Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62199
AUCKLAND'S NEW B-SCHOOL: As one part of a comprehensive initiative to raise its profile in New Zealand, the University of Auckland plans to build a state-of-the-art facility, designed by New Zealand firm Archimedia and Australian firm MGT. The new building will include 24- hour computer labs that provide access to a variety of electronic databases, new lecture theaters, collaborative working spaces, cafes and gathering spaces, and an expanded graduate school of business. Construction will begin this year. members, and alumni to the idea, the school now has a new name, the University of Alberta School of Business, and a new logo. A stylized brush-stroked letter "A" that evokes a picture of a mountain with the prairie beneath it, the logo is a much more appropriate symbol to represent the school's mission, believes Percy. "The 'A' in the new logo stands for 'achieve- ment' and for the mountains in this region. It's a break with tradition, and it's much less generic," he says. "Choosing a new name and logo was only part of a broad- After the long process of winning university officials, board er range of initiatives," Percy adds. Those initiatives include a plan to develop a niche MBA program in the natural energy industry, as well as to bolster the university's image in Canada and abroad. "We were repositioning ourselves in the market," he adds. "The new logo and change of name were all related to that effort." A Source for Change All schools want to contribute to their countries' economies, but for the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand, this goal has become paramount. It plans to become a premier provider of business education for New Zealand, raising not only its profile, but also the standing of New Zealand's small business sector. "The first Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that tributions up to $25 million. With these funds, the univer- sity has launched the development of its International Centre for Entrepreneurship (The "Icehouse"), which will link the university to eight leading international firms, including Microsoft, Compaq, and the Bank of New Zealand. "The objective of the Icehouse is to use the combined tal- ents of the partners to promote research and research- informed business innovation," says Spicer. "It will also involve identifying potential innovators and entrepreneurs and supporting them to take their ideas to market." In addition, the funding will also go toward new academ- ic programs, as well as a new state-of-the-art facility that incorporates teamwork-oriented learning spaces, computer laboratories, gathering areas, and an expanded graduate school of business. "There has been a groundswell of business support in New Zealand for a top-flight business school. It has reinforced our early view that it is important to have an ambitious vision that can excite the imagination of the people and ignite action," notes Spicer. "This is the first time that any such deal, of this scale, has been arranged in New Zealand. We hope it will set a new pattern of binding together business and government with the university, so that together we can create a founda- tion for the knowledge economy in New Zealand." New Zealand has one of the highest levels of business start- ups in the world. The problem is, we also have one of the worst rates of growing these startups into significant busi- nesses," says Barry Spicer, dean of the business school at the University of Auckland. "Our challenge is to develop pro- grams that will produce management talent able to provide stable and mature corporate leadership. This will enhance New Zealand's capacity to win and retain global investor con- fidence, as well as to expand its offerings for a new generation of small business owners." To accomplish this, says Spicer, regional officials realized that they needed a well-recognized business school to lead the charge, and they turned to the University of Auckland for the task. The private sector is contributing to the school's facelift, and the government is matching those con- A Mission and a Method Only a few elite business schools enjoy the star power of being big fish in a big pond. But that doesn't mean that smaller business schools must necessarily be overshadowed. Instead, through efforts to raise their profiles, schools are becoming "big fish" in their local arenas and building from there. The fact that so many schools are finding success indicates that there is room in the market for any school willing to pur- sue excellence in ways that are unique to its particular culture and mission. In the end, which schools succeed and which fail will depend on what niche they can fill in the marketplace, and what unique story they can tell to the public, says Jenkins of Miami University. "State budgets have been cut significantly in the last two or three years because of the economy, so it has become necessary for business schools to generate more revenue from private dollars," Jenkins stresses. "The ability to gen- erate private funding is partially based on the kind of story a business school can tell. If a school cannot tell a com- pelling story of excellence, one that shows how it is devel- oping and contributing to business, it will be at a compet- itive disadvantage." ■ z BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2003 49