Dalhousieās Corporate Residency MBA program was celebrated for its innovative approach to business education at Thursday nightās 2011 MBA Roundtable Innovator Awards in Seattle.
Though the grand prize ultimately went to the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Dalās program was one of five finalists selected from across North America.
āItās an incredible honour,ā said Scott Comber, the Corporate Residency MBA programās director, who was in Seattle for the announcement, which was part of the MBA Roundtable 2011 Curricular Innovation Symposium. āWe were the only Canadian school selected as a finalist, and itās a prestigious group to be up against. Itās a set of finalists who are all being truly innovative in their programs.ā
Along with Dal and the Olin School of Business, the other finalists were:
- Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
- Babson College
- Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
āThis contest is really about identifying ādisruptive innovationsā: those innovations that change the frames of reference, that shift thinking in how programs are run,ā said Mr. Comber. āThe fact that our Corporate Residency program is direct entryāwhich is not the normāand builds leadership with the Personal and Professional Effectiveness curriculum gives us a unique approach.ā
The Corporate Residency program, which was introduced three years ago, is also the only MBA program in Canada with an eight-month paid internship, which begins in the January after students start the program. The programās support for direct entryānot the norm at most schoolsāand its Personal and Professional Effectiveness curriculum add to its innovative approach.
āWith older generations starting to move on from the workforce, thereās a need for younger employees to have the skills to quickly move through the ranks and take on leadership roles,ā adds Mr. Comber. āWeāre really focused on helping high-caliber students to go further, faster.ā