Stanford Graduate School of Business

At Stanford, Business and Education Go Hand-in-Hand

Historically, business schools have focused on turning a profit. At Stanford, a unique program has been challenging that notion. The Joint MA/MBA in Education and Business Administration is a collaboration between Stanford’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) and the Graduate School of Business (GSB)—and it’s an ‘unlikely’ collaboration that has required two very different fields to join forces and flourish.

Michael Kirst, a professor emeritus at the GSE and former professor (by courtesy) at Stanford GSB, oversaw the launch of the program in 1969. He went on to direct it for more than 30 years. In an interview with Stanford GSE News, he traced the program’s development.

“The story of this program is really one of persistence and change,” Kirst notes. “It took a lot of will on the part of the two schools to make it happen in the first place – and to make changes as the field morphed, and as students’ interests evolved. And it’s still flourishing.”

A JOINT EFFORT

The joint program allows students to graduate with both an MA and an MBA in just two years. Students take a full course load at both the GSB and the GSE, in addition to a summer internship or independent study.

On the surface, business schools have very different values than education schools. Business students are taught to maximize profit and shareholder value, while education students are taught to focus on social responsibility and civic leadership.

“There’s typically not a lot of affinity and interaction between education and business schools,” Kirst says. “Ed schools often have reservations about business and its profit-making motives, and business schools have reservations about the quality of education schools. There haven’t traditionally been very close ties between the two, and generally that’s still the case.”

When the joint program began, Stanford GSB had an ambitious vision. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, then-GSB dean Arjay Miller wanted to refocus the B-school education to focus both on social responsibility and corporate interests. His solution? Launch a public management program at the GSB. A strong partnership with the education school “fit into where they [GSB] were going,” Kirst says. “And building a program with the business school really expanded what we were able to provide on our own.”

When the joint degree program officially launched, it was initially created as a master’s in educational administrations (MEA) before it changed to a joint MA/MBA program. The switch was a significant switch that helped make grads look more attractive to potential education employers—from charter schools to educational start-ups.

“If [employers] could get someone with an MBA and an MA in education, that was gold,” Kirst says.

With all the differences between business and education, it seems that Stanford has finally able to find some common ground.

“The business and education worlds are distinct but interconnected, and living in both allowed me to see there are solutions that aren’t unique to either sector,” Van Ton-Quinlivan, a 1995 graduate of the program and now CEO of Futuro Health, says. “If you’re going to be working to reshape education, you need to be able to bridge these two worlds.”

It’s the type of bridging of two worlds that isn’t very common at many schools. In fact, according to GSE Professor Emerita Deborah Stipek, it’s exactly what makes Stanford, Stanford.

“One thing I’ve always experienced at Stanford is a culture of collaboration among different schools and departments,” Stipek, who also served as GSE dean from 2001 to 2014, says. “I think that’s one of the reasons why Stanford could do this, where not many other universities would – even if they tried, and most didn’t try.”

Sources: Stanford Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Next Page: How to spend your first year in business school.

How to Spend Your First Year in Business School

With the two-year duration of an MBA education, it’s critical that students spend their time wisely. After all, the cost of those two years can easily exceed $200,000 at top business programs. Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently offered a few tips on how students can maximize their first year in B-school.

LISTEN & LEARN

Students, Blackman says, often get access to connections and opportunities that non-students don’t. For first-years, it’s important to remember to leverage your student title to connect with others and expand your network.

“Is there an alum, local businessperson, politician, or community leader you admire?”, Blackman writes. “Use the fact that you’re a student to try and set up an ‘informational interview’ or an informal meeting over coffee. You’ll be surprised at the kind of access you may receive.”

On campus, it can also be a good idea to attend visiting speaker talks—with speakers ranging from big-name CEOs to up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

“At least a few big-name CEOs and public figures will give talks on campus,” Blackman writes. “Obviously, everyone’s going to turn up for those. But we encourage you to also consider going to hear what lesser-known business and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit executives have to say — especially some of the younger ones. In a decade you just might find yourself bragging about how you rubbed elbows with someone who became internationally respected.”

FOCUS EFFORTS STRATEGICALLY

Many first-years will want to do everything during their time in B-school. However, Blackman says, this isn’t a realistic approach.

“Don’t sign up for 20 clubs only to end up regretting that you can’t meaningfully participate in any of them,” she writes. “You will feel totally overwhelmed by how many cool things you’ll have the opportunity to get involved with outside of class.”

Rather, Blackman suggests that students “think long and hard about what you really want to learn and what’s important to you. That way, you can focus your efforts accordingly during your first year at b-school.”

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, P&Q

Next Page: The top feeder school to technology.

MBAs at Foster’s annual Business Leadership Celebration

This Business School is a Top Feeder for Tech

At the University of Washington’s Michael G. Foster School of Business, the road to the tech world is well-paved. Nearly one in five, or 17%, of Foster MBA grads land employment at tech giants, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook.

Fortune recently explored how Foster has made a name for itself as a feeder into tech and what exactly makes its MBA unique.

SEATTLE: A TECH HUB

One of the biggest advantages that Foster has is its proximity to Big Tech headquarters, including the likes of Amazon and Microsoft.

“Locations in tech hubs likely create a conducive environment for students seeking roles in Big Tech by allowing students easier access to these companies for experiences like internships and networking,” Taylor Nichols, a data reporter for Optimal, the parent company of OnlineU, tells Fortune. “Additionally, the locations of the schools make them better known to companies in the area.”

On campus, the B-school also fosters an environment of leadership and innovation with the Arthur Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, which houses the Jones + Foster Accelerator. Students are encouraged to lead companies and bring innovative ideas to life, with access to mentorship, workshops, and funding.

“We constantly innovate—a result of actively listening to employers, our students and our alumni,” Naomi Sanchez, assistant dean of MBA career management at Foster, tells Fortune. “The result is real-world, complex business experiences that help students sharpen their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, ultimately transforming them into impactful leaders.”

A DIVERSE AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

Diversity is at the core of Foster’s community. This year’s incoming full-time MBA class is 36% students of color, 20% historically underrepresented students of color, 5% LGTBQ+ students, 40% women, 40% international students, and 9% veterans. Each student has a strong academic background with the numbers to prove it.

“It starts with a quality cohort,” Sanchez tells Fortune. “While Foster continues to attract top students as measured quantitatively—our most recent entering class featured an average GMAT score above 700—we also look for a depth and variety of work experience, as well as increased demographic diversity.”

In 2018, Foster became the 20th university to join The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a prestigious partnership between top-ranked MBA programs and blue-chip companies dedicated to promoting greater diversity and inclusion in business education and corporate leadership.

“Joining The Consortium moves Foster into serious consideration for the nation’s most outstanding prospective students who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in their communities,” Melissa Uyesugi, associate director of Diversity & Inclusion with the Foster MBA Program, stated in 2018.

Uyesugi’s statement in 2018 also reflects the very nature of the Foster community—one that opens doors and paves the way for those who come next.

“Foster faculty, staff, alumni and local business leaders work together as a tight-knit, collaborative community to support students’ academic, leadership, and professional development,” Sanchez tells Foster.

Sources: Fortune, P&Q, OnlineU

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