Our Strategic Renewal and Initiatives for Global Impact Now more than ever, business schools must
Dean’s Message
No other U.S. business school has this particular convergence of momentum and the opportunity for extraordinary advances in visibility and impact on the regional, national and global stages.
make bold moves to train a new generation of innovative, globally aware leaders who can put new ideas into action and do so responsibly and with integrity. At the Graduate School of Management, our strong culture of collaboration and values-based leadership merges with unparalleled teaching and pioneering research to prepare MBAs who are committed to fostering economic prosperity for all. We are dedicated to that mission. As I start my second year as dean, I am energized and inspired because we have reached a pivotal time in the evolution of the School. We are at an inflection point—a once-in-a-lifetime moment to build on our outstanding foundation of recognized excellence in scholarship, research and academics. I believe that no other U.S. business school has this particular convergence of momentum and the opportunity for extraordinary advances in visibility and impact on the regional, national and global stages. In October, I shared my vision of a blueprint for the School’s strategic renewal and how our community, working smarter and harder, can accomplish this goal together. With input from thousands of the School’s stakeholders over the past year, we have set priorities that will guide us. As we craft our strategic plan, I am focused on several initiatives to develop the world’s best management talent and accelerate economic growth, including: Renewing our MBA curriculum: Based on the forward-looking recommendations of a task force of business leaders, faculty and alumni, we will strengthen the structure of our core coursework, and introduce key new elements to ensure the quality of our student experience and better prepare our students for their professional goals. Enhancing our global outreach: One strategic area that I am passionate about is the further internationalization of our student experience. During my recent trip to China, I negotiated student exchange programs with four of that country’s most highly regarded business schools. I also opened the doors to faculty research projects and partnerships in the areas of innovation,
entrepreneurship and the clean-tech industry. We will extend our outreach across Asia and Europe to stay ahead of the curve. Leveraging our locations in Northern California: Our three MBA teaching locations connect the world’s greatest innovation hub — the San Francisco Bay Area —to California’s capital city —Sacramento —giving UC Davis MBA students and faculty access to leading companies and hotbeds of start-ups that fuel economic engines linked to global markets. Research commercialization: UC Davis is a global research powerhouse, with a constellation of programs and interdisciplinary initiatives that is unique on the world stage. Through our Center for Entrepreneurship, Big Bang! Business Plan Competition and other programs, we supply business expertise to transport lifechanging science and engineering discoveries from the lab to the market. UC Davis is a world leader in clean tech and sustainability, and we’re deeply involved in creating a vibrant start-up ecosystem to turn the Bay Area –Sacramento region into a leading clean-technology center. Building philanthropic support: It is critical that we move further toward financial independence as state of California funding diminishes. Through The Campaign for UC Davis—a university-wide initiative launched in October to raise $1 billion in philanthropic support—the Graduate School of Management has a historic opportunity to raise awareness of, and investment in, our collective aspirations and mission. Years from now, I am confident that we will look back and say that now was the time that we charted a course that propelled us forward to become one of the world’s greatest business schools. We have a very exciting journey ahead.
Steven C. Currall Dean and Professor of Management
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