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Thursday, Jan 29, 2009Welcome In The (Re)New Year
Posted by dgore
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
The New Year is a renewal of the opportunity to build on our accomplishments, overcome uncertainty and set our sights on achieving greater heights. 2009 is no exception.
Four decades ago this year, Pepperdine established one of the first schools in the nation, and the only one in Southern California, to deliver business education specifically to meet the needs of mid-career executives. Departing from the traditional b-school model, it was a radical idea at the time to offer evening and weekend classes so that working professionals could earn an M.B.A. degree while maintaining their careers.
Our founders held the conviction that business theory must be balanced with applied proven application so graduates “hit the ground running”. In addition, they shared a unique view of faculty. They believed students benefit from a team of quality teachers whose ranks include experienced and working industry executives. Since 1969, Pepperdine’s ambitious creation–the original MBA II program and PRESIDENTIAL and Key Executive MBA program–has grown to include the full-time student and numerous innovations. This entrepreneurial spirit so intrinsic to our origins continues to inform us to this day.
At 40, the Graziadio School looks ahead. We have emerged from a collaborative process involving students, staff, faculty, alumni and business partners with a roadmap to guide us into the future. Entitled Distinctive Leadership 2015, our strategic plan articulates five key objectives:
Enrich Student Learning
We intend to enhance the entrepreneurship program and lay the groundwork for a Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. The Center will help us align curriculum in every program more effectively with the school’s mission.
Enhance Thought Leadership
Under the auspices of an Institute for Values-Centered Leadership and Responsible Business Practices we seek to drive the school’s mission through scholarship, programming and student engagement that has real, tangible benefit both inside and outside the classroom. Similarly, through a Center for Applied Research, we plan to advance the quality and influence of research that lives in the real-world managers and industry inhabit everyday.
Cultivate Community
Our strategy includes provisions for growing the connections between and among faculty, staff, students and graduates. A strong and nurturing community experience is a critical component to realizing the objectives described above.
Build Partnerships
The path ahead also will involve widening and deepening our engagement with corporate and community partners to expand learning, internship and hiring opportunities; collaborating with top tier domestic and international universities to create academic and business opportunities, and developing strategic alliances with NGOs and nonprofits to drive focused business development locally and/or globally that serves a greater purpose.
Advance Reputation
Our strategic plan takes decisive steps toward improving the school’s reputation and distinction among our peers. It identifies four key elements that will drive all our efforts and creates a framework for advancing Graziadio’s reputation throughout the Distinctive Leadership 2015 initiative; educational excellence, academic excellence, career services excellence, and network excellence.
Continuing Success: In the months and years ahead, you will be learning more about this great undertaking. On several fronts, in ways small and large, we have already started laying the foundation for Distinctive Leadership 2015.
- Graziadio is one of the founding signatories of the Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative and among the schools to lead in global forum at United Nations advocating for a stronger commitment to corporate responsibility in management education.
- Through a partnership with the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative, on whose board I was invited to serve, we are introducing students to internships that advance responsible business practice
- We continue to foster leadership roles in which we bring together and collaborate with top business schools such as the MBA Career Services for Working Professionals Alliance conference and Part-time MBA Conference
- We will also expand our liaisons with industry through the signature Knowledge Management conferences, now in its third year.
- Dr. Gary Mangiofico, practitioner faculty and a former vice-president at Johnson & Johnson, will be assisting in the review process to ensure our organizational structure and processes support the most effective and efficient means for accomplishing our strategic plan.
- This spring term, 22 Seaver College undergraduate business division students inaugurated the new 5-Year BS/MBA Program.
- The live case program E2B continues to expand this spring beyond the marketing discipline. For the first time, our students will be providing companies with an analysis and recommendations related to their financial performance in three finance classes taught by Charles McPeak.
- Plans are being completed for a revised and enhanced entrepreneurship emphasis in our full-time and fully-employed MBA programs providing expanded opportunities for students and alumni with entrepreneurial interests
- We will be announcing recipients of our Outstanding Students and Alumni Recognition Awards
- We have expanded our Career Services department to include a career counselor at our Irvine Graduate Campus.
- Student retention in our fully-employed programs have increased to an all-time record of more that 97%
- We will be evaluating our scholarship policies to support part-time students struggling in this adverse economic climate, as well as considering an entree of courses at a special rate for alumni wishing to improve their positioning in the job market by taking an emphasis or classes added to the curriculum since they originally graduated.
Moving Forward: The current economic downturn presents a significant challenge as we forge ahead with the Distinctive Leadership 2015 plan. With challenge comes opportunity. This is not the time to be satisfied with past success or reserve in our ambitions. We must be bold and strategic in our aspirations, continuously pushing for the future and always focused on achieving what’s best for students and graduates. It is our conviction that our objectives will position the Graziadio School to emerge from these trying times a stronger and more vital institution, distinguished for academic excellence and the value we deliver to our stakeholders and among our peers.
Each of us has a role to play in ensuring the Graziadio School’s future. It will take each of us, working in collaboration, to realize the promise of Distinctive Leadership 2015. In the weeks, months, and years ahead, I will be calling upon each student, staff member, faculty, and alumnus to contribute your time, energy and talents. I know that with your participation and partnership we can achieve our shared mission.
We rose from an entrepreneurial tradition four decades ago and look forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary having continued to achieve great things for our students, our graduates, the organizations they serve and the community we share.
Best regards,
Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
Dean
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Dr. Livingstone:
As an alum of the GSBM class of ’94, I share and welcome your vision for Pepperdine’s graduate business school. As I’m sure there are many who have been waiting to see our alma mater assume it’s rightful place among other prestigious B-school programs, I believe there are an equal amount of stakeholders who are ready, willing and able to roll up their sleeves to ensure that the university is successful in this endeavor. We applaud and appreciate your ‘distinctive leadership’ toward this vision that will surely further raise the value of our degrees.
Very best regards,
Edward J. Lewis
GSBM c/o ’94
Dean Livingstone,
I’m especially encouraged to see your strategy statement include the “Cultivate Community” objective. I am on the Portland Waves Leadership Board, and have been amazed to watch the 9 month old chapter, as it not only draws GSBM alumni to all events, but is *lead* by three GSBM alum! Even though a high percentage of our events have regularly emphasized Seaver College Stuff (ex. basketball games, televised basketball games, new Seaver Student Send-off parties, etc.), GSBM alum lead in planning, support, production, and attendance of the events. We’re planning business-networking and/or seminar events. Please continue your excellent support of Alumni Chapter work, through University Administration, as I’m certain its central to what you’ve rightly called a “strong and nurturing…experience.”
Dean Livingstone,
It’s wonderful to hear Pepperdine’s continued commitment to the professionals’ desire to expand his/her horizons through higher education. Will the Law program ever consider the working professional through a part-time program?
Robert M. Barnett
MBA Candidate 2010