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EXECUTIVE MBA COUNCIL FALL 2006 FALL Happy Anniversary! Executive MBA Council celebrates 25 years of contributions to the Executive MBA industry Congratulations to the Executive MBA Council on its 25th Anniversary. It is a privilege to serve our customers and to be a part of the Council. Best wishes for many more years of success. www.campustext.com 888-606-8398 Executive Connections 1 Welcome to Executive Connections This inaugural issue of Executive Connections celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Executive MBA Council by highlighting the council’s history. The council plans to publish issues of Executive Connections to share informa- tion for and about Executive MBA Programs twice a year. In addition, look for the debut of EMBA News, the council’s quarterly online newsletter, in November. These publications will replace Exchange, an online newsletter and magazine that the council published from January 2004 to August 2006. Executive Connections The Executive MBA Council 3 publishes Executive Connections Giving Birth twice a year for its members. 1980-85 Special thanks to our contribu- Early founders discovered great interest in tors to this issue. To reach the the Executive MBA Executive MBA Council, call toll-free 877-45EMBAC, or e-mail [email protected]. 7 Communication Co-Chairs 1986-90 Gathering Steam Patty Keegan University of Chicago Executive MBA Council begins to take shape Bronica Sam University of Washington 11 Writing Darlene Gorrill 1991-99 Moving to Independence Design Council expands in many ways Dawn Mathers ©2006 Executive MBA Council. 15 All rights reserved. 2000-06 Forging its Own Path New initiatives result from a pledge of independence 19 The Executive MBA Council fosters excellence and innova- Trends 25 Years and Changing tion worldwide in Executive MBA Programs. The council The Executive MBA and the Executive MBA has more than 200 member Council continue to adapt colleges and universities world- wide, which offer more than 300 programs in 25 countries. 22 Additional information about The Main Event the council is available online at www.embac.org, including the The Executive MBA Council Conferences Visitor Search, a directory of in retrospect Executive MBA Programs worldwide. ½ÉÈÁÌ»ÎÏÆ»ÎÃÉÈÍ ÎÉ Î¿ ¿Ò¿½ÏÎÃп Ǽ» ½ÉÏȽÃÆ ÉÈ °³ Ó¿»ÌÍ ÉÀ »½ÂÿпǿÈÎ ÃÈ ¼ÌÃÈÁÃÈÁ ÎÉÁ¿ÎÂ¿Ì Í½ÂÉÉÆÍ »È¾ ÉÌÁ»ÈÃÔ»ÎÃÉÈÍ ÎÉ ¿¾Ï½»Î¿ª È¿ÎÑÉÌÅ »È¾ ÃÈÀÉÌǬ ºõ÷ĪĂĠõ¿Ĩ¬õĢó «¿ÿ¿ĨºĂÕõÏ÷ĂĴ¿ ®¿ÿ¿ìõÿìĨ¤õĠÜÏĪĂĠ ®¿Ġ÷ÜĪõÿìĨ®¿ÿ¿ìÜĠ ÷õĢóÅĢĪIJÕķċĠĂìĠ¿ûĢĐÏĂû ĴĂÕõÏ÷ĂĴ¿ÅĢĪIJÕķċĠĂìĠ¿ûĢĐÏĂû ēêİĺĨİêçĨĺĺçĨçİê ēêİĺĨİêçĨĺĺçĨçİç ªÿĪÜĠÿ¿ĪõĂÿ¿øĨ¶ĪIJÕķĨ³ĠĂìĠ¿ûĢ ĵĵĵĐĢĪIJÕķċĠĂìĠ¿ûĢĐÏĂû Giving Birth 1980-85 Early founders discovered great interest in the Executive MBA Chuck Hickman and Pete At the time, Hickman organized meetings and profes- sional conferences as part of his role with the Association Lyon still remember the dark, to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB Interna- tional). “While doing that, I started to notice whenever we cold winter day in St. Louis, ran a break-out session to talk about the Executive MBA Missouri. It was early 1981, and Program, more people were showing up,” he says. “It was a clear signal.” they huddled around a fire in Hickman wanted to bring together some program directors to talk about the possibility of a new offering for a local hotel lobby to begin an Executive MBA Programs. On that day in St. Louis, four important conversation about participants helped cast the dye for the formation of the Executive MBA Council. Hickman, Lyon, who began an the emerging popularity of a Executive MBA Program at the University of Houston, Chip Parks then at Emory University, and Ron Gist from pioneering MBA degree the University of Denver, set in motion the first actions that ultimately led to the formation of the Executive MBA option. Council. 1981: University of Houston Lyon volunteered the University of Houston, with its on-campus hotel, as the location for the first workshop. He worked with fellow Executive MBA Program directors Ed Wilson from Northwestern University, Dave Ewert from Gulf war: Iraq invades Iran Mount St. Helens Personal computer Martial law ends Macintosh computer Compact disc volcano erupts launched by IBM in Poland with mouse launched introduced 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 Number of Executive Start of collaborations First Executive MBA Conference. MBA Programs at the with AACSB and GMAC Developing Quality in Executive start of the decade: 50 MBA Programs, Atlanta, Georgia First Executive MBA Workshop in Houston, Texas 4 Executive Connections Georgia State University, Ernie Scalberg from the Univer- Kindred Spirits sity of California at Los Angeles, and Tom Ference from By the 1980s, interest in Executive MBA Programs began Columbia University. to percolate. It wasn’t long before planning started for “We set the first meeting for the end of September in another workshop—this time at Georgia State University. 1981 thinking that maybe we would have 50 to 60 people “There was really a sense of stewardship,” says Hickman. attend,” says Hickman. “In the end, we “This was a serious matter to the early program leaders. were not able to accommodate all who They were willing to put in their time and efforts to sup- wanted to come.” port the field and the development of the industry. That The workshop clearly struck a chord was really unique.” with business schools that wanted to The leadership from faculty members and directors who know more about such programs. “It were responsible in many cases for developing Executive was an immediate success,” says Ewert. MBA Programs at their schools played a key role in moving Many participants came from the organization forward and distinguishing it from other Chuck Hickman AACSB schools that had not yet started an professional associations. Executive MBA Program, says Lyon. At the University of Chicago, which initiated the first “We had a lot of people who were interested in learning Executive MBA Program, Walter “Bud” Fackler embodied about what to do.” what continues today as a marked characteristic of the The first workshop focused on tactical and practical council: openness and a willingness to share. He served as questions, says Hickman, many of which revolved around a powerful role model. “Bud was unfailingly generous with the starting and marketing of programs. Willing to share his time,” says Hickman. their knowledge and experiences, the founders of many of Indeed, many administrators and faculty visited the the country’s Executive MBA Programs set a tone for the University of Chicago to talk with Fackler and observe the fledgling initiative that remains today. Chicago model before they put their programs in place. “I Bud Fackler, University of Chicago, interviewing a prospective student. Executive Connections 5 have been an unpaid consultant to a lot of programs,” said Fackler in a 1988 speech to the AACSB. “No one has a patent or copyright on what is good in executive education,” Fackler said. “Many have borrowed some of the Chicago ideas, and we, in turn, have borrowed from others.” The early council founders took the notion of encourag- ing the development of the industry to heart. “Our purpose was to try and help other people,” says Lyon. The environment also helped support what Ewert describes as an “incredible amount of sharing. Executive MBA class, 1955, University of Chicago URGENT NEED (as described in the 1943 brochure for the first Executive MBA Program) “The present national emergency has created an unprecedented demand for trained men—trained not only as engineers and mechanics but as administrators, supervisors, and analysts. The task of war is primarily one of co-ordination of men and materials in the work of industrial production; it is a problem of management. Such training requires the special facilities of well-equipped and well-staffed institutions designed to give this kind of instruction. The need is urgent. The School of Business at the University of Chicago, recognizing the national need and wishing to do its part, calls attention in this special way to the opportunities it offers.” (RIGHT) “Hazing“ “Without today’s technology, programs were more local, ritual between and they tended to be located in urban areas,” says Ewert. first-year and As a result, competition among programs was virtually non- second-year students. existent. “This was a place for Executive MBA Programs.” Early Issues (BELOW) “Beaning” The newness of Executive MBA Programs also brought ceremony — with it many challenges, including identity pains. second-year students to first- In the beginning, the University of Chicago worked with year students. AACSB to clarify its status. “At first, the AACSB did not know what to do about accreditation,” Fackler said in his speech. “Was different inferior? Was shorter (in some cases) inadequate even though longer than some regular programs?” In the end, AACSB agreed that “a good generalist program could meet MBA degree standards,” said Fackler. As the concept spread, “the AACSB has become enor- mously helpful and supportive.” Sensitive to the perceptions about quality, programs often went out of their way to raise the bar, says Scalberg. Those efforts resulted in a high level of innovation, innova- tions that ultimately made their way to the school’s more established MBA programs, he says. 6 Executive Connections On the corporate front, programs reached out in their Powerful Connections own ways. Even in the beginning, the prospects looked bright for In Texas, Lyon took his message directly to corporate the council. “We certainly exceeded any expectations that I leaders who, once they understood the benefits, were in a had,” Hickman said. “This was an idea waiting to happen.” position to identify candidates for the program. The Council organizers focused on developing a structure approach succeeded in bringing students to the program for the association and opportunities to bring others and in bolstering the program’s reputation.