Undergraduate Admissions Blog

Norm Bishara is the associate dean for undergraduate programs at Michigan Ross and a professor of business law and business ethics. In the classroom, Norm’s focus is on topics like human capital law and policy, corporate governance, the future of work, and fighting corruption inside business.

Outside of the classroom, Norm’s focus is … still on the classroom to improve our students’ educational experience. He’s committed to making sure the BBA education Michigan Ross students receive is the best in the world.  

Q&A with Norm

What is the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?

"You should think about doing something else with your life."
It was from a former boss and mentor who could tell that I wasn't fulfilled in my job and wanted to encourage me to make a change to something I cared about. He later happily wrote a recommendation for graduate school.
 

What is the biggest mistake first-year BBA students make?

First year students who lose perspective may fall prey to a herd mentality when it comes to joining clubs, choosing classes for the future, jobs, etc. These students don't really question why those particular choices are worth their time, and that can be a problem.
 

What makes you excited about working with Ross students?

I admire their curiosity and ability to consistently look ahead for opportunities. There is a real sense of infectious optimism that comes from that mindset.
 

Favorite show to binge right now?

Silicon Valley and Veep for how they mine the absurdness of start-up tech culture and politics, respectively, with enough truth mixed in with the humor to make it compelling. And Silicon Valley has great ethical dilemmas and (usually) accurate examples of using business law to gain competitive advantage.