Deans & CEOs To Debate Future Of MBA

What’s the future of business education? How will what is taught in a mainstream MBA program change in coming years?

Some two dozen business school deans and chief executives are scheduled to publicly ponder those questions during a three-day, interactive online conference organized by the Boston University School of Management.

“Business Education Jam: Envisioning the Future” runs from Sept. 30-Oct. 2, worldwide and cost free.

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“This is very special event that promises to make a lasting impact on business schools and businesses around the world,” says Boston University School of Management Dean Ken Freeman. “For the first time, industry and academia will come together from around the world, including faculty, deans and administrators, executives, human resource and talent development leaders, students and recent graduates to share, learn, and envision the future of business education.”

DEANS FROM HAAS, SLOAN, JACK WELCH, WHARTON SLATED TO JOIN IN

Among the high-profile business school administrators and academics scheduled to participate are innovation guru Clayton Christensen of the Harvard Business School; Richard K. Lyons, dean of the U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business; David Schmittlein, dean of MIT’s Sloan School of Business; Andrea Backman, dean of the Jack Welch Management Institute; and Karl Ulrich, vice-dean of innovation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Prominent business leaders include Rick Chavez, general manager of Microsoft’s Applied Sciences Group; IBM managing director Jeanette Horan, American Express chief HR officer L. Kevin Cox; and Coca-Cola senior VP Ceree Eberly.

Among other VIPs listed to participate are John Reid-Dodick, chief people officer at Dun & Bradstreet; Ernst & Young partner Peter Rohan; PricewaterhouseCoopers U.S. and global talent leader Michael J. Fenlon; former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Barbara Franklin; and Poets&Quants Editor-in-Chief John A. Byrne.

Wharton Vice Dean for Innovation Karl Ulrich

LIKE A MUSICAL JAM SESSION, EVENT IS MEANT TO EXPAND AND INSPIRE

The virtual conference is called a “jam” because it’s intended to share the qualities of a musical jam session. “A jam session is about bouncing ideas, skills and styles off your fellow members to expand and be inspired,” the event website says.

Organizers describe the virtual conference as similar to a chat room. It’s open to anyone with a computer or mobile device and the internet. Participants must register, then log in.

The event homepage will display 10 forums (listed below). A click on a forum will bring up a page with a main question, top tags, most popular posts, and a list of threads under discussion. Results from periodic polls will pop up in chart and graph form. Alerts will be posted when VIP guests join in.