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Kelley School of Business Indiana University Bloomington
Kelley School of Business

Now 20 years old, the Godfrey Center remains a vibrant hub for graduate education at Kelley

Posted on by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The centennial celebration in 2020 for the Indiana University Kelley School of Business sadly was muted by the Covid-19 pandemic. But 2022 offers something of a reset, given that IU offered its first classes in commerce in 1902.

This fall provides two major milestones – the 120th anniversary of business education at IU Bloomington and the 20th anniversary of the William J. Godfrey Graduate and Executive Education Center.

In 1920, the IU Board of Trustees established a School of Commerce and Finance, but the initial foundation for business education was laid by IU presidents William Lowe Bryan and Joseph Swain, who identified the need for the university to expand and provide more professional areas of study. Commerce courses were introduced into the economics curriculum in 1902.

In 2002, retired Kelley professor Joseph Waldman published a book, “The First One Hundred Years of Education for Business: 1902-2002,” which highlighted the important role that the Godfrey Center – also opening that year – would play in the business school’s future.

IU President Myles Brand and others applauded a humbled Dean Dan Dalton before a large audience packed in the Subhedar Forum during the Godfrey Center’s dedication on Nov. 22, 2002. (Courtesy: IU Archives)

When it opened, the $34 million, 180,000-square-foot building was praised for its technological features, including “innovations” such as wireless Internet and more than 2,600 data ports for computers. Kelley also became the first business school to use “smart whiteboards” that allowed students and faculty to apply hand-written notes to Web-based presentations in the center’s conference rooms.

Today, the Godfrey Center continues to serve its original purpose, housing offices for several master’s level programs, including the Full-Time MBA Program, Kelley Direct Programs, Master of Science in Information Systems, Kelley Executive Education, Executive Degree Programs and Graduate Accounting Programs.

“This is a building that has served us very well, always enabling the Kelley School to evolve and innovate to meet the needs of students and faculty in our growing and respected graduate programs,” said Ash Soni, interim dean of the Kelley School, SungKyunKwan Professor and professor of operations and decision technologies. “One of things we teach at Kelley is how to build value, for our students and the people they serve. The Godfrey Center is a building we highly value.”

E.W. “Ed” Kelley, the school’s namesake, was among those attending the dedication. (Courtesy IU Archives)

The Godfrey Center remains a vibrant hub for all kinds of activity at Kelley, which is evident to those entering the building and its Subhedar Forum and atrium on the first floor. Students frequent gather there for informal meetings as well as for special gatherings such as an annual multicultural night. Classrooms on the first and third floors are in constant use, including during the summer months.

According to the book, “Indiana University Bloomington: America’s Legacy Campus,” by former IU vice president J. Terry Clapacs,” the now familiar bridge over Fee Lane that connects the Godfrey Center with the Hodge Hall Undergraduate Center, initially was opposed by the campus administration.

“The university architects had always believed that connecting links above grade was an urban solution not in keeping with the natural, bucolic environment of the campus,” Clapacs wrote. “Nevertheless, (architect John) Belle convinced IU administrators and trustees that the bridge was appropriate in that location and would be seen as a symbolic unifying element, particularly if the offices of the dean were placed there, thus bonding the two major components of the school.”

Offices for faculty in the Department of Business Law and Ethics moved from Hodge Hall into Godfrey Center this summer, reflecting the growing size of the student body and the faculty needed to deliver quality degree programs to them. (more…)

Kelley School’s Full-Time MBA Program rises to 22nd in Bloomberg Businessweek rankings

Posted on by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Full-Time MBA Program at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business solidly remained among Bloomberg Businessweek’s top 25, moving up to 22nd overall, third in the Big Ten and seventh among public institutions.

Bloomberg Businessweek evaluated 117 MBA programs worldwide and ranked 81 of them this year, based on responses to surveys completed by graduating students, recent alumni and the companies that recruited them. They rank schools based on five indexes — Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship, and Diversity.

Ash Soni

Ash Soni

The Kelley School ranked No. 2 in the Networking index, ahead of respected programs such as Harvard, Chicago Booth, Dartmouth Tuck and Northwestern Kellogg. It “gauges the quality of networks cultivated by classmates; students’ interactions with alumni; effectiveness of the career services office; quality and breadth of alumni-to-alumni interactions; and the school’s brand power, according to recruiters.”

The program also was a top 10 performer – ranking eighth overall — in the Learning index, which editors considered a measure of a school’s “core mission.” Those surveyed assess MBA programs based on “quality, depth, and range of instruction, focusing on the curriculum relative to real-world business situations; emphasis on innovation, problem-solving, and strategic thinking; mentoring and support from instructors; class size; and collaboration.”

“This year’s Bloomberg Businessweek rankings of full-time MBA programs highlights two qualities that we stress at Kelley – engagement and education,” said Ash Soni, interim dean of the Kelley School and SungKyunKwan Professor. “From their first day on campus, our students become part of a culture of collaboration that includes our global network of more than 126,000 alumni, who support one another and continue to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired through our innovative and imaginative curriculum.”

Kyle Cattani

Kyle Cattani, chair of the Full-Time MBA Program, professor of operations management and Ming Mei Professor, added, “We are always pleased to be recognized as one of the top MBA programs in the world. The current rankings reflect our commitment and efforts to provide the best experience possible for our students in the classroom and beyond.”

This fall, 287 students are enrolled in the Kelley Full-Time MBA program. The program reported its highest average GMAT/GRE scores among highest ever from this year’s first-year class. The two classes include students from 28 different countries around the world.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s survey includes questions about everything from jobs to salaries, classroom learning to alumni networks. Their rankings were released on Sept. 15.

Habitat for Humanity chapter builds first container home, through support from Kelley

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Signs in front of a house

On Aug. 30, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County dedicated its first home built from a shipping container.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As students and faculty at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business look ahead to using their muscles this fall to build another home for a deserving Bloomington family, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County recently dedicated a house based on an idea from the minds of Kelley and IU students.

On Aug. 30, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County celebrated its first home built from a shipping container, which also was the first of its kind by a Habitat affiliate in Indiana. The foundation for project initially was laid in 2019 by students competing in the school’s inaugural Kelley Impact Competition.

The transformation of a shipping container into a 320-square-foot home, with one bedroom and bath, a living room and combined kitchen/dining space is nearly complete. The home also has a covered deck outside. Homeowner Charlie Lynn Abbott, who identifies as queer, non-binary and autistic, looks forward to planting flowers, berries, and bushes outside.

“I’ve never lived in a safe home before. Starting out in a place where family made my living situation unsafe, as an adult I moved into situations where poverty and my autism made living safely impossible. My physical and mental health have always shown the signs of this,” Abbott said at the ceremony. “Although I’ve put a lot of work into getting better, and becoming a better person, my living situation has been a constant barrier. A safe, affordable house isn’t just an object, or property for me. It is a promise of the opportunity to live a better life and create my future self. This is my life long, and ultimate dream.” (more…)

Six Kelley alumni among Savoy magazine’s ‘2022 Most Influential Black Executives’

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Pictures of six Kelley alumni honored by Savoy.

Savoy honorees, top and left to right: Alicia Boler Davis, Derek Hicks and Ernest Marshall; bottom and left to right: Rodney Miller, Winselow Tucker and Anton Vincent.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Six alumni of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business are among Savoy magazine’s 2022 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America.

Savoy’s prestigious list showcases African American men and women who have been recognized for their executive and business leadership in national and global-leading corporations.

Ash Soni

Ash Soni

“It’s great to read these recognitions and see how our alumni are making an impact with their innovative and inspiring leadership,” said Ash Soni, interim dean of the Kelley School and The SungKyunKwan Professor. “They reflect the talent, humility, and tenacity that characterizes Kelley students and alumni. We’re very proud of their achievements and the example they’re setting for today’s students.”

Anton Vincent, president of Mars Wrigley North America and a 1993 MBA graduate, who is being honored by Savoy for a fourth time, has said that it is a testament to the “great, elite education” that he and his peers received in Kelley’s Full-Time MBA Program.

“When I was at Kelley, it prepared us not just to be good at our jobs, but to be leaders and to have high expectations and expand what leadership means,” Vincent said. “It’s certainly in the DNA of how we think about trained leaders at Kelley and I can trace it back to my time at Kelley.”

Here’s who’s on Savoy’s 2022 list from Kelley: (more…)

Kelley School’s Business Horizons journal ranks 20th worldwide in terms of research impact

Posted on by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Business Horizons, an academic journal published by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, continues to grow in influence, as evidenced by a recent huge leap in the Impact Factor ratings and rankings, which measure how often academic journal articles are cited by scholars and researchers.

The Journal Impact Factor ratings, part of the Journal Citation Reports published by the global analytics company Clarivate, are one of the most widely used measures of a publication’s impact. They provide quantitative data that readers, editors, and publishers can use to discern the effect that a journal has, compared to similar publications.

The new Impact Factor rating for Business Horizons was 10.562 in 2021, which means it now ranks 20th out of more than 150 business journals. Just a year earlier, the journal received a 6.361 rating and a ranking of 43rd. Five years ago, its rating was 2.588.

The bimonthly Business Horizons is published by the Kelley School in partnership with Elsevier. It began publication as a quarterly in 1956. It is edited by Greg Fisher, the Larry and Barbara Sharpf Professor and an associate professor of entrepreneurship, with support from Managing Editor Lisa Miller and editorial specialists Sarah Goddard-Martin and Phillip Scuderi.

Greg Fisher

Greg Fisher

“This jump in impact is a validation of our thesis that there is demand for a peer-reviewed business publication with a strong practical orientation,” Fisher said. “The academic journals in the field of business have become very academic and theoretical, and in so doing, they often overlook the practical aspects of business. Business Horizons does the opposite. We lead with practical insights and perspectives, but we require that these practical insights are generated from a scholarly foundation. This allows us to publish articles that bridge academia and business.”

The Impact Factor ratings are calculated by dividing the number of scholarly items counted in the denominator by all the citations that a journal has accumulated in the numerator. In 2021, Business Horizons articles were cited 8,458 times, up by more than a thousand from 2020, when articles were cited 7,443 times.

“Impact Factors don’t just increase on their own. This is the result of concerted effort on the part of many of the journal’s stakeholders,” said Fisher, adding that the improvement in impact was initiated by previous editors-in-chief, whose necessary changes and advancements included adding blind peer review and establishing a team of associate editors.

(more…)

Life Sciences conference series opens with discussion of curative technologies and Indiana’s role in advancing them

Posted on by George Vlahakis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Curative technologies and Indiana’s status as an important player in their development and implementation will be discussed at the opening event in the 2022-23 Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference Series, presented by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Hosted by the Kelley School’s Center for the Business of Life Sciences, the Nov. 18 conference in Indianapolis will examine recent advancements, such as the development of mRNA vaccines, radiopharmaceuticals and gene therapies, and Indiana’s role in that innovation.

For example, Indiana is the only state to provide all the major Covid-19 vaccines and Indianapolis is becoming a hub for radiopharmaceutical research, which involves drugs containing radioactive isotopes that can be used to diagnose or treat disease.

George Telthorst head shot

George Telthorst

“The work being done in this area in Indiana is exciting and continues our state’s legacy of making lives better for many while also helping to drive its economy,” said George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences. “We look forward to this and our other conferences, which facilitate helpful exchanges among key players in the industry, academia, government and economic development professionals leading to more meaningful results in the future.”

Dan Peterson, vice president for industry and government affairs at Cook Group, one of the conference sponsors, added, “These conferences bring together a broad base of collaborative partners around timely, important topics that are relevant to the growth of the life sciences in Indiana and beyond.”

This kickoff event, with the theme, “Curative Technologies & Indiana’s Role in Advancing Them,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, located in the 16 Tech Innovation District, at 1210 Waterway Blvd., in Indianapolis. Other upcoming events in the series will focus on the “Uniqueness of Healthcare and Life Sciences Marketing on Feb. 23 and “Digital Health – The “Buzz” and the Reality” on April 28.

The registration fee is $450 for the series or $175 for individual conference and lunch is included. Registration can be done online or by contacting Kelli Conder at the Kelley School at 812-856-0915 or kconder@indiana.edu.

Students currently enrolled at Indiana higher institutions for learning may attend for free thanks to conference sponsors and must register by contacting Conder directly. (more…)

Kelley alumnus Anton Vincent participating in 2022 CNBC Evolve Global Summit

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Anton Vincent

Anton Vincent

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Many Indiana University Kelley School of Business alumni tuning into CNBC’s Evolve Global Summit on July 13 will recognize a familiar face, Anton Vincent, president of the world’s largest confectionery company Mars Wrigley North America and a 1993 MBA graduate.

Other chief executives and top executives participating in the Evolve Global Summit, which is being presented virtually, include those who lead a who’s who of U.S. companies, such as Mattel, Chevron, MGM Resorts International, Duke Energy, PwC and Amalgamated Bank.

As inflationary, labor and supply issues converge, the summit will examine the ways in which leaders are adapting, transforming, and innovating to succeed. CNBC Evolve Global Summit will host executives from around the world to engage with and learn from leaders and innovators who are leaning into this new economic landscape and adjusting to stay ahead.

Vincent will be part of an afternoon panel, “Candy, Whiskey and Billion-Dollar Brands.” He will be joined by Jessica Spence, president of Beam Suntory Brands, owner of valued brands Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Suntory and Courvoisier. They will participate in a discussion about how “sweets and spirits businesses” are affected by rising inflation, high gas prices and stagnant wages.

“From smart marketing that reinforces deep consumer-brand connections while simultaneously bringing in new generations, to premiumization strategies aimed at capturing high-end consumers, to sustainability initiatives designed to offset supply chain constraints—these companies are innovating their way to growth. We’ll talk to presidents from both companies about the challenges and opportunities present in the current economic climate,” the conference preview says.

Brian Sullivan, anchor of CNBC “Worldwide Exchange,” will moderate.

Vincent previously was CEO of Greencore USA, a fresh convenience food supplier, and spent 20 years at General Mills, where he oversaw the Snacks, Frozen Frontier and Baking Divisions as president, and became a founding member of General Mills’ renowned Black Champions Network (BCN). He serves on the board of directors for the International Paper Company and is a member of the Kelley Dean’s Council.

Since joining Mars in 2019, Vincent has successfully led the acceleration of value creation of one of the world’s largest, most iconic consumer brand portfolios. He leads the cross-segment Regional Presidents Council and is the principal Mars leadership voice for industry and regulatory matters in the US.

In 2021, Vincent was one of nine Kelley alumni who were among Savoy magazine’s 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors.

More information about CNBC’s Evolve Global Summit, including registration, is available here. Cost to attend is $149.

Thirteen students from Indiana chosen for prestigious Kelley Scholars program

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Kelley Scholars, top left to right, Mason Phillips, Emily Szczepanski and Cole Davis; bottom left to right, Kaylyn Cooper, Ana Alagappan and Chris Adams.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Thirteen incoming Indiana University freshmen from across the Hoosier state have been selected as Kelley Scholars at the Kelley School of Business.

The Kelley Scholars, who intend to major in business at IU Bloomington, will receive standard tuition and fees, a stipend for living expenses and funding for academic activities such as overseas study.

The Kelley Scholars Program is funded by a multi-million-dollar gift from E.W. “Ed” Kelley and his family, made to IU in the fall of 1997. The university named its school of business for the Kelley family in acknowledgment of the gift.

This year’s class of Kelley Scholars was selected from a group of top students admitted to IU, who were invited to apply for the program because of their outstanding academic records. The application included references, a high school transcript, several personal statements on a variety of topics and an essay.

The incoming Kelley Scholars are: (more…)

Manning Magid is first woman to lead faculty and research activities at Kelley IUPUI

Posted on by George Vlahakis

INDIANAPOLIS — Julie Manning Magid, professor of business law and ethics and the executive and academic director of Tobias Leadership Center, on July 1 became the first woman to lead faculty and research activities for the Indiana University Kelley School of Business at IUPUI.

Julie Manning Magid

Julie Manning Magid

As executive associate dean for faculty and research, Magid will serve on the leadership team of the Kelley School of Business, the IUPUI Academic Deans Council, oversee fiscal affairs, serve as department chairperson for all Indianapolis-based faculty, and guide faculty recruiting, promotion and tenure.

“With Idie being the first female dean, I think it’s important that she’s also appointed the first woman in leadership at Kelley Indianapolis, in its history,” Magid said. “I’m honored and excited to continue her legacy of creating opportunities for others and advancing greater equity.”

Idalene “Idie” Kesner announced in early April that she will step down as Kelley dean, effective July 31, after a decade of service and return to teaching. She was the first woman to serve as the school’s dean. Magid succeeds Ken Carow, who served as executive associate dean at Kelley IUPUI since 2016.

“It has been an honor to serve Kelley as the executive associate dean for faculty and research for six years and previously as the associate dean for Indianapolis research and programs for six years,” Carow said. “Kelley is a remarkable and innovative leader in business with an amazing group of faculty and staff dedicated to advancing research, teaching, and service. I’ve worked with Julie for 22 of my 25 total years at Kelley.  She is an excellent leader and I look forward to working with her and seeing her impact on Kelley Indianapolis.”

The Kelley School faculty in Indianapolis are a unique interdisciplinary department of the overall business school.

“The complex problems that we’re facing in the future require an interdisciplinary perspective,” Magid said. “I think that the Kelley School recognized this when creating an interdisciplinary department that offers a lot of opportunities, often around research issues, to help solve problems. I am excited about exploring that model further, of what an interdisciplinary business program can do for solving complex problems.”

(more…)

Kelley School Indianapolis seeks growing businesses for student consulting

Posted on by George Vlahakis

Students in I-Core present their findings to faculty and company representatives.

Students in I-Core present their findings to faculty and company representatives.

INDIANAPOLIS — When students graduate from the Kelley School of Business at IUPUI, they learn more than what’s inside their textbooks. Through the renowned Integrated Core, or I-Core, project, students cap off their undergraduate degree with a hands-on consulting project with local companies that are looking for new revenue streams.

This collaboration has contributed to successful and innovative ideas at many companies in and around Indianapolis, large and small, while preparing undergraduate business students for real-world challenges. The Kelley School is accepting applications from Central Indiana firms looking for help reaching future success.

Christy Walchle, vice president of operations at WSI Technologies in Indianapolis, was looking for business solutions when she partnered with Kelley students at IUPUI on an I-Core project. At the time, one of WSI’s subsidiary companies was planning to launch a new interview recording application and wanted to look beyond the firm’s typical public safety clients for additional marketing opportunities.

Christy Walchle

“The students helped us come up with other avenues for that market and how to position the product,” Walchle said. “These students are so accustomed to our app-based world. We knew they could help us focus strategically from the perspective of users who prefer apps. The students’ creative juices help us think outside the box.”

Walchle says the deliverables the students provided her company in their final presentation and business briefs inspired conversation among company leadership. Rather than a student project that is politely accepted and never implemented, Walchle says the time her company spent with I-Core students produced takeaways that were applicable and useful to the business’s growth.

I-Core teams include five to six students working on each company’s project, guided by Kelley faculty. There is no cost to firms partnering on I-Core projects, only the time a company representative spends with the students.

“The student teams put together a management brief that we sent to our leadership team. It was fun hearing the comments back and forth between our leaders, discussing the various points the students made,” said Walchle, who has completed additional I-Core projects with Kelley students. “Everybody in our leadership team had a favorite, and we were all was so impressed with what a professional recommendation the students provided. It was great to see the pride they took in completing this work. They did a fantastic job, and it was an excellent experience.”

Kim Donahue

Kim Donahue

Throughout the semester, students work closely with companies to understand the organizations, discuss their needs and goals, and analyze potential opportunities. At the end of the semester, each team presents its findings and recommendations to a panel of company managers and the I-Core faculty.

“During the project, we researched their customers, learned about their challenges, created solutions, and debated with our teammates about which idea is worth pursuing,” said Taras Stefyuk, a Kelley senior at IUPUI majoring in management. “It was the most challenging semester of my college life, but I am glad I successfully finished it.”

While I-Core projects are centered around creating revenue-generating ideas through capital investments and operations updates, both students and company partners tend to get a great deal more out of these collaborations.

“Company representatives have enjoyed the interactions with our students, and they appreciate having a fresh set of ideas and opinions from the youngest generation, often taking advantage of recruiting for internships, mentorships, and full-time jobs,” said Kim Donahue, teaching professor and the I-Core coordinator for the Kelley School at IUPUI.

Angela Williams

Angela Williams

Companies who collaborate with Kelley students on I-Core projects are investing in future business leaders, as more than 95% of Kelley students from IUPUI stay in central Indiana after graduation. Through I-Core, companies can present themselves and their job opportunities to a pool of high-quality business talent preparing to enter the job market.

Sherwin Williams Company has been an ongoing participant in I-Core projects. Talent Acquisition Specialist Angela Williams says the experience has successfully attracted many Kelley graduates to the company’s management and sales internships and training programs.

“I-Core helps us attract innovative, diverse thinkers and affords us the ability to shape our business in 2022 and beyond,” Williams said. “It’s a way for us to network with students in an intimate classroom setting and allows them to learn more about Sherwin Williams as a whole. We build awareness as students connect with our brand, and we give back by helping them gain hands-on experience.”

How to get involved

If you would like your business to partner on an I-Core project, complete an application. Companies must be:

  • For-profit organizations
  • In business for five years ideally, with a minimum of three years in operation
  • Able to show an operating profit for at least three years, with a minimum of one year
  • Incorporated as an S corporation, C corporation, or an LLC
  • Be open to sky-is-the-limit ideas

This article also appears on the Kelley School of Business IUPUI news blog.

 

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