The Secrets to Short Admissions Essays

Oxford’s Saïd Business School to Tackle the Globe’s Worst Problems

The news pages are filled with stories of climate change, economic malaise and diminished privacy. To cynics, these are signs of an impending collapse. To B-school students, they represent opportunity.

Recently, the Saïd Business School at Oxford University unveiled its Global Opportunities, Threats: Oxford (GOTO) program. A web-based platform, GOTO connects Oxford academics with MBA and EMBA students and B-school alumni. It hosts “videos from experts and practitioners, infographics, images, curated content and real-time online debate which is blended with in-person learning through tutorial groups and events to generate ideas, high level content and action plans for the big problems facing the world.”

Sure, this sounds like an expensive tool that’ll quickly be disregarded by academics and students. However, GOTO is embedded within the business school curriculum. According to Saïd, “Students are expected to produce a series of ‘ideation papers’ that look at the practical implications of some of the world’s major issues. An iterative process, these papers are critiqued by other students and revised before being shared on the GOTO site arranged by topic. Students conclude by developing comprehensive action plans for review and implementation by practitioners and policymakers.”

During 2012 and 2013, Saïd students tackled global aging and changing demographics through GOTO. In 2013 and 2014, big data will be the focus, followed by scarcity of resources.

You can count Jennifer Walker, an Oxford MBA candidate, among the advocates for GOTO:

“It is a chance to think outside the usual boxes of finance, or strategy, or accounting, and think more deeply about global change, and the business opportunities inherent in that uncertainty. GOTO has already had a real impact. Several students have used the platform to connect with others in the Oxford network uniquely situated to help them progress their ideas – it’s a gateway to experts, mentors, and potential partners.”

Source:  MBAs go online to tackle the world’s wicked problems 

A New Job for Kenan-Flagler’s Dean

Imagine if you spent 16 years at the same organization. You knew all the players and how everything worked. You were regarded as one of the best in your field. But you knew that you could do more. So you took a promotion. And now you’re back to being a rookie – with a steep learning curve ahead.

Well, that’s the story of Jim Dean, who  officially started as the University of North Carolina’s executive vice chancellor and provost on July 1. Dean, who served as the Dean of Kenan-Flagler from 2008 to 2013, joins Carol Folt, who was recently named the university’s chancellor. Despite both being new to their positions, Dean sees it as an opportunity, “I think when you have this much change in the top, you have a rare opportunity to decide where the university should go.”

Dean certainly has an impressive track record. According to Kenan-Flagler, Dean revamped the curriculum and increased program revenues by 60%  during his tenure. He also spearheaded the school’s custom-designed programs for organizations ranging from Cisco to the United States Navy.

Dean’s first challenge is figuring out how to navigate around expected budget cuts. However, his former peers are confident that he can make it work. In fact, Susan Cates, head of executive development for the business school, believes Dean has the right stuff to be a Provost:

“Jim thinks through the implications and ripple effects of his decisions…And he’s not afraid to take a position that he believes is right for the institution even if not everyone agrees with it.”

Jack Evans has replaced Dean on an interim basis at Kenan-Flagler.

Source: The Daily Tar Heel