kelley school of business essay

kelley school of business essay

The Impact of the Kelley School of Business on the Business World

1. Introduction to the Kelley School of Business

The response to the concept of the school was immediate and overwhelming. For decades, in the fine tradition of business cooperative education, the Kelley School of Business has been very responsive to the special needs of the business community. The Kelley School of Business Alumni Association at Indianapolis has been particularly active in providing the financial, intellectual, and emotional support necessary to get the school off the ground and sustained over the years. Whenever the business community in Indianapolis has a need, whether it be in the areas of producing skilled graduates, meeting a continuing education requirement for current employees or arranging meetings or seminars on pressing business topics, Indiana University at Indianapolis has been called upon and has responded with professionalism and dedication.

Indiana University traces its Indianapolis lineage to 1895 and since its inception has sought to meet the educational demands of Indiana’s citizens by offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in commerce and business. In the 1920s, it became apparent to the IU faculty that in order to meet the needs of the commercial marketplace in Indiana, the university would have to look beyond the walls of the Bloomington campus. Businesses in both Indianapolis and in other major cities in the state expressed an interest in working with the university to promote and develop commercial and banking education. By creating a facility on the east side of Indianapolis that would be readily accessible to part-time students as well as to the business community, the Kelley School of Business at Indianapolis was born.

2. Innovative Teaching Methods and Curriculum

“Power Tools” As a candidate for a Kelley School of Business degree, you will benefit from a unique process called “personal development via professional development.” This innovative approach is based on a highly successful process used in the Kelley executive programs. As a full-time degree candidate, you will develop your distinct professional development plan to realize your personal potential. After graduation, you will see the results firsthand as you bring your new skills to enhance your organization.

Integrated Graduation Project: Students participate on a cross-functional consulting team that addresses a strategic business problem, drawing on their knowledge and capabilities learned throughout their curriculum.

Six-Sigma Consulting: A unique consulting experience offers Kelley students the chance to learn the Six Sigma philosophy and methodology with projects developed in partnership with the Center for Excellence in Manufacturing.

Just-in-Time Labs: By providing the tools that students need to solve the problem and asking them to apply concepts, Just-in-Time labs ingrain the learning and eliminate the “when will I ever use this” question.

Case Method: Research has demonstrated that the best method to develop critical reasoning and the moral imagination necessary for the effective, ethical exercise of professional judgment in business is the case method. In this interactive, cooperative learning approach, a real business problem is presented for analysis, stimulating active participation and debate with peers and the professor.

Kelley’s distinct teaching methods and curriculum enrich students in ways not possible through traditional classroom instruction. Here’s how:

3. Notable Alumni and Success Stories

Of course, not all Kelley alumni can be described as big-name business leaders. In fact, an overwhelming majority of Kelley grads are part of a talented and highly successful, but somewhat anonymous pool of workforce talent that businesses have recognized and come to rely upon quite heavily. Consider, for example, the director-level marketing executives at companies such as Procter & Gamble, a company from which we typically recruit six to ten each year. The people in those positions are at the top of their game.

John A. Byrne, Editor-in-Chief of Business Week and author of several business books, earned his undergraduate degree and MBA from the Kelley School. He has recruited other top-notch Kelley alumni, including Jill Greenthal, a senior investment banker at Merrill Lynch who heads the globally renowned media and entertainment group of that Wall Street giant. Without exception, the class of people with whom I have been associated are high-powered, successful, extraordinary people. It would be hard to argue that having a group such as that doesn’t add to the value of your particular institution, she says. One of the secrets of the success of the Business Week ranking of business schools is the quality and reliability of the data we collect from the schools. At Kelley, we simply refer to it as The Business Week Project.

4. Global Partnerships and Collaborations

Kelley School’s global partnerships and collaboration add value to companies and business schools around the world, and create opportunities for faculty and PhD candidates. Through these partnerships, globally-minded students with successful international experience are attracted. Since 1993, Kelley School has been offering a program in 21 cities in numerous countries, with a focus on international business. These partnerships demonstrate the reach and influence of Kelley School of Business, one of the most respected business schools in the world.

The Kelley School of Business is a key member of Indiana University, one of the major research universities in the United States. With global partnerships, collaboration, and alliances being one of the key thrust areas of Indiana University, Kelley School of Business has developed strategic alliances with leading institutions in Asia, South America, and Europe. In major markets – such as Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and Santiago in Latin America, Dublin and London in Europe, Mumbai, Bangalore, and New Delhi in India, Shanghai and Beijing in China – Kelley School has collaborated with leading local management schools and colleges. These partnerships help to enhance the Kelley MBA experience as well as contribute to the mission of developing academic and intellectual relationships between the leading business and corporations and scholars worldwide.

5. Conclusion: The Future of Business Education at Kelley

Kelley’s dedication to the business world through activities such as this forum is one of its long-standing traditions. However, our focus on the business community and recent advancements in business knowledge have prompted us to new challenges. How can we better know what management needs for success on the job and assure delivery of the required knowledge in the most effective manner? What are the sources of real satisfaction and added value from educational programs in business, and how can they be improved? Are our educational processes grounded in sound research? Addressing these types of issues is a necessity for continual improvement and the future success of business education at Kelley. We will apply the same teamwork that has brought the School to its present position to these new areas and fully anticipate that the Kelley School of Business will be regarded as a leader in fulfilling the ever-changing needs of those engaged in the pursuit of knowledge about the business community.