In 1986 Jacqueline Parker had to make one of the toughest decisions of her life: either complete her senior year in college and earn a bachelor’s in nursing, or join her husband, David, in an ambitious startup in the trucking business.
Jim Steele, MBA’82, knows what it’s like to be up against tough odds. Eight years ago he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and spinocerebellar ataxia, both genetic neuromuscular conditions that have since left him disabled.
“I have partial symptoms of both, but the doctors can’t do anything for either one,” he says. “They’re progressive diseases, and [...]
Bloomberg Businessweek
June 4: Every year around this time, a wave of anxiety ripples through most of the nation’s newly admitted business school students: How to depart a job without burning any bridges, and ideally, leaving a positive, lasting impression? Tami Fassinger, Chief Recruiting Officer, writes in this op-ed about how to resign gracefully.
July 13: The [...]
Professor Hans Stoll shared some thoughts with Vanderbilt Business about the FMRC’s past quarter century and where it goes from here.
Peter Veruki didn’t attend Owen or any other school at Vanderbilt. He doesn’t teach or conduct research at the university either. But ask many alumni which person had a big impact on their lives while at Owen, and odds are Veruki’s name is near the top of the list.
This past April the Executive MBA Class of 2012 traveled to China, where they toured Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau. What follows is a collection of photos and observations that capture their experience.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and economics in 2011, Tim Maloney decided to stay at Vanderbilt for one more year. Having a master’s in finance, he believed, would be an important differentiator in a difficult job market.
Read McNamara, MA’76, Executive Director of the Career Management Center at Owen, describes the CMC’s mission as something akin to moving mountains.
In addition to running her own company, Lazenby has a national advocacy role in the oil and gas industry, serving as Board Chair of the Independent Petroleum Association of America. Often the only woman in the room, she promotes understanding about industry concerns, including taxation, accessibility and regulation.
Mark Cohen, Professor of Management and Law, is a University Fellow with Washington, D.C.-based Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent, nonpartisan research institute focusing on environmental and natural resource economics policy issues. In 2010 he led an RFF research group that consulted with and wrote key position papers for the National Commission on the [...]
From research scientists working in drug discovery to portfolio managers waiting for the markets to bear out their investment theses, how do certain types of professionals sustain their energy and enthusiasm over long periods?
That’s the question undertaken in a new study co-authored by Bruce Barry, the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management.
“Why and how [...]
In a pivotal scene from the film The Social Network, the Hollywood retelling of Facebook’s founding, an exasperated Mark Zuckerberg exhorts business partner and Harvard classmate Eduardo Saverin to join him in Silicon Valley.
“You’ve gotta move here, Wardo. This is where it’s all happening,” the Zuckerberg character pleads.
Whether this piece of dialogue is true or [...]
From Bob Hope’s hawking American Express Travelers Cheques in the 1950s to quirky actress Zooey Deschanel’s selling the latest iPhone today, celebrities have long served as the advertising industry’s not-so-secret weapon.
As consumers, we want the same services and products as the good-looking, glamorous set—or if nothing else, we tend to remember the famous associations these [...]
The Vanderbilt MBA program fared well in the 2012 “Which MBA?” rankings from The Economist:
No. 22
in North America among full-time MBA programs (up one slot from last ranking)
No. 32
globally among full-time MBA programs (up two slots)
Other highlights:
No. 1
globally in diversity of recruiters
No. 8
globally in alumni effectiveness
No. 10
globally in education experience
No. 10
globally in faculty quality
No. 16
globally [...]
David Owens, Professor of the Practice of Management and Innovation, is participating in Vanderbilt’s first institution-wide foray into offering free online courses worldwide via the digital learning consortium Coursera. Owens’ course—Innovation Strategy: Managing Innovation and Creativity in Individuals, Groups, and Organizations—is one of five being offered in spring 2013.
For more information, visit vu.edu/digitallearning.
I’m reminded how much I’m in the dark about energy every time that I’m, well, literally in the dark. All it takes is just a few hours without power to make me realize how little I understand it and how much I depend on it.
Dean
Jim Bradford
Editor
Seth Robertson
Contributors
Nelson Bryan (BA’73), Sherie Edwards (EMBA’12), Jennifer Johnston, Sandy Smith, Cindy Thomsen, Ryan Underwood (BA’96), Brett Wade (EMBA’12), Amy Wolf
Photography
Daniel Dubois, Lauren Owens, Anne Rayner, John Russell
Designer
Michael T. Smeltzer
Art Director
Donna Pritchett
Chief Marketing Officer
Yvonne Martin-Kidd
Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations
Cheryl Chunn
Editorial Offices: Vanderbilt University News and Communications, PMB 407703, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, [...]
This July, I took a bike trip with my oldest son through Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies. Having been to Glacier on photographic journeys before, I had a good appreciation for what I was about to experience. Or so I thought.
Yasin Alan, Assistant Professor of Management, comes to Owen from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management, where he recently completed his doctorate. His research interests lie in the interface of operations management and corporate finance. He conducts theoretical research to study the relationship between operational decisions and financial considerations such as capital structure, growth and bankruptcy [...]
The Owen School has named Christie St-John, MA’94, PhD’99, as its new Director of Admissions, effective Oct. 1, 2012.
St-John returns to Vanderbilt from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, where she served as Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Recruiting since 2004. St-John began her MBA admissions career at Vanderbilt in 1997, overseeing [...]
This past October’s Immersion Week encompassed health care, finance, marketing and global education, all of which are highlighted in a photo essay.
I’m pleased to report that Owen—as many of you already know—placed 25th in the latest MBA rankings published by U.S. News & World Report this past March. That showing marks our second-highest ranking in the history of this important survey and reflects the hard work and dedication of many in the Owen community. Together we have built great momentum for the school that I believe will soon put us in the top 20.
In this age of technological wonders, it’s easy to forget that ours is just the latest in a long line of innovative periods through history. For every new marvel to come along, there’s likely an equally striking precedent in the past.
The Owen School improved to
No. 25 in the nation, up from No. 28 last year, in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. It marks the school’s second-highest placement ever on the list.
“As our rankings continue to move up in a highly competitive field, it’s becoming clear that others are recognizing the business school’s [...]
Dean
Jim Bradford
Editor
Seth Robertson
Contributors
Lubaina Balasinorwala, Nelson Bryan (BA’73), Meg Hale, Abigail Humphrey, Jennifer Johnston, Alex Nicholson (EMBA’01), Shana Passman (MBA’09), Rob Simbeck, Cindy Thomsen, Ryan Underwood (BA’96), Amy Wolf
Photography
Kerry Dahlen, Daniel Dubois, Steve Green, Joe Howell, Lauren Owens, Anne Rayner, John Russell, Susan Urmy
Designer
Michael T. Smeltzer
Art Director
Donna Pritchett
Chief Marketing Officer
Yvonne Martin-Kidd
Associate Dean of Development and Alumni [...]
Microfinance lending and ecologically friendly false eyelashes may not seem to have much in common. But they’re both new business ideas that caught the attention of the prize committee awarding this year’s $25,000 Sohr Grants, created to promote student entrepreneurship at the Owen School.
Jim Sohr, BE’86, MBA’90, and his wife, Leah, endowed the new grants. [...]
This past November, a group of 18 students in the Owen Energy Club took a first-of-its-kind trip to Houston to learn more about the energy sector and to network with potential employers. The Energy Trek, as it was called, was planned by Tracey Gilliland, an MBA candidate for 2013, in conjunction with Peter Veruki, Director [...]
Cheryl Chunn joined Owen this past November as the school’s Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations. She has worked at Vanderbilt for 10 years, six of which have been in development. Her previous roles include Director of Development and Director of Corporate Relations for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as well as Senior Associate Director [...]
Arthur B. Laffer, a renowned economist and longtime champion of conservative causes, proposed a novel approach to taxation at a forum held in Owen’s Averbuch Auditorium Feb. 23. Laffer said he sees a fundamentally backward system in the United States, which imposes taxes on things people want more of—income and jobs—while allowing something we want [...]
Owen has long been known for its strong sense of community, and that reputation stands to grow thanks to the efforts of the latest classes to pass through Management Hall. Students have started a first-of-its-kind forum at the school for sharing their areas of expertise with one another. Called Owen Insights, the series aims to [...]
The Vanderbilt Health Care Conference and Career Fair hosted more than 500 participants and 35 companies at a one-day session in Nashville this past fall. It was the fourth year for the student-organized conference, which is designed for anyone interested in the intersection of business and health care.
Headlining the October event was Nancy-Ann DeParle, Deputy [...]
