Other leading schools such as Harvard, Wharton and UC Berkeley have also revamped their curricula. As exemplified by UC Davis, these exciting changes are motivated and guided by distinctive business school missions, contexts and competencies. I’m especially thrilled about UC Davis’ efforts to link with scientific research expertise across the campus. — DAN LECLAIR, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer, AACSB International
position as one of the nation’s top-10 public universities,” Currall said. Before tackling the Integrated Management Project (IMP), students in their first quarter will take Articulation and Critical Thinking (ACT), which will examine issues of ethics and leadership. The critical thinking addition will be taught in classes of about 30. Students will be presented with different approaches to solving problems. “We’ll have students look at how to frame information,” Stevens said. “An example might be, ‘Should Google be in China?’ There’s no clear right or wrong answer. So what should you be considering? What factors should you look at?” In addition to the IMPACT course, the core curriculum will include a restructured operations course, Managing for Operational Excellence, that will explore operations in manufacturing and service sectors from both inside and outside a company. Also starting this fall, all entering UC Davis MBA students will complete an online math assessment. “This ensures that students from diverse, academic backgrounds will be well-prepared for success in all of our courses,” Stevens said. While taking the School in new directions, the revised curriculum will reinforce the Graduate School of Management’s greatest strengths and its hallmarks: a close-knit learning environment, small class sizes and the fundamentals of business, ranging from accounting and finance to marketing, organizational behavior and strategy. “The changes we’ve made are building on a program that already was delivering a solid MBA education,” said finance Professor Brad Barber, who co-chaired the task force that crafted the plan. “But we can’t afford to stand pat and expect to stay competitive with the best business schools. We need to continue assessing our program, top to bottom, and offer a distinctive MBA experience that only UC Davis can deliver.” In recent years, change has been in the air at business schools everywhere, as institutions try to adapt to a new business environment. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), the
“With so much basic business knowledge available today at the push of a button, the practical projects and the new approach to the core issues of critical thinking and communication are exactly what are needed.” —JAMES KELLY ’10, student representative on the Task Force on Curricular Renewal
leading business school accreditation body, has encouraged innovative curriculum changes. The Graduate School of Management drew upon AACSB resources in developing a curriculum renewal strategy. “Other leading schools such as Harvard, Wharton and UC Berkeley have also revamped their curricula,” said Dan LeClair, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at AACSB International. “As exemplified by UC Davis, these exciting changes are motivated and guided by distinctive business school missions, contexts and competencies. I’m especially thrilled about UC Davis’ efforts to link with scientific research expertise across the campus.” LEADERSHIP AND CAREER ACCELERATOR
In tandem with the new curriculum, students will receive enhanced leadership and career development training that emphasizes self-evaluation to improve leadership skills and chart a career path. The approach formalizes and expands the School’s Lam Research Leadership Skills Program, a series of workshops and seminars led by industry experts and patterned after similar programs for senior executives at the world’s top companies. The two-year skills and training program emphasizes responsible business practices and will provide U C D AV I S G R A D U AT E S C H O O L O F M A N A G E M E N T • 3