Dean's Message

November 7, 2012

Dear Yale SOM Alumni and Friends,

Earlier this month, I participated in Yale SOM reunion events. I was pleased to see the enthusiasm and engagement of the almost 500 alumni and guests who joined us in New Haven. Topical, faculty-led sessions and more purely social activities were complemented by class and sector-specific networking events. At reunion and in recent weeks many have had the chance to tour Edward P. Evans Hall, our new campus. Many of those I spoke with expressed positive feedback about Lord Norman Foster’s creative design. I want to thank all those who made it a great weekend.

I am increasingly convinced that Yale SOM’s connection to its home university and our global approach are distinctive and are of increasing importance to the professional development of our students. Thoughtful intellectual and programmatic integration with Yale extends our lines of sight and helps our students prepare for a variety of leadership challenges in an increasingly complex, increasingly global world. One interesting fact: Yale MBA students, rigorous and intellectually curious by nature, opt for joint degree programs more frequently than their peers at other top schools—about 12% of the Class of 2014 are joint-degree students. Also of note, the SOM academic calendar is better aligned with Yale College, and we are actively encouraging other professional schools to increase graduate-level cross-registrations. We have launched new courses offered jointly with the Yale Law School and Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, one co-taught by SOM Board of Advisors chair Tim Collins ’82 and Yale Law School Dean Robert Post. Yale MBA students continue to work closely with undergraduates through the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, Net Impact, and countless other formal and informal partnerships.

Regarding our global approach, our first cohort of Master of Advanced Management students are contributing to our elective courses, but also make Yale SOM an even more compelling second home to Yale’s World Fellows and other Yale students interested in global enterprise. I look forward next month to the second meeting of the Global Network for Advanced Management in Istanbul, Turkey, hosted by the Koç School.

Best regards,