Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62215
Headlines Doctoral Crisis Looms, Says Commission The Doctoral Faculty Commission of AACSB International has released its report on the shortage of doctoral candi- dates for business degrees, and the news isn't good. The commission believes that, unless decisive action is taken to reverse declines in business doctoral education, universities will be faced with an inevitable erosion in the quality of business education and research. In turn, that erosion could lead to a generation of ill-prepared corporate leaders with incomplete business skills and inadequate leader- ship training, who will be at risk of making poor business decisions. The DFC, which was appointed by AACSB's Board of Directors, studied the problem for nearly a year before releasing its report, "Sustain- ing Scholarship in Business Schools." Members of the commission con- ducted extensive research, examined historical data, and projected de- mand for doctoral faculty by business schools. They concluded that, if steps are not taken now to make up for the deficit, within five years the U.S. shortage of business Ph.D.s could be greater than 1,100. In ten years, it could exceed 2,400. They also noted that the production of doctorates in business and manage- ment is down 7 percent since 1996; the five largest producers of business doctorates have reduced their output by nearly 30 percent combined. Carolyn Woo, chair of the Board of Directors of AACSB International and dean, Mendoza College of Busi- ness, University of Notre Dame, says, "The real threat is to the very core of collegiate business schools and institutions of higher educa- tion—scholarship. Any diminishment 8 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003 of our shared objective to advance such knowledge will be a threat to the eventual academic legitimacy of our discipline and compromise our ability to serve students and other constituents." To combat the crisis, the DFC ernment sources worldwide should be identified and lobbied for in- creased support. In addition to Olian, members of shortage also will rely on increased levels of public and private funding, maintains DFC's chair, Judy Olian, dean of The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Ad- ministration, The Pennsylvania State University. Currently Na- tional Science Foundation (NSF) funding for key science, engineer- ing, and social science initiatives is more than $2.2 billion, but less than $10 million is directed to business schools. Olian sug- gests the NSF and similar gov- The solution to the doctoral veloping post-doctoral and bridge programs, expanding doctoral pro- grams for executives, legitimizing al- ternative faculty tracks, and clarifying recommends: ■ Attracting alternative sources by de- initiating new funding from federal, corporate, and joint sources; recom- mending National Research Council rankings of business schools; and growing the size of existing Ph.D. professionally qualified standards. ■ Increasing production of Ph.D.s by programs. ■ Promoting business Ph.D.s to prospec- tive students through improved marketing of Ph.D. programs, development of dedicated recruit- ment channels, and special funding the DFC include Stuart I. Feldman, vice president of internet technology, IBM Global Services; Howard Frank, dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland; Daniel R. LeClair, direc- tor of knowledge services, AACSB International; Bernard J. Milano, president and trustee of KPMG Foundation; Jone L. Pearce, interim dean, Graduate School of Manage- ment, University of California, Irvine; Stephen R. Watson, principal, Henley Management College; and Doyle Z. Williams, dean, Sam M. Walton College of Business, Univer- sity of Arkansas. The report of the DFC is merely a possibly through test use of consortia models, use of technology to reduce costs, and sharing information about best practices. for highly qualified applicants. ■ Fostering innovation in Ph.D. delivery, first step in bringing attention to the issue's importance. "AACSB Inter- national will play a leadership role by facilitating dialogue with university provosts, presidents, and business leaders," says Woo. "It is a global effort, supported by the major man- agement education associations around the world." The DFC's complete report can be viewed on the Web at www.aacsb.edu.