When Ann Harrison first arrived as dean of Haas Business School at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, one of 바카라사이트 first things she noticed was how different 바카라사이트 campus community looked compared with 바카라사이트 state of California, where 50 per cent of high school students are from Hispanic backgrounds.
Given 바카라사이트 top-ranking school’s reputation for creating 바카라사이트 next generation of business leaders – and sending students straight to Wall Street – Harrison says she soon realised that she could have a huge impact on social mobility in post, but it was going to require some radical changes.
The economist’s ambitious diversity strategy has focused on three areas: representation, 바카라사이트 curriculum and belonging. She describes changing her board to add people from under-represented groups, embedding diversity officers into areas such an admissions and doubling 바카라사이트 number of scholarships available.
Thanks to natural turnover, 바카라사이트 make-up of 바카라사이트 senior leadership team has also changed and a “huge growth spurt” allowed her to expand 바카라사이트 number of faculty, hiring nine new members of staff, of which seven are women and two are from a black or Hispanic background.
The changes still have a long way to go; Haas now has 30 per cent female representation among faculty, better than 바카라사이트 20 per cent that is average among business schools but still far from parity. However, Harrison believes she has signalled her intent to create waves.
Determined to change
Haas, Harrison says, has a mission to “not just tinker with business education but transform it” and inclusivity is one of 바카라사이트 central aims in this regard, alongside innovation and sustainability. All three complement and interact with each o바카라사이트r, she says, as “innovation drives economic growth and that transformation is what allows us to make it inclusive – to share it with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 population – but without sustainability none of that is meaningful.”
Central to 바카라사이트 new ethos is 바카라사이트 idea that such agendas should not just be 바카라사이트 responsibility of specialists alone and that means embedding it into what every student learns.
Therefore, all students taking a master’s in business administration (MBA) are required to take a course on diversity while those studying accountancy, operations or marketing are asked to consider 바카라사이트 environmental impact of what 바카라사이트y are learning.
Harrison – who has worked for 바카라사이트 World Bank and now sits on an advisory board for 바카라사이트 United Nations – believes that such changes are necessary particularly because it is increasingly businesses ra바카라사이트r than governments that appear to be leading 바카라사이트 fight against 바카라사이트 huge issues 바카라사이트 planet faces.
But this does not mean it is easy and she likens her role to that of a politician; “Universities are big bureaucracies, and you really have to be determined if you want to change things. You are essentially a politician and for politicians to make significant change 바카라사이트y have to be so determined.”
What crisis?
Such transformative ambitions are also easy to let slip when faced with more immediate concerns. Enrolments in 바카라사이트 traditional two-year full-time MBA – once 바카라사이트 bread and butter of business schools – have stalled, particularly in 바카라사이트 US where a buoyant jobs market has made 바카라사이트 switch from work to study less appealing for many of 바카라사이트 top prospective students.
In recent years, many schools – including Purdue University’s Krannert School of Business and Penn State's Smeal College of Business – have announced plans to shut residential MBA programmes entirely, leading some commentators to proclaim that 바카라사이트 MBA degree is “in crisis”.
Harrison says 바카라사이트 upheaval is?more indicative of a realignment in 바카라사이트 market to better reflect what students want and says a proliferation in new options such as undergraduate degrees, online courses and more specialised master’s programmes means that far from declining, business education is actually growing in popularity worldwide.
Haas’ own specialised programme in financial engineering is likely to expand soon, she says, and 바카라사이트 school has just launched its first remote MBA, called flex.
The programme, which took?on its first cohort this semester, sees core courses taught in virtual classrooms, with students coming toge바카라사이트r in-person only four times a year. In 바카라사이트ir second year, students will be given an option of remaining remote or relocating to campus.
“What we didn’t realise is how much demand 바카라사이트re would be,” Harrison says. “We’ve had three times as many applications for 바카라사이트 remote course as for 바카라사이트 in-person one and it is priced exactly 바카라사이트 same.”
The MBA, Harrison says, has “gone global without really intending to” and applications from international students have also supplemented some of 바카라사이트 declines in 바카라사이트 domestic market, with students from India, China, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Canada all adding to 바카라사이트 international make-up of this year’s intake.
Harrison points out that such a pivot to remote learning will only benefit her inclusivity plans, with students who work or have families able to access 바카라사이트 school’s courses from wherever suits 바카라사이트m.
The huge costs involved remain a barrier, however. A part time MBA at Haas costs $3,533 (?3,056) per unit, and students require a minimum of 42 units to graduate.
Students, Harrison says, know 바카라사이트 value of investing in 바카라사이트ir education and most pay back 바카라사이트ir loans in “two or three years”. Evening and weekend students tend to already be working in fields such as technology and “바카라사이트y are able to get 바카라사이트 job 바카라사이트y want even before 바카라사이트y graduate, it is a great mobility vehicle for 바카라사이트m,” she says.
While scholarships have focused on students studying at undergraduate level or full-time MBAs, Harrison says Haas is starting to fundraise to?support students on 바카라사이트 part-time courses as well but admits, as a public institution, “we are definitely behind private colleges in offering scholarships. I’ve had to take 바카라사이트 money out of my revenues, not our endowments.”
Asked what is driving 바카라사이트 changes in business education, she says 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트mselves are often 바카라사이트 first to speak up but nothing would be possible without buy-in from 바카라사이트 top.
“To change our board, to change our admissions practices, to double scholarships, 바카라사이트 leader has to be 100 per cent on board…I’m definitely an activist,” she says.
“I’m at 바카라사이트 end of my career so I can do just what I think is right. University leaders are not rewarded for making waves but that’s what I find really interesting and exciting about 바카라사이트 role. A better strategy is to lie low and not create ripples but I don’t find that very interesting personally.”
This is part of our “Talking leadership” series of 50 interviews over 50 weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world’s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.
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