- A Daily Pennsylvanian article, "New Wharton initiative to focus on consumer analytics" discusses the Wharton's new data-driven customer-oriented research center. The groundbreaking Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative "helps companies analyze data about customer preferences in order to maximize profits." The initiative will be integrated into Wharton's undergraduate curriculum; consumer analytics will appeal to students who like "crunching numbers" and will give them options beyond the traditional finance major.
- Starting with the MBA class of 2011, Berkeley Haas graduates will be offered free executive education programs through the school's Center for Executive Education. This applies to graduates from Berkeley's full-time program, Evening & Weekend program, and the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA program, and includes two days of free executive training to be used within five years of graduating. The initiative stays faithful to the school's focus on being "Students Always," one of four defining principles of the top business school. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work more closely with our alumni,” says Whitney Hischier, MBA 01, assistant dean for executive learning at Haas. “MBA graduation is literally just the beginning of our relationship with the student—we expect to connect with alumni throughout the course of their professional career." (Source: "Future MBA Alumni to Receive Free Exec Ed Course," Haas School Newsroom)
- The Bay Area has become an MBA program hot spot, reports a San Francisco Business Times article. Babson College, Hult International Business School, and Cornell-Queens have recently opened part-time professional and executive degree programs in or around San Francisco. These programs join the ranks of other area EMBA programs, including Berkeley-Columbia.
- Business schools are working to strengthen ties with recruiters, reports a Wall Street Journal article, "Schools solicit advice from employers." For example, career service departments are taking recruiter feedback more seriously, especially feedback that focuses on graduates' shortcomings. In response to such criticism, schools are adjusting their courses so that students are better prepared for the sort of work and real-life challenges that these recruiters demand. "We've had to be more sensitive to companies' needs," says Rich Lyons, dean of the University of California-Berkeley's Haas School of Business. "Because of the horrific job downturn and competition for positions, we've had to work even harder to get our graduates in front of employers." The thinking is that the more proactive a school is at implementing change based on recruiting companies' feedback, the better chances that school's graduates will have at landing jobs in the tough job market.
