Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA program was celebrated for its innovative approach to business education at Thursday night’s 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, Dal’s program was one of five finalists selected from across North America.
“It’s an incredible honour,” said Scott Comber, the Corporate Residency MBA program’s director, who was in Seattle for the announcement, which was part of the MBA Roundtable 2011 Curricular Innovation Symposium. “We were the only Canadian school selected as a finalist, and it’s a prestigious group to be up against. It’s a set of finalists who are all being truly innovative in their programs.”
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
“This contest is really about identifying ‘disruptive innovations’: those innovations that change the frames of reference, that shift thinking in how programs are run,” said Mr. Comber. “The fact that our Corporate Residency program is direct entry—which is not the norm—and builds leadership with the Personal and Professional Effectiveness curriculum gives us a unique approach.”
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 program’s support for direct entry—not the norm at most schools—and its Personal and Professional Effectiveness curriculum add to its innovative approach.
“With older generations starting to move on from the workforce, there’s a need for younger employees to have the skills to quickly move through the ranks and take on leadership roles,” adds Mr. Comber. “We’re really focused on helping high-caliber students to go further, faster.”