GRAZIADIO IN THE NEWS

“The combination (reduction in corporate tuition reimbursement and aversion to student debt) has certainly softened the market for MBAs,” Dean Linda Livingstone told the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. “It puts the onus on schools to help students understand the value of the degree and how even in this challenging climate, getting the MBA can be even more critical.”

The Journal again ranked the Graziadio School number 1 among graduate business school programs serving the Valley.

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GRAZIADIO IN THE NEWS

“Broadly, having people who have worked at the senior levels in business enriches the learning process for students,” says Dean Linda Livingstone, in an article highlighting the faculty appointment of former Patagonia CEO Michael Crooke, who oversees the Certificate in Socially Environmentally and Ethically Responsible (SEER) Business Practice program.

However, she acknowledges that the topic of social and environmental sustainability is one for which practitioner teachers are well suited. “Because it’s a newer field from an academic perspective, sometimes it’s harder for students to see how to apply these things in an organizational setting,” she says.

“So it’s important to have practitioners who can show them how to apply the skills they’re developing anywhere in an organization.”

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RECENT HEADLINES

Business school accrediting body AACSB International has tapped Dean Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., for several key influential appointments this year.

A member of AACSB’s board of directors since the 2009-2010 academic year, Dean Livingstone recently accepted an invitation to serve on the boards’ Executive Committee, which advises the chair and president and CEO on matters pertaining to the board’s business and staff operations. continue

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Sime, 1974.

Graziadio founding dean, Don Sime, passed away December 9, 2010, surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Dean Sime was instrumental in creating a key executive program at Pepperdine University.

Longtime Pepperdine friend Steve Olson recalled Don in a 2005 interview for Pepperdine People Magazine. “I met with Don and his plan [for the Graziadio School] sounded intriguing. So between the two of us, we actually put together maybe 25 people to start a program in the downtown area. This was actually the precursor to the Presidential/Key Executive MBA program.”

“Don’s vision for the school and his tireless efforts in the early years of what was then the Graduate School of Business and Management built a unique and lasting foundation on which we continue to build today,” said Dean Linda Livingstone, who said it would be a privilege to continue his legacy.

The Graziadio School of Business and Management will be forever indebted to Dean Sime’s vision, dedication and service.

RECENT HEADLINES

Dean Linda A. Livingstone has been appointed to a new Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality (BRC) formed by AACSB International, the association of more than 1,200 educational institutions, businesses and other organizations in 78 countries responsible for business school accreditation.

The 20-member blue ribbon committee, representing eight countries, will evaluate the state of readiness of AACSB’s accreditation standards and processes to ensure the alignment of business practice and management education, the association said in a statement. The committee will also set appropriate expectations for quality and continuous improvement.

“Serving on the BRC affords an extraordinary opportunity to bring Pepperdine’s and the Graziadio School’s unique voice and perspective to advancing the standards by which we assure academic excellence among business schools internationally,” said Dean Livingstone.

“Business worldwide is reinventing itself. Our community of educators and I are committed to leading the kind of innovation and value creation in our schools that the marketplace now demands.”

Dean Livingstone joins a truly global task force of business and business school experts to review the international environment of industry and commerce, and make certain accreditation standards and processes effectively align with the many factors impacting businesses today and in the future. Co-chaired by Thierry Grange, dean and director general of Grenoble Ecole de Management (France) and Richard E. Sorensen of Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business (USA), the BRC includes Executive Dean Tim Brailsford of the University of Queensland (Australia); Dean Carolyn Woo of the University of Notre Dame (USA), and Dean Yingyi Qian of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management (China).

AACSB accreditation is the mark of quality distinction most widely sought after by business schools—less than 5% worldwide have earned the achievement. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, AACSB’s mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services.