Cornell’s Big Bet On New York City

After New York, Dutta is focusing his future priorities on globalization and the closer integration with the university. “For global, I am using the phrase roots and links. Global begins at home so we have to look at the global elements of our current curriculum and try to improve and build upon them. We also want to use New York City as a platform to bring the world to us.”

A faculty committee recently tossed a report on a strategy to enter some key markets, especially China. “I don’t think we are going to be putting bricks and mortar in any foreign location,” he says. “I do want our faculty members to become more proficient in local issues and to have stronger research links with faculty in those countries of interest. We would hopefully run programs that bring together different regions, but for me the focus is on creating knowledge, locally in various countries.

GLOBALIZATION MEANS GETTING DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS IN THE CLASSROOM

“I come from a school that was at the leading edge of the global phenomenon. It is much more of a mindset, even though it is important to have case studies from different countries. What is more important is to have more different viewpoints on an issue. So the key issue is in the class we need to have multiple voices, and faculty have to be more open to these perspectives. The challenge is to have an open mind.”

Asked if Dutta believes that the percentage of international students at Johnson, currently at 30%, should rise, he points out that the issue is not necessarily about having more foreign students. “A lot of our American students also have international experience in their profiles,” he adds. “The issue is being more able to have openness in the classroom to integrate multiple perspectives. You can take a corporate governance case and discuss how the same issue would be treated in Europe and China not just North America. If you have those voices in the classroom, the discussion becomes richer and more global.”

His third priority is Cornell. “We need to fundamentally rethink the nature of the links between the business school and the rest of the university,” believes Dutta. “We have to become better partnering with other schools at Cornell. There is a lot we can do in building collaborative projects with other schools.”

‘THE BASIC VALUE OF MBA EDUCATION IS QUITE STRONG’

Like most business school deans, Dutta believes the MBA degree has not lost value or meaning. “The best indicator of the value is that the demand for it keeps growing. People see value there. That doesn’t mean the current product is perfect. There is strong and robust demand for the MBA and business education in general. The challenge business schools face across the world is to adapt the curriculum to fit the times and needs of businesses today. But the basic value of MBA education is quite strong.”

DON’T MISS: INSEAD PROF NEW CORNELL B-SCHOOL DEAN or THE MBA GATEKEEPER TO CORNELL’S JOHNSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT