ByGeorge!

February 2006

A Conversation with GW School of Business Dean Susan Phillips


ByGeorge! The building opening and the ceremony is really a culmination of the development within the business school.


Susan Phillips: Yes, shortly after we knew that the fundraising was going to be successful for the building, I spoke to the faculty and staff of the school and told them we needed to turn our attention toward our academic programs and other activities that go on within the school. In some cases we overhauled programs and in others we developed new programs. Our strategic direction initiative kicked off a lot of activities to prepare the school to move into the new building.


ByG!: What are some of the changes the school has made to its programs?


SP: We decided to suspend admission into our executive MBA program. We overhauled the program and moved it from the Virginia Campus to the new building. We’ve also overhauled the PhD program as part of not only our efforts but also the University’s efforts. We’re currently reviewing both the MBA program and the undergraduate program — making some changes in those programs. We’re also developing an undergraduate career center for the business school, in addition to our graduate career center. We’ve also developed an undergraduate summer boot camp designed for non-business majors, who are preparing for life after graduation and want to get some exposure to business. In addition, we have launched new initiatives in th areas of research, executive education, and international programs.
And, of course, we have the student-run $1 million investment portfolio, thanks to a gift from alumnus and GW trustee Russell Ramsey and his wife, Norma. Students are able to manage that portfolio from the new capital markets laboratory on the first floor.


ByG!: What are some of the principle themes that came out of the strategic planning process?


SP: Well, first there’s the name … the GW School of Business. Changing the name sounds like a simple thing, but it does mean a refocusing of our programs on business. We’re located in Washington and that attracts a lot of students who are interested in public policy. It attracts a lot of faculty who are interested in public policy. With the name change, the school is signaling that we’re focusing on the intersection of business and public policy. Even though we’re still involved with public policy, we’re focusing on this intersection, how business relates with government. And for that matter how government relates with business.
Also, Washington is a very international city, and we want to leverage that fact. The school has always focused on international and global affairs, and we want to make that part of our identity. If you look at our new vision and mission statement, preparing students to participate and be managers in a global environment through new international residencies and international programs, is an important focus for the School of Business. We’re concerned with enhancing the capacity of the student, faculty, staff, and the alumni business community to be productive and principled members of society. This is a recognition of the need to focus on business ethics, and our new professor, Tim Fort, Lindner-Gamble Professor of Business Ethics, is helping us lead that initiative.


ByG!: You mentioned the Lindner-Gamble professorship, I wonder if you could tell me how you think the program will shape the school?


SP: Tim Fort came to GW from the University of Michigan, which has a very well-respected business school with a very strong research tradition. One of the first things [Professor Fort] did after arriving was agree to chair a committee to look at our research productivity and make some recommendations. He is developing several conferences for the spring and summer focusing on business ethics, some in conjunction with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the accrediting body for business schools. And he’s working to develop a business ethics center. Although his previous experience is with graduate students, he’s teaching a business ethics class for undergraduates and he’s guest lecturing throughout the school. In essence, he is experimenting with ethics curriculum development in the classroom and working with faculty and other business ethics scholars across the country to develop additional curriculum. So that will bring a lot of focus on GW as a business ethics center.


ByG!: Do you hope that this emphasis on ethics will become as integral a part of the school’s identity as globalism and team building have become?


SP: I would hope so. I’d like for our students to be known as being more ready to be managers in the global environment. I would like them to be skilled in international business management, public policy, the intersection of business and public policy, and business ethics. Those are not totally separate notions. In a way I suppose you could say that the ethics is one manifestation of the intersection of business and public policy. But for that matter, ethics considerations should be pervasive whether or not there is any public policy involved. So ethics is a bit broader; but ethics and public policy overlap like intersecting circles.


ByG!: Both the business school’s undergraduate programs as well as a number of MBA and master’s degree programs have received a lot of attention and high marks recently. Do you look at this as a fair and objective litmus test of how your initiatives are working, or do you take it with a wink and a nod because the school is a better arbiter of its own success?


SP: Well, I don’t think there’s a clear-cut answer on rankings. I do think that rankings provide some information, an indication of how you are perceived relative to others. You mentioned our top 50 undergraduate ranking, but at the graduate level our general MBA program is well regarded. The Financial Times just ranked our MBA program no. 75 in the world and no. 47 in the United States. In other polls we’re ranked in the 60s nationally, but we’re still working our way up into the top 50s. In the meantime, there are areas in which we are recognized, including international business, and environment and sustainable management. GW has been ranked highly in Beyond Grey Pinstripes several times. This past year, we’re third in the country and fifth or sixth internationally. That’s a huge honor and great recognition. But change is constant. So as soon as you think you’ve made some progress in one area, somebody else will come up with new programs. I think that we have to recognize that and strive for continuous improvement. I think that any organization that hopes to be “Built to Last,” must be continuously evolving. The areas we’re focusing on take advantage of our physical location and the fact that we are an urban University in an international city that focuses on government. These factors do come together and have helped shape our identity. We’ve been working on this building for a while, but it’s just bricks and mortar, it’s what goes on inside the building that’s really important and that will continue to change and improve.


Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

 

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