The Little Business School That Could

Brandeis International Business School

Of course, he’s building these programs under the name of a relatively small liberal arts university but one with a world-class brand. While the business school gets little respect from U.S. News, the magazine last month ranked Brandeis University 33^rd among national universities in the U.S. Like ‘Ted’ Snyder at Yale, Magid believes strongly that the business school should take greater advantage of the intellectual resources of the rest of the university.

“The business model for most business schools has been a standalone model,” he says. “I believe in a more integrated approach where students get the ability to leverage the university. They can take courses in other departments and speakers from all over the university come into the school.”

AGAINST THE STANDALONE BUSINESS SCHOOL MODEL

Several courses in the school’s green MBA program, for example, have been jointly developed with Brandeis’ Heller School for Social Policy and Management. In March of 2013, the business school is co-sponsoring a symposium on Brazil with its International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life.

In the fall of 2010, moreover, the business school started an undergraduate business major, which has since tripled in enrollment to 400 students. Between the business major, a business minor and a five-year BA/MA program, Brandeis IBS touches nearly one out of every ten undergrads at Brandeis University.

Magid says he sees three big trends in business education that align with his personal vision for the school: 1) A more integrated approach with the university, 2) A way of teaching business that is global, and 3) An emphasis on business ethics and social justice. “Justice Brandeis was all about that,” says Magid. “And we have been global from the very beginning.”

A NAMING GIFT COULD BRING IN $50 MILLION TO $100 MILLION

He expects to make public a capital campaign next year to raise $100 million, including $20 million for a new building with dedicated space for career development and executives in residence. The business school is open to a naming gift, something that Magid believes could be worth between $50 million and $100 million. “Most of the money,” he says, “will go toward the 3Fs: faculty, fellowships, and facilities.”

Magid sees a rocky path ahead for many schools and wants to make sure Brandeis’ International Business School isn’t one that falls into trouble. “I think business schools are in for a shakeout,” he says. “There is a surplus of schools, offering the degree versus the supply of students who can take off two years to get an MBA. Unless you can differentiate your brand, you’re going to be in trouble.”

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