Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/233379
THE POWER OF 'AND' Peter Henry Dean, New York University Stern School of Business New York City D uring my first year as dean in 2010, I heard a recurring concern from MBA students, who said they felt intense pressure to focus on their job searches very early in the program. That pressure left them little time to reflect on how they could create value in the world. I wanted to send them a different message, one based on "and" rather than "or." I wanted them to understand that doing well and doing good need not be discrete activities: Our students can become investment bankers and do great things in the world. They can become entrepreneurs and serve emerging markets. I also wanted them to have time to explore how they can create value for themselves and their organizations and the world before the realities of recruiting took hold. Our faculty agreed that giving them this time would be worthwhile. Together, we decided to "flip" the MBA experience—just as many people talk about "flipping" the classroom—by reimagining our MBA orientation. During the spring and summer of 2011, Adam Brandenburger, professor of economics and strategy and now our vice dean of innovation, led a group of faculty, students, and administrators to design LAUNCH, a nine-day intellectual and experiential summit for all 390 of our incoming, full-time MBAs. Held for the first time in August 2011, LAUNCH tackles social issues from four perspectives: World, Business, City, and U. During its first three days—each devoted to one of the first three perspectives—students hear presen20 January/February 2014 BizEd tations and participate in breakout sessions. Past speakers have included Roger Ferguson, chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, who discussed the impact of globalization; and Cory Booker, now senator from New Jersey, who shared how he transformed challenges into economic opportunities as mayor of Newark. Faculty also create content for LAUNCH. For instance, marketing professor Scott Galloway created "9," an event where nine entrepreneurs, business leaders, and faculty give nine-minute TED-like talks. "9" features individuals like Elew, a New York musician who has established a brand for himself by playing the piano from the outside and the inside. Stories like Elew's show students how seeing problems from different perspectives can lead to innovative solutions. We devote the last six days of Pianist Elew performing at LAUNCH LAUNCH to the U theme, as we encourage students to think about their contributions to society. Students receive mentoring, hear from recent graduates, and learn about our student clubs and offices of career development and student engagement. They also dedicate time to Launch Pad, an activity in which they break into teams to produce and present videos, each highlighting a way to create value in the world. Students then vote on the projects they see as most promising. Launch Pad puts the mindset of the first three days into action. We bill LAUNCH as "An Education in Possible," which is the essence of our mission. For us, LAUNCH has become both noun and verb. As an event, it is the beginning of our MBA students' experience at Stern; it is also an active process that propels students onto a trajectory to explore how they can become more transformative leaders. To read the agenda of LAUNCH 2013, visit launch.stern. nyu.edu. Henry's next priority is to provide these opportunities to all qualified applicants, regardless of need. "In the United States," he says, "those born in the top quartile of income distribution have an 87 percent chance of going to college, while those born in the bottom quartile have only an 8 percent chance." By working on the school's scholarship strategy, he aims to change those odds.