HBS Online Has A New Celebrity Alum: Ja Rule

Ja Rule has been many things throughout his career. From a bonafide hitmaker, to entrepreneur, to Dave Chappelle meme, and even a Greek restaurant spokesperson, people are unsure of how Ja would be able to reinvent himself again. Well, according to an article in The Source, now he can add Harvard Business School graduate to the list.

Ja — real name Jeffrey Atkins — took to Twitter to show off his certificate of completion from the Ivy League university. “Jeffrey Atkins has successfully completed the Harvard Business School Online Certificate Program [for] Entrepreneurship Essentials,” the certificate read.

This seems to be the next logical step for Ja Rule. After the Fyre Festival debacle, Ja has continued to express his wishes for wanting to be an entrepreneur in the tech industry. In an interview with HipHop DX last year, Ja spoke on his fascination with the tech industry while speaking on his ICONN app that allows people to easily book their favorite artists and entertainers.

HBS & University Of The People join forces online

University of the People has joined Harvard Business School Online’s Collaborating Colleges program, according to an announcement from the tuition-free online school.

The relationship offers UoPeople students special access to HBS Online courses, equipping them with business knowledge from one of the world’s foremost institutions “to help them stand out in a competitive job market,” UoPeople says.

UoPeople students are now able to enroll in and receive need-based scholarships for HBS Online’s flagship program the Credential of Readiness (CORe), a three-course primer in the fundamentals of business. The three courses are Economics for Managers, Financial Accounting, and Business Analytics. Upon successful completion, participants will receive an HBS Online Credential of Readiness and can earn academic credits toward their UoPeople degree.

“I am excited to welcome University of the People to HBS Online’s family of Collaborating Colleges,” Senior Associate Dean of HBS Online Debora Spar says. “Now, more than ever, we need to provide an equal opportunity to education for all, and this relationship is an important step in Harvard Business School’s broader diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

Haas professors make pledge on diversity

Adding to their already groundbreaking DEI Case Compendium, the University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business has launched a professor pledge on diversity, equity and inclusion.

“The Professor Pledge for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Business School Cases is a commitment from professors at business schools globally to utilize and advance case studies with diverse protagonists and cases on topics related to DEI,” the school announced this week.

Poets&Quants has previously reported on the effort of Haas instructors and others to diversify the library of cases used to teach graduate business courses.

Rice launches Master of Data Science degree program; classes begin this fall for both online, in-person degree options

Rice University is launching a master’s degree program in data science with online and on-campus options.

The Master of Data Science program offers recent graduates and professionals a Rice degree that will enhance their current careers or help them pivot to new ones. The degree is offered through the George R. Brown School of Engineering and managed by the Department of Computer Science, which is ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 by U.S. News & World Report. Applications are now open and classes begin this fall.

“The field of data science touches almost every industry in our economy,” says Scott Rixner, a professor in the Rice’s Department of Computer Science. “This degree will provide those seeking to find new careers, or to advance in their current careers, the opportunity to acquire an indispensable skill set and to build future-focused critical expertise that will drive future innovation.”

Case Centre offers teaching scholarships

As part of the annual World Case Teaching Day celebrations, The Case Centre — the independent nonprofit that styles itself as the home of the case method — has announced a scholarship program for new case teachers. Five case teaching scholarships will be offered each year to support the development of new case teachers.

“Supporting case teachers and writers is a critical element of our mission, and I am delighted to extend our scholarship program with this exciting support for new case teachers,” Richard McCracken, director of The Case Centre, said in a news release.

“The case method has long been acknowledged as a powerful teaching tool but getting started can be daunting. Our case teaching scholarships are designed to support and inspire new case teachers through their journey, by providing a comprehensive range of training, mentoring and resources.”

Applications for the 2021 case teaching scholarships opened February 5 and will close July 2.

New Chicago program focused on diversity in economics

The University of Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) to help expand diversity in economics.

This summer, BFI will host a first-of-its-kind, three-week Summer Institute, Expanding Diversity in Economics, designed to attract extraordinary students from colleges and universities around the country who would not otherwise consider studying economics. The new program for undergraduate students will provide opportunities to learn about frontier research, network with leading scholars, and receive mentoring support. The deadline for applications is March 14.

ESMT Berlin to host TEDx conference

On February 6, ESMT Berlin will host its first TEDx conference, independently organized by students. Under the umbrella “Embracing Uncertainty,” 12 speakers with diverse backgrounds and perspectives will come together to present their ideas on how to cope with the challenges of the unknown in the future.

The past year has brought an abundance of unanswered questions and uncertainty. Many people are beginning to accept the current situation as the new normal, while others are having difficulty adjusting to the unknown. How can we make the best of the current situation? How can we prepare ourselves, as it were, for future uncertainties?

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