The Ross School of Business is one of the two best business schools in the world for integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its MBA program, according to the Aspen Institute's 2007-08 Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. "Compared to other business schools in our survey, Michigan offers a truly extraordinary number of courses featuring relevant content and does a truly extraordinary job in those courses explicitly addressing how mainstream business improves the world," said Rich Leimsider, director of the Aspen Institute Center for Business Education.

In addition to its overall No. 2 ranking the Ross School also ranked first for faculty research and fourth in course content. Ross School Dean Robert Dolan says that social and environmental responsibility is a cornerstone of the school's broad-based management education led by world-class faculty. "It's gratifying to see our faculty celebrated for integrating issues of social responsibility and environmentally sustainable business into their teaching and research," he said. "In our approach to leadership education, we emphasize that our students will need to address these issues in their careers, whether they work in the public, private or nonprofit sectors—or all three."

The Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey found that the Ross School offers more than 50 courses in 10 different academic areas, along with some 30 activities (seminars, internships, competitions, clubs, centers, etc.) that integrate social, environmental or ethical perspectives. The Ross School is home to the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, Center for International Business Education and the William Davidson Institute's Global Impact Internship Program. In addition, core and elective courses noted in the survey included Applied Microeconomics, Human Behavior and Organization, Non-Market Strategy, and Finance and the Sustainable Enterprise.

The complete ranking of the Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2007-08 "Global 100" business schools can be found at www.beyondgreypinstripes.org.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Each year the Ross Partners Club invites the children of Ross students to the school for a Halloween party. The children and their parents gather in the main lobby of the Executive Residence and then parade through the school in their costumes accepting treats from Ross staff. This year’s parade ended at a classroom where the children were rewarded with Halloween goodies. Dean Dolan made a special guest appearance to welcome the children and pass out treats to the little ones. The trick-or-treating pirate in the center of the picture is Yutaro Onishi, son of Ichiro Onishi of AOI Electronics and the Global MBA Class of 2008.

For many of our students, this holiday is an entirely new but enjoyable experience as it affords them an opportunity to develop friendships with fellow MBA students with children. The event is a delight for the entire Ross community.

For the first time in Ross Global MBA history, a husband and wife team have joined the program in the same year. As members of the Class of 2008, Mr. Joo Sang Lee of Fairchild Semiconductor and Ms. Kyoung Joo Park of Lee International are the first married couple to enter the program. Of course married couples have never been discouraged from applying, but as yet, it just has not happened. They are now halfway through their program so we talked to the Lee’s to find out what they think of their endeavor. 

Along with their acceptance to the University, they accepted many other changes in their lives. They left full-time employment to become full-time students; they left their home in Seoul to move to dormitories in Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing; they left late night business meetings for late night studying; they left Asia to move halfway around the world to join the session in Ann Arbor. With so many changes is such a short time, feelings of uncertainty and nervousness would not be surprising, but that is far from the case with the Lee’s. Both Joo Sang and Kyoung Joo seem truly happy to be here. They enjoy the program, they are excited about the courses, they are thrilled with their colleagues, and they feel as comfortable here in Ann Arbor as they did at home in Seoul.

Joo Sang stated that he is very happy with the program and that the best part is the Ann Arbor session. He is impressed with the variety of elective course offerings and the preparedness of the professors. In addition, he cherishes the time outside of the classroom that he gets to spend with his family. He is grateful for the many opportunities around campus which allow them to experience American culture. Joo Sang was impressed with the professors who taught the core citing their professionalism and organization skills, but he has been most impressed with Professor CK Prahalad who taught his Strategy elective. Joo Sang stated, “He really makes you think about things you never considered before. There is so much opportunity for change.” Joo Sang’s undergraduate program in Engineering did not expose him to the action-learning philosophy employed at Ross and he welcomes the change.

Kyoung Joo believes the session in Asia is the highlight of the program. The couple is pictured above after making it to the top of the Great Wall of China during the cultural tour in April. As an attorney, Kyoung Joo’s job required frequent trips to Japan. She had many opportunities to travel to and conduct business in Japan, however, she feels her experience in the Global MBA Program enriched her understanding and knowledge of the Japanese culture far more than any previous business encounters. Through the session in Japan, Kyoung Joo and her classmates were exposed to Japanese cultural sites and businesses, but it was the daily interaction—studying and living with classmates—that exposed her to true Japanese hospitality and allowed her to learn about specific Japanese traits. She is also learning about the Taiwanese culture through shared experiences with classmates. Kyoung Joo stated, “The session in Asia allowed me to build relationships with the other students and the professors. This is already a precious memory that I will never forget.”  Of course, Kyoung Joo is also enjoying life in Ann Arbor both at school and at home with her family.

In Ann Arbor, the Lee family has had opportunities to see some popular US cities for the first time. They have enjoyed a trip along the east coast visiting New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. They were excited to see sites they had only seen on television and they were surprised at the friendliness shown to them throughout their trip. At right, Joo Sang and Kyoung Joo pose with their daughters at Niagara Falls in New York and their daughters are shown in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. They also had the opportunity to take short trips to popular sites around Michigan. The family is planning another short vacation during the Christmas recess at the end of December. For this trip, they are considering a southern destination popular for sunshine and warmer temperatures. 

We recently heard from Daisuke Shoji of the SPARX Group and the Global MBA Class of 2003 about the birth of his first child, a handsome and healthy son. Daisuke is pictured here with Tomomi, his wife, holding their son Iyori. Iyori is a traditional but rare Japanese name meaning brave and trustworthy among people. Daisuke and Tomomi are happily meeting the demands of parenthood. We were happy to hear from the Shoji's and wish them well as they nurture a future Ross MBA. Congratulations! 

The EAMDC staff would like to wish you a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year!