Alumni leading to yes - Broad College of Business - Michigan State ...

managed to attract and retain worldrenownedresearchers, who also happento be world-class teachers. Our facultycome and stay because they value theircolleagues and they love our students’hunger for knowledge.Our students are the best part ofour experience as faculty members.They range from the very brightestundergraduates you can imagine,with average GPAs in the 3.4 range, toenergetic, thoughtful Full-Time MBAand MS in Accounting students whoview this as their opportunity to gainthe knowledge and experience to besuccessful leaders in the global economy.We also have working professionalsin our Weekend and Executive MBAprograms and in our MS in SupplyChain Management who — amid thepressures of their careers and families— have recognized the value of a BroadSchool master’s degree. They play aunique and critical role in keeping usconnected to the business community,feeding back information that drivesour research and teaching. The samecan be said for the business leaderswho participate in our ExecutiveDevelopment Programs, as theirinsights keep us plugged in to reality.I have never taught any executivegroup where I didn’t learn something.Hopefully the participants felt thesame way.While our smallest student populationis doctoral students, the Broad School’sfuture reputation is disproportionatelyon their shoulders. The impact of theirscholarship will be forever associatedwith our name. These students are ouracademic legacy — they are criticalto the future of business education.One of the best metrics for the qualityof a school is where their doctoralstudents are placed and their long-termcontributions to their academic fields.Leadership and changeThe role of a dean is to have vision— for me it’s always been aboutdeveloping ethical leaders that candrive change and innovation. Thebusiness community does not needbetter managers, it needs leaders. Allof the corporate and governmentalmesses we read about are the resultof a lack of leadership at the top.More importantly, a dean has to bea facilitator, catalyst and prodder tomake change happen. Perhaps thebest characterization is that of anorchestra conductor trying to geteveryone to follow the music and playthe same tune.A critical task here is keeping us focusedon the realities of the business schoolmarket. What are recruiters looking for?What are the emerging strategic challengesfor global corporations? What are theattributes of the global leader? A deanhas to also be very, very careful thathe or she does not drive too hard or youwill get pushback from your colleagues,reminding you that faculty governancedictates that faculty determine theacademic direction of the school. Ihave often pointed out that those ofus in the Deans’ Office are faculty,too. The reply was often, “yeah, sure— but now you’re one of them — anadministrator” (ouch).Walking this tightrope is challenging,often frustrating — and for someonewith my background in leadershipand change — a continual learningexperience. It sure provides greatmaterial for my classes. Remember thisadmonition — it’s a heck of a lot easierto teach leadership and change than itis to do it. The reality is that, if youhave never done it, your understandingof what you are teaching is limited. It’slike the fan in the stands yelling at thecoach about what the coach should bedoing differently.A wild and wonderful rideThe Broad School is an exceptionalplace that has existed for more than sixdecades and has produced some of themost important business leaders of ourtime. The six and one-half years thatI have been dean, though so short bycomparison with the school’s history,have been exciting.It is important to point out that allachievements under any dean arethe result of collaborative efforts offaculty, staff, students, alumni andother supporters of the school. Staffare particularly important to theschool and don’t receive the recognitionthey deserve. They have great insightsbecause they are executing our strategyand are closest to students, prospectivestudents, parents, recruiters, donorsand alumni. The reality is that theyare the day-to-day managers of theschool and thus make it work. Withoutthem we would be lost and would notfunction.I am honored to have been able toparticipate in some great advances,sometimes as a facilitator, sometimesjust as an observer.The opening of the James B. HenryCenter for Executive Development in2001, just before I arrived, has beena much-acclaimed addition to ouroutreach facilities as those of you whohave seen it know.Executive development is crucial forbusiness schools for a couple of reasons:(1) it provides faculty an opportunityto test their ideas in the real world andthus become better teachers in all ourprograms and better scholars focusing onreal world issues; and (2) it provides anopportunity for executives to experiencethe excellent insights of our faculty andthus become advocates for the schooland to go back to their organization03BROADBUSINESSwww.bus.msu.edu