Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/56539
From the Editors Seven Years Ago Today… In March 2002, was in its first year of publication. As I look back at that month's issue, I find it interesting to revisit the topics that were on the minds of educators just seven years ago. The look back provides a little perspective on how quickly things can change. In March 2002, for example, BizEd published its first feature on the doctoral short- age. Educators were concerned, but still not galvanized. Limited budgets, they said, made it difficult to grow existing doctoral programs or launch new ones. A school's best scenario, one dean joked, was to hope other schools produced more doctorates. We've returned to the topic in this issue's "The State of the Doctor- ate," to learn where the doctoral shortage stands today. The executive doctorate—a relative rarity in some parts of the world, including the U.S.— is gaining ground. In August 2002, CENTRUM Católica in Lima, Peru, launched its DBA program with the Maastricht School of Management in The Netherlands. Since then, two other schools have announced plans to welcome executives for doctoral study in September. Georgia State Univer- sity in Atlanta will accept students to its Executive Doctorate in Business program. Kennesaw State University, also in Georgia, will welcome 15 can- didates to pursue their Doctorates in Business Administration. Schools in AACSB International's Bridge to Business program also are training PhDs from the social sciences to transition into business scholar- ship. Business schools still have work to do, but "we've made a good start," says Rich Sorensen, dean of Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business. In March 2002, we also published our first feature on the accounting profession. The field of accounting was "broken," argued author W. Steve Albrecht, as fewer students saw the value in accounting degrees. Seven years later, Tim Flynn, CEO of accounting firm KPMG, tells us how far the field has come. Accounting is stronger than ever, he says, because accountants realize the critical role they play in business. What a difference seven years can make. Our first issue was published a few short weeks after September 11, 2001, a date that still echoes through our articles. Businesses and business schools everywhere continue to grapple with its aftermath. But other issues that were so urgent in 2002 have been overshadowed by the remarkable—and dizzy- ing—changes we've seen in the last few months. Then again, even crises that reach their boiling points will cool as governments, schools, organizations, and individuals work together toward solutions. What will we be talking about in 2016, when we look back to March 2009? We'll no doubt be dissecting the failures of this moment in history. We'll be studying the most creative and effective solutions devised by a group of new leaders—many of whom are sitting in business classrooms today. We'll be gearing up for new challenges and changes. And let's hope we can say of the problems business and society face, "We've made a good start." ■ z 6 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2009 BizEd RAQUITA HENDERSON