Vanderbilt business school students can access the same rigorous leadership training as corporate executives thanks to a new partnership between the Owen Graduate School of Management and Korn/Ferry International.
The alliance is the first of its kind between a graduate business school and the top talent-management firm. The program incorporates practices and tools to build the students’ proficiencies in 15 competencies to promote competitive advantage. The new arrangement builds on Owen’s Leadership Development Program, which incorporates such training across the full two years of the MBA curriculum.
“Leadership is critical for every level of every business today,” said Owen Dean Jim Bradford. “While its mix of tangible and intangible elements can make it challenging to teach, it should be part of a business curriculum just as finance or operations are, so students are ready to take the reins from the moment they graduate.
“Vanderbilt MBA graduates – already cited by recruiters for their leadership – will now have a considerable edge in the competitive global job market due to training far beyond that available through any other business school,” Bradford said.
Los Angeles-based Korn/Ferry is a premier global provider of talent management solutions helping clients attract, develop, retain and sustain their talent. Robert McNabb, executive vice president, said the new partnership “presents an unprecedented and exciting opportunity for Korn/Ferry to work with future business leaders at the earliest stages of their careers.
“By applying every tool at our disposal, we can help give Vanderbilt MBA students a head start on navigating their futures and positioning themselves against measures currently in use at a corporate level,” McNabb said.
Launched in 2005, Vanderbilt’s MBA Leadership Development Program integrates corporate leadership development activities into the MBA curriculum, giving graduates a head start in preparing for long-term success as business leaders.
More information is available at www.kornferry.com or www.kornferryinstitute.com. For more information about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu.
Media contact: Jennifer Johnston (615) 322-NEWS
Jennifer.johnston@vanderbilt.edu