Shayna Kessel, Associate Dean of Master’s and Professional Programs at Brown University, has an extensive background in higher education, particularly in the areas of assessment, accreditation, quality improvement, and faculty, program and student support. Seeking to hone her data and quantitative skillsets to adapt in a new job within higher education, Kessel participated in the three-part Foundations of Data Science for Business Leaders program last summer, provided by UVA Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning, UVA School of Data Science and UVA McIntire School of Commerce.
Why did you choose the Data Science for Business Leaders program?
I chose Darden because I’m a UVA alumna–I attended UVA for both my undergraduate and masters–and I trust what UVA offers. I explored other offerings in my area, but they were not the perfect fit. The Data Science for Business Leaders program was bite-sized and the format worked well for what I needed. I transitioned into the School of Professional Studies from the Graduate School at Brown University. I knew my familiarity with data science, analytics and the quantitative parts of higher education, was not at the level I wanted it to be. My background is entirely in the humanities and qualitative. I joined this program series to give me a boost and to help me keep up with the new reality of higher education.
What were your goals coming into the program and do you feel like you met them?
I wanted to be in the room with my boss, who is a sociologist and extremely quantitative, and our finance team and be able to ‘talk the talk’ with them. I wanted to feel like I always have my feet on the ground in those meetings and in my own work. The program went way beyond vocabulary, it covered how things work behind the scenes in addition to the strategies, philosophies and principles. Additionally, I learned that I need to think about data visually. I knew I was a visual learner, but the program taught me that I need to put Excel reports into Tableau or a visual format in Excel to understand the full picture of what the data is telling me.
What was your favorite part about the Data Science for Business Leaders program?
My mind was also blown by the final session, Managing Information for Analytics. We were shown the Amazon Web Services data store and it showed us how the work gets done. The content was expansive – on one end, we saw how the researchers were doing the work at their desks and in teams, and on the other end, we saw the business strategies and design thinking strategies to do the work. It was so comprehensive. If I had only taken one session of the program it would have been valuable and helpful, but to do all three sessions, they fit so beautifully together and complemented one another. The program was incredibly stimulating and exciting in a way that I did not expect.
Describe your interactions with your peers and the faculty.
The faculty were absolutely amazing. I felt like I was getting the UVA faculty intensity, rigor and wisdom at the full capacity that I would have had I been a student in a degree program at Darden. The fullness of each session, the way we were asked to think about things and the depth of the discussion was on par with what I had experienced as an undergrad and master’s student at UVA. I knew the program would be good, but I didn’t think it would be so powerful.
Given the pandemic, my interactions with my peers were still very meaningful despite sitting six feet apart and wearing masks. The program was very inclusive – everybody had to get up in front of the class and speak – we worked with different people every time, which was a great way to get to know everyone.
How have you applied what you learned to your job?
My relationship with Tableau and Excel sheets is different. I know which questions I need to be asking and which ones I don’t. I’m working differently through the data and not having the same emotional reaction, it’s much more rational now. I have more confidence in that area of my work.
What would you tell someone about Darden or this program that might help them understand the impact?
I would say it’s the UVA factor and the UVA intensity. The program website explains that you will have a high-quality experience and that it will be rigorous and professionally valuable, but you get so much more. There is such good content with pointed questions and creative thinking. You’re not treated like a customer or someone out in the world who isn’t an intellectual. I felt like an MBA student and didn’t feel that these classes were operating any differently than a Darden MBA class would operate. The time and money put into the program are incredibly valuable. You’re not getting a watered-down version of anything that UVA can offer. It made me think about what else I can learn – it made me hungrier, more curious; and when I leave a program with that energy I know that I got a lot out of it.
The Foundations in Data Science for Business Leaders is now the Certificate in Data Science for Business Strategy. Connect with a concierge to learn more about the program and plan your certificate path.
