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initiative that will focus on research, faculty development, and joint educa- tion programs. The primary fields will be management, strategy, and fi- nance, with special attention given to the insurance, banking and asset management area. s ESSEC Business School in Paris recently collaborated on a conference with the Women's Forum for the Economy & Society. A white paper summarizing the conference pro- ceedings is expected to be published shortly. To encour- age greater numbers of women to attend executive MBA pro- grams, ESSEC also plans a cycle of conferences to ad- dress issues specific to women in business, such as how to network and how to break the glass ceiling. s Three schools—IESE in Barcelona, Spain; Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts; and CEIBS in Shang- hai—have joined academic forces to develop the Global CEO Program for China. The program, which runs from February to June, will help CEOs in China prepare for the global economy. The first two modules will be held at CEIBS; one of the next two will be held at IESE and the other at Harvard. Some 20 business cases on China will be produced as a result of the program. OTHER NEWS s The Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut, have an- nounced a new joint MBA/Ph.D. degree program. This combined program recognizes the applicability of the Ph.D. degree beyond the uni- versity, as well as the increasing need for new doctorates to practice so- phisticated management analysis. Students will complete requirements for both degrees in roughly seven years, and the degrees will be awarded simultaneously. s The Wharton School of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has announced the creation of the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service, which is de- signed to encourage Wharton MBAs to pursue careers in the public and not-for- profit sectors. Awards from the fund will be used to help cover the cost of the MBA graduates' educational debt obligations. The fund was established by a $2.5 million grant from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation, which is directed by Wharton alumni John Bendheim and his son, Thomas L. Bendheim. s The College of William and Mary School of Business in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been named the Mason School of Business to honor alumnus Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, who is chairman, president and CEO of Legg Mason Inc. Mason was instrumental in the creation of the School of Business in 1967-68 and has made substantial gifts to the school's faculty, pro- grams, and building campaign, par- ticularly during the school's current $100 million fund-raising effort. s Peter A. Petri, founding dean of the International Business School at Bran- deis University in Waltham, Massa- chusetts, has announced he will step down next year after 12 years at the school's helm. He plans to return to the school's faculty as a professor at the end of the 2005-06 academic year. s A new publication from Ashridge Busi- ness School, based in the U.K., provides an overview of what corporate social responsibility means for individuals and organizations. Catalog of CSR Activities: A Broad Overview divides 147 CSR activities into 32 classes and seven main activities and offers real- life examples of those activities. It can be downloaded as a PDF from www.ashridge.com/acbas. s Towson University in Maryland has been designated a University Cen- ter by the Economic Development Administration, a component of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The designation comes with an award of $100,000. In partnership with TEDCO, Maryland's Technol- ogy Development Corporation, Towson University will apply tech- nology transfer programs to help companies located in distressed areas. s The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business in College Park has announced plans for extensive upgrades and renova- tions on the Smith School facilities. Groundbreaking is slated for this sum- mer and completion is planned for Octo- ber 2007. The new annex will add approximately 38,000 square feet to the Smith School's existing 200,000 square feet of space. s z BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 17