Linking business to business education

More than just a physical space, the new building brings to life Kellogg innovation at its finest and will foster unprecedented hybrid learning capabilities that seamlessly blend in-person and virtual learning experiences. In addition, we will be able to create inventive new courses that engage students from across Kellogg degree programs.

The world is facing new and complex challenges across nearly every domain, requiring fresh ways of thinking and solutions that cross traditional boundaries. Kellogg has a long history of uncovering breakthrough findings that have made a difference in the world, and our foundation in research drives the rigor of the teaching done at Kellogg.

Some of the most impactful business-related science has come out of Kellogg faculty research over the years: 

• Research by Kellogg faculty has produced several Nobel Prizes in economics over the years and the school is renowned for its work in game theory, decision theory, political economy and applied microeconomics as well as research in interdisciplinary fields such as statistics and economics.
• The “father of modern marketing,” Kellogg Professor Emeritus Phil Kotler has had a profound influence on how marketing is taught and practiced worldwide. While at Kellogg, his research focused on consumer behavior, marketing strategy and the impact of social change on marketing practices. He developed the concept of the marketing mix — the 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place, Promotion — and the idea of holistic marketing, which integrates marketing functions and considers the broader environment in which businesses operate.
• Kellogg research on the role of auctions in business management for value determination, inventory management, resource allocation, risk management and more has redefined business strategy.
• Kellogg behavioral science studies have led to watershed breakthroughs in understanding the role of leadership and team dynamics, the importance of organizational culture and structure, understanding social impacts and ethics, and best practices for teaching negotiation and conflict resolution.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Sunil Chopra’s research on supply chain resilience provided crucial guidance for companies striving to maintain operational continuity in a rapidly changing environment. Chopra focused on the challenges presented by the pandemic, such as shortages, transportation issues and shifts in consumer demand. 

Kellogg continues to prove that compelling research can address a broad, interconnected scope of issues and bring to the fore new, original points of view. However, around the world, there are a limited number of top-tier faculty who are truly innovative and path-breaking, and competition for them among top business schools is fierce.

Not only is competition to recruit and retain faculty escalating, but research itself is increasingly expensive due to costs associated with gathering and analyzing big data and leveraging AI.

The bottom line: Being a top global business school requires recruiting the top faculty. That means we must commit to supporting their research endeavors, whether by providing funds to harness data or to hire pre- and post-docs and other research support. This will allow faculty to be the first to uncover and publish findings.  

Today there are unprecedented research opportunities for our faculty, and it is vital that we support their efforts with the tools needed. Here are some examples of cutting-edge research underway at Kellogg:

• Carola Frydman, the Harold L. Stuart Professor of Finance, is a leading economic historian who studies the evolution of American corporations and financial institutions. She uses modern methods to build a comprehensive quantitative history of businesses, corporate leaders and financial markets in the U.S. Her work brings novel insights into how institutions, markets and regulations have advanced — but sometimes challenged — the growth of the American economy and informs on the sources for long-run economic prosperity.
• Florian Zettelmeyer, the Nancy L. Ertle Professor of Marketing, is a key innovator in analytics and AI at Kellogg. Zettelmeyer is combining his industry experience and research to drive thought leadership through the new AdTech Research Lab. The lab conducts research in advertising measurement, auction design, ad creation and development approaches, ad budget allocation and optimization, privacy and regulation, and ad personalization — all in an environment that prioritizes faculty collaboration.
• Gregor Matvos, the Howard Berolzheimer Chair in Finance, focuses his research on the state of the banking industry. His recent research on the fragility of the U.S. banking system is the most downloaded paper in finance posted in the last 25 years on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) — the preeminent worldwide research repository — and has had a direct impact on how regulators supervise financial institutions.
• Eli Finkel and Nour Kteily, professors of management and organizations, are collaborating on an innovative new research center on constructive discourse in our increasingly polarized world. The Center for Enlightened Disagreement aims to establish Kellogg as the premier place for people to learn how to harness the power of disagreement by bringing together top academics and leading thinkers to conduct research, identify best practices and train students and leaders on how to engage across differences.
• Tessa Charlesworth and William Brady, assistant professors of management and organizations, together are conducting new research with PhD candidate Jennie Kim, using both experiments and naturalistic text data from millions of social media posts to explore how emotions like outrage on social media spur social change and collective action across racial lines. 

Increased access for students

We want to attract the best students to Kellogg, especially those who appreciate our unique culture of collaboration. The cost of education has become daunting for many applicants, and we need to have the ability to provide scholarships to anyone who wants to come to Kellogg and needs financial support to do so. Bright, talented students deserve the opportunity to learn from our elite faculty and reap the benefits of the Kellogg experience. If as a school we want to produce leaders who will truly make a difference in the world, we need to create opportunities for anyone qualified to contribute.

In addition to providing financial support to all students who need it, we have started two special initiatives:

• A top business school must be a global school, attracting the highest caliber students from around the world. International students often come from countries where the cost of living and salaries are lower, often with fluctuation in exchange rates. Our recent experience shows that to attract new students from around the world, we need to help with scholarships and financial support.
• Financial support for military veterans to come to Kellogg provides needed assistance as these individuals transition out of service and into business leadership. 

Access to the Kellogg experience for all

Together, we can elevate the student experience by creating and expanding impactful opportunities such as the following:

• Unique programs like Culture Camp, a pre-term three-day experience that helps international and domestic students understand cultural differences and provides a path for true collaboration. We have run a highly successful pilot of the program and would like to extend it to all Kellogg students.
• Immersion trips and learning experiences, providing students from across programs exposure to global markets and their unique challenges. We would like to have a fund that expands these opportunities to every Kellogg student.
• Awards or loan forgiveness given to students at the end of the MBA support graduates pursuing career paths where compensation can be lower, such as the social impact and entrepreneurship fields.
• Programs designed to advance women in business, including scholarships, clubs and special events like Kellogg’s Global Women’s Summit, which gather alumnae and current students to share knowledge and forge lasting relationships.
• Resources for mental health and wellness once students are on campus, designed to eliminate obstacles and allow them to fully engage in global exchanges, internships and innovative pursuits that extend their learning in and beyond the classroom.  

Innovative curriculum

We are constantly seeking to enhance our curriculum and programming, but funding for new initiatives is costly. Partnerships with scientists, deep dives into multidisciplinary sectors and initiatives that bring global insights into the classroom will best prepare students for the complexities of global leadership in an interconnected world.

Powerful examples of curricular innovation include:

• “Healthcare Deep Dive” is a course totally unique in the MBA landscape. Led by Craig Garthwaite, professor of strategy and the Herman Smith Research Professor in Hospital and Health Services Management, the course is taught over three weekends in three global cities. It brings together students across all of Kellogg’s full-time and working professional MBA programs for hands-on learning with industry leaders.

• “What Every MBA Should Know about Climate” prepares students to become climate-capable business leaders across any industry or function, regardless of their previous familiarity with the topic.

• “Entrepreneurship and Market Creation in Emerging Markets” teaches entrepreneurship students how to identify opportunities in emerging economies while tackling the challenges that come with building a venture in a developing market. The course introduces students to seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and stakeholders in emerging market start-up ecosystems who engage with and provide feedback to students on their venture ideas. 

Collaborating with Northwestern University

Being part of a university provides access to a broad academic landscape with diverse perspectives — much like the global business world. We leverage our affiliation to create cross-collaboration opportunities for Kellogg students, while other Northwestern students benefit from the business training Kellogg provides.

An example of this includes the Kellogg-Q Lab Entrepreneurial Residency program, a unique independent study course held in partnership with Northwestern’s Querrey InQbation Lab that embeds MBA students in Northwestern research centers, where they gain entry into cutting-edge technology areas and exposure to cross-disciplinary research.

The MBAi Program, a new joint degree between Kellogg and Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, offers a unique, blended approach to the teaching of business innovation and the complex technologies that drive it forward. Students participate in a combination of courses that are custom-built by Kellogg and McCormick faculty to teach students to bridge the gap between business and data or AI.