Deans convene in China to discuss the future of management education

Click here for the original Press Release from the Tuck website. September 12, 2008

CONTACT:  Kim Keating, 603-646-2733

Download Shanghai Roundtable Synopsis.pdf, 588 KB

HANOVER, N.H.—Deans from top international business schools recently gathered to discuss the current and future state of management education in China. The event was the latest in a series of roundtables held around the world and organized and moderated by Paul Danos, dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and Santiago Iñiguez, dean of Instituto de Empressa. The assembly was hosted by Deans Weijiong Zhang and Rolf Cremer of CEIBS in Shanghai. Other deans in attendance were Leonard K. Cheng of HKUST Business School, Yu-Sheng Zheng of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and Xiongwen Lu of Fudan University.

"Globalization is changing business education just as surely as it has changed international business," says Danos. "These roundtable discussions have been a valuable tool for comparing regional business school models and ensuring that our MBA programs reflect the realities of the modern marketplace."

Deans from more than 25 schools around the world, senior faculty members, business education reporters, education consultants, and professional development executives from top corporations have joined together for the five roundtable sessions held to date.

At the most recent roundtable in Shanghai, the deans spoke about a wide range of topics, including the demand for more faculty and PhD training, government regulations and funding of Chinese business schools, and student work experience prior to starting MBA programs.

During previous roundtables, the deans discussed the unique traits of each region's business education system, compared them with other international models, and discussed the impact of globalization on business schools. For example, in Germany the discussion focused on the Bologna Accord, which has established a model and standards for higher education in Europe. And in Brazil participants discussed how Brazilian schools differ from the U.S. and European models in their standards, curriculum, and degree of focus on faculty research.

Specific experiences and issues ranged from one region to the next, but all five discussions reported that globalization is influencing the curriculum and strategy of today's business schools. Particularly in Europe and China, deans reported that international political entities and NGOs are affecting business education through standards and accreditation. They also noted that market forces are bringing schools closer to corporate partners and highlighting the importance of faculty research. As prospective students consider schools across country borders, top schools must show that their faculty can compete not just within their region but also with schools from around the globe.

This roundtable series is one piece of Tuck's sustained international outreach in recent years, which includes initiatives for Europe, Latin America, and India as well as the Tuck Ambassador Program with representatives in 25 countries.

For more information on all roundtable discussions and conversation on business education, please visit www.deanstalk.net.

Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management in the country and consistently ranks among the top business schools worldwide. Tuck remains distinctive among the world's great business schools by combining human scale with global reach, rigorous coursework with experiences requiring teamwork, and valued traditions with innovation.