according to professors, administrators and students. 

Colleagues remembered Prof. Emeritus Jerome Hass, finance, who died unexpectedly Tuesday, as a committed teacher and friend. Hass, who began teaching at Cornell in 1967, was 72 years old.

Bloomberg Businessweek has ranked the Johnson Graduate School of Management seventh in its 2012 list of the top business schools in the country. The ranking represent a dramatic jump for the school, which was listed at number 13 in the magazine’s last round of rankings in 2010.

A week before millions of firecrackers are set to burst throughout India and parts of Southeast Asia, hundreds of twinkling lights illuminated the Dyson Atrium, where more than 325 people celebrated Diwali –– the Indian festival of lights –– with food, music and dancing.

Though applications to business school have steadily declined nationwide, Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is reporting that it has seen its first increase in applications since 2008.

Although many highly ranked MBA programs in the U.S. have adopted policies of not releasing students’ grades to potential employers, the Johnson School of Business has maintained its policy of disclosing grades to those who ask. 

Business-minded Cornellians can look forward to a new campus-wide business minor next fall if a proposal by University administrators goes through as planned.

From the 2010-11 to the 2011-12 school year, international student enrollment at the Johnson Graduate School of Management rose from 22 percent to 34 percent, signaling a return to pre-recession levels. The increase is consistent with a trend at peer institutions nationwide, according to Christine Sneva, director of admissions and financial aid for the Johnson School.

As the five-year tenure of Joseph Thomas, the Samuel Curtis Johnson School of Management’s 10th dean, comes to an end, Johnson faculty praised the outgoing dean for advancing the school’s reputation to a national level.

The University announced Monday that Soumitra Dutta, an expert in international business and computer science, will serve as the eleventh dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.