Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/63421
Perhaps the most valuable GESTURE a dean can make to foster engagement with BAC members is a personal visit at least once a year. panel discussions that other members, faculty, and possibly students can attend. Provide tickets to campus athletic and cultural events. Take members on tours of new facilities dur- ing the construction phase. Such exclusive treatment costs lit- tle but is highly valued by BAC members, who in turn help spread the word about your new facilities. Before our business school opened its newest building, we Rules of Engagement The most essential, and most elusive, element of a BAC is a sense of engagement among its members. At best, bored, underutilized members may resign. At worst, a failure to engage BAC members may hurt an institution's reputation in the business community. To foster a sense of engagement among BAC members, not only gave business leaders a tour; we also gave them hard hats bearing the school's logo. Keepsake gifts such as paper- weights, sweatshirts, or a framed group photo of a BAC acknowledge the time of the members. Moreover, these are items that members will proudly display in their homes or offices, a perfect marketing opportunity for a school. Perhaps the most valuable gesture a dean can make to make sure that members are encouraged to contribute during the meetings. Be sure minutes are recorded for each meeting. At the next meeting, return to the topics that were raised pre- viously and let members know which suggestions were put into action, which ones were not, and why. BAC members want to know that their input is valued and making a differ- ence. BAC members also want to network with other mem- bers, so make sure time is built into every meeting for infor- mal conversations. And while a close attention to detail is always important to foster engagement with members is a personal visit at least once a year. If that's infeasible, then make a personal phone call. In this way, the dean and the school bond one-on-one with BAC members, find out if the BAC is meeting the indi- vidual's expectations, and build their personal allegiances with the school. a dean, it's perhaps even more so when working with a BAC. Not only must you make the best use of BAC members' time, but you also must make the experience as enjoyable for them as it is beneficial to your school. Moreover, BAC members will be assessing your institution and, by association, your graduates, by their experiences on the BAC. It doesn't take a large oversight to compromise a BAC meeting; in fact, even the most trivial details can have a last- ing effect. Therefore, make sure that the smallest details of the meeting—from communicating the meeting's purpose beforehand, to limiting the number of guests, to arranging for parking, food, hotel rooms, campus tours, and faculty interaction—are in place. Such planning is the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises and offer a successful forum for members. Beyond BAC meetings, a business school should show its appreciation for members' input by keeping them informed, involved, and remembered. Send out a dean's newsletter as a simple yet significant way to keep members apprised of new programs and research, awards and honors, and student achievement. Invite two to three members to participate in 44 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 Valuable Opportunities I've learned firsthand that it is difficult to specify or anticipate all the potential benefits a BAC can provide. At one meeting, for instance, I mentioned that the market for student intern- ships seemed to have fallen; a member who was also the pres- ident of a professional organization in Boston put out the word. By week's end, eight companies had contacted us about possible internships for our students. During another meeting, we asked for our members' input about our business school's new master of science degree in information tech- nology. One of our members—the CEO of a software com- pany—was so excited about the program that she offered to be included in our promotional brochures. Such opportunities can easily arise from a well-struc- tured, perpetually cultivated BAC—and these opportunities can't easily be found through other means. No matter what your school's goals are, its BAC should be an asset, not a lia- bility. Without the proper time and attention, a BAC will founder. A BAC, however, that is aligned with a school's mission, meets the expectations of its members, and gives those members a stake in the school's success becomes an indispensable, strategic asset for the school and well worth the time and effort. ■ z Patricia Flynn is a trustee professor of economics and management and former dean of the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.