P&Q’s Must Reads: Calculating The Value Of Your MBA

Hello everyone –- Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed – but shouldn’t.

So, Let’s get to it.

No. 1: Calculating The Value Of Your MBA

In this story, P&Q founder and editor John Byrne asks a simple question: What is your MBA worth? The answer might surprise you.

John crunched numbers from a new study from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity that compared the ROIs of various graduate degrees. He found that while several degrees boasted ROIs above $500,000 over a lifetime, others – including the MBA – could actually have a negative return on investment.

There are some caveats, of course. First, the numbers show that the quality of the MBA still matters, and the degree from a top business school can return truly impressive returns – a million or more – with one school topping out at with a gigantic $3.2 million ROI.

Second, the data only looks at salaries two years after completing the degree, which doesn’t take into account the cumulative effect of raises gained over the course of a career. So, you have to put this finding in context.

Now, if you’re dying to know which school boasts that $3.2 million ROI, just head over to our homepage at Poetsandquants.com to read the full story.

No. 2: Is this Another MBA Ranking Scandal?

This week, John also reported on yet another brouhaha brewing around the MBA rankings, this one at Rutgers Business School.

A Rutgers’ disaffected HR manager claims in a letter to the school’s dean that Rutgers has been inflating employment data by offering temporary jobs at the school to graduates who hadn’t secured full-time offers after graduation. The manager claims the scheme was done to boost the school’s performance in a couple of different prominent rankings.

Rutgers categorically denies the allegations. And, it must be noted that the manager is currently involved in a two-year conflict with the school over disciplinary action taken against her, and filed a lawsuit against the school just last week.

It begs the question: Is this another MBA ranking scandal, or a case of a disgruntled employee airing the school’s dirty laundry. Read the full story at poetsandquants.com and tell us what you think in the comments.

No. 3: Indiana Kelley Dean Stepping Down

After a highly successful decade-long run as dean of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, Idalene “Idie” Kesner announced last week that she would return to the classroom. Kesner will step down from the deanship on July 31 and return to the faculty after a semester off.

Poets&Quants selected Kesner as our Dean of the Year in 2019, and story author John Byrne describes her influence as profound. He writes: “She has made smart bets on the future of business education by leveraging the school’s early leadership in online learning. Kesner became known for her bold and innovative investments to serve the needs of her students. She has embraced and mentored young talent in a way that is rare for a dean of any school, using her students as consultants on key strategic challenges.”

Read more about Kesner’s career and influence at Kelley and on business education in the full story.

No. 4: After Unprecedented Turnaround, Thunderbird Soars Again

For our last must-read story of the week, I spent some time talking to alumni, faculty, and administrators of ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management to map that school’s impressive turnaround under dean Sanjeev Khagram.

In under four years, enrollments are way up – and so are donations. They’re opening Regional Centers of Excellence around the world, and have launched or revamped 10 new degree programs centered around global leadership.

Not bad for a school that faced closure or bankruptcy less than a decade ago. Read more about Thunderbird’s transformation and what comes next for the school by clicking on the latest news tab from the navigation bar.

Well, that’s it. Another four P&Q stories we think you shouldn’t miss. You can let us know what stories we should have mentioned but didn’t get to in the comments.

Before I go, I want to alert all the school seekers out there to CentreCourt’s upcoming MBA Festival events. These events connect prospective students with admission experts, alumni, and career development teams at the top MBA programs around the country – and the world.

Our next series, MBA Voices, is happening June 7-8, and you can register for free on our events tab.

For new MBA admits, don’t miss our next virtual networking festival coming up May 19-20. Get a jump start on your B-school journey by forging new connections, becoming more savvy about internship and career options, and making the most of your B-school pivot. Learn more on our events page.

Thank you for listening. Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer with Poets&Quants, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Stay informed!