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From the
Dean
Dear Kellogg School
Alumni and Friends,
It is my pleasure
to note that July marks the fourth year of my tenure as dean.
This is a role that has enabled me, and my colleagues, to
interact with many of you, seeking your perspectives as we
continue to innovate in the course of enhancing the Kellogg
School's image.
I can say honestly
that I have enjoyed every minute of this time.
Four years has
passed quickly for me, with much activity and travel to strengthen
the Kellogg brand worldwide. (You can read about some of these
efforts on page 36.) But four years is also the duration of
a presidential term, representing a significant amount of
time and a milestone that invites reflection.
Since July 2001,
the Office of the Dean has not been content merely to maintain
the (admittedly excellent) stature of Kellogg; we have also
taken steps to refine the curriculum, culture and vision of
the school to make certain Kellogg remains on target to achieve
even greater goals.
We have pursued
these ends by keeping before us three key objectives that
I established early on. These are:
1. Building the
Kellogg brand
2. Strengthening
our alumni network
3. Enhancing
the global reputation and visibility of the school
Tangible proof
that we continue on the proper track comes in many forms,
including our top positions in national and international
business school rankings over the past four years. We have
also enhanced our full-time MBA curriculum with such innovations
as our Pre-term courses and our efforts to build the leadership
platform through specially designed courses that benefit all
our students.
Indeed, leadership
remains a top priority throughout the school. We have created
a special task force to identify our particular leadership
strengths, as well as the best ways to leverage those strengths
to create further enhancements to the Kellogg academic experience.
Over the past few months, this task force has explored holistically
the initiatives we currently offer and is formulating its
strategic recommendations to move us forward. We are confident
that by listening to all our key constituents, including faculty,
staff, students, alumni and recruiters, we are making significant
progress in taking the Kellogg School to the next level.
Then, too, with
new customer programs, we have bolstered our corporate relationships,
as well as our connections to the public and government sectors.
The list of Kellogg School clients is numerous and includes
Microsoft, GE, American Express, the FBI and other government
agencies.
On the alumni side,
we have made strides to bring greater networking power to
our community through the Kellogg Alumni Web site. In addition,
Reunion attendance has increased by 20 percent for three straight
years.
Another initiative
whose accomplishments make us proud is the Kellogg Center
for Executive Women, about which you will learn more in these
pages as we celebrate several of our top female alumni and
staff with profiles. Founded in 2001, the Center's mission
is providing women with the strategic tools to achieve senior
leadership roles. It is important work and with our research
and resources Kellogg is playing a critical role in transforming
the corporate landscape.
With the launch
of our Kellogg-Miami Executive MBA initiative, we also continue
creating more opportunities for those who wish to enhance
their professional lives. This program, designed to provide
executives from Latin America and the Southeastern United
States access to Kellogg, further expands our school's global
footprint. We look forward to developing this initiative as
we keep finding ways to serve our alumni and others with rigorous
but flexible programs that meet their intellectual needs and
allow them to stay connected with Kellogg throughout their
lives.
As you
see, we have been busy during the last four years, and we
know that delivering on the Kellogg School brand promise will
keep us busy in the days before us. This journey is an exciting
one and it is really just beginning. Join us.
Warmest
personal regards,
Dipak
C. Jain
Dean |
