School Notes: School of Management
May/June 2007

New cases to fit the new curriculum

SOM's new curriculum is fundamentally altering one of the staples of business education: the case study. (For a report by the Yale Alumni Magazine on the new curriculum, see "Revamping the MBA.") SOM's interdisciplinary approach to management requires cases that cover broader topics and ask more complicated questions than the traditional case model. To that end, the school hired veteran case writer Jaan Elias to lead a team of writers in devising cases that are more complex and that can be viewed from a number of perspectives. Elias's team wrote ten new cases last fall and expects to debut another dozen by the end of the school year. As part of SOM's ambition to inspire changes in business-school curricula across the country, the school plans to make its distinctive cases available to other institutions by the beginning of 2008. But as Deputy Dean Stan Garstka said, the best reason for producing new cases may be their impact on SOM itself. "[This new kind of case study] engages faculty from different disciplines in conversations and ultimately enriches what goes on in the classroom."

The debut of Q(n)

A new biannual publication for SOM friends and alumni, launched this spring, will examine important issues at the intersection of business and society that are not easily captured through the conventional business press or academic literature. More than a standard alumni magazine, Q1 (followed by Q2, Q3, etc.) will pose one question and then explore that question with opinions from business leaders and prominent academics from across the nation, including Yale faculty, students, and alumni. Consisting of essays, conversations, roundtables, and short interviews, the magazine is intended to be provocative, both in content and design. For more information see http://som.yale.edu/Q1.

First MBA-E class graduates

Two years ago SOM welcomed 22 doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals into a new executive MBA program intended to provide healthcare professionals with the tools to manage effectively in an increasingly complex industry. In May, they will earn their MBAs. Over the course of 22 intense months, Yale MBA-E candidates study with faculty from the schools of management, public health, and medicine. The courses are designed to fit into the schedules of busy professionals, meeting on Fridays and Saturdays every other week, plus three weeks of intensive in-residence sessions. A visiting scholar series, intended to deepen and broaden the experience, recently included Susan Dentzer, health correspondent for PBS's News Hour; Jack Chow, assistant director- general for the World Health Organization; and Robert Glavin, director of global healthcare for General Electric. Randy Johnson, executive director of the MBA-E program, said his aspirations for the program so far have been met or exceeded. "Going forward, we'll be building on that base, refining the educational design and doubling the number of students in the program." For more information, see http://mba.yale.edu/mba-e.