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SPECIAL FOCUS Customizable A corporate recruiters by offering flexible curricula that allow students to personalize their degrees. schools meet the changing demands of both graduates and Business BY SHARON SHINN series of corporate scandals, the economic meltdown, and a rising chorus of voices criticizing the value of business education have compelled management educators to start re-evaluating individual courses and entire programs. Over the past five years, a number of major play- ers—like Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, and Wharton—have revised or completely over- hauled their curricula, and the trend continues among business schools worldwide. Overwhelmingly, schools are emphasizing flexibility in their revamped programs, encour- aging students to take electives outside of the business school and tailor their degrees to their own personal interests. Says James Ellis, dean of the Marshall School of Business at the Uni- versity of Southern California in Los Angeles, "We want to give students a chance to control their own destinies. There are certain things business students have to learn, like accounting and finance and marketing, but beyond that, they can take the ball and run with it. We're out of the lockstep business and into the cus- tomization business." 32 September/October 2011 BizEd Curriculum The DAVE CUTLER