Nearly a year ago, I introduced a school-wide strategic plan outlining six long-term initiatives, from improving our physical space to reaching for the top-20 in business school rankings. Click here to read the original statement.
Many people across the Owen Community are working diligently on various aspects of this strategic plan. But I wanted to update you on three key areas where we have made some important strides.
Tami Fassinger appointed as Chief Recruiting Officer
The first comes in our efforts to attract the brightest minds. We’ve created a new position of Chief Recruiting Officer as a way to further boost our ability to draw top talent. Tami Fassinger agreed to take on this role starting in mid-November, after having served seven years as Associate Dean of Executive Programs, and 15 altogether at Owen. As the title suggests, Tami will be responsible for bringing the very best students and employers into the Owen Community. The job also ties together Admissions and Career Services in a way that heightens Vanderbilt’s role as a critical hub where successful employers discover tomorrow’s leaders and top-caliber students start building meaningful careers. When searching for and evaluating students for admissions, we’ll no longer simply be asking if they can fulfill the school’s rigorous academic demands, but also if they will make a strong fit for a successful organization or company—or perhaps start a new enterprise. This new position of Chief Recruiting Officer represents a unique, career-centric shift in perspective for a business school and one that I think you’ll see more programs adopt.
MBA hiring trends strong; Vanderbilt to host Recruiter Conference
The second strategic area where we have seen progress is in making connections with industry. The Career Management Center reports that full-time job offers for second-year MBA students are very strong at this point in the year. In addition, we’ve had 24 new companies sign up to recruit on campus. We have also made several successful trips to recruiters in the energy sector in Texas, high-tech companies in Silicon Valley, as well as the annual Wall Street Week trek to visit financial services companies in New York. In early January, CMC Director Read McNamara led a student group on corporate visits to Hong Kong and Singapore, partly to help expand career opportunities for international students, as well as to open doors for U.S. students hoping to work abroad. Similarly, Blake Gore, the CMC’s Senior Associate Director, is conducting small-group and one-on-one counseling with international students to help achieve their career objectives.
As you all know, there’s no substitute to visiting Vanderbilt’s campus when it comes to understanding the school’s appeal, particularly in the spring. That’s why in May, the CMC will host its first annual on-campus Recruiters Conference. This is an exclusive, invitation-only event for 30 of the most senior recruiters and influencers at companies where we want to earn or strengthen relationships. It’s an opportunity to showcase Vanderbilt, the Owen School’s faculty and students, as well as Nashville.
Vanderbilt moves up in several rankings; more to come soon
The third area where there’s been a great deal of positive momentum is in rankings. Vanderbilt placed #25 in a composite ranking of major MBA surveys compiled by the online B-School news site PoetsAndQuants.com (this was cross-published on Fortune.com). The Executive MBA program ranked #32 in the 2011 Bloomberg Businessweek survey, which is conducted every two years. Earlier this fall, we scored highly in MBA rankings from The Economist (#23 in North America and #34 globally); the Financial Times' Executive MBA rankings (#15 in the U.S. and #49 globally); and The Aspen Institute’s Beyond Gray Pinstripes Business MBA rankings (#31 in the U.S. and #43 globally).
Two other important MBA rankings are due out the first quarter of 2012: The Financial Times will publish its Global MBA report Jan. 30 and the most important annual ranking, from U.S. News & World Report, will be posted online on March 13. We’ve submitted strong numbers, and while rankings can always fluctuate, we feel very confident about the improvements we’ve made.
On a personal note, I want to assure you that many of the elements articulated for our strategic plan appear to be falling nicely into place and I will be excited to share news of further developments as they happen.
Sincerely,
Jim Bradford