Two years ago, global management
consulting firm A.T. Kearney and its then chairman and CEO, Fred
G. Steingraber, '64, decided to endow a professorship at Chicago
GSB. Because of the long-standing relationship between the GSB and
A.T. Kearney, establishing a chair in strategic management seemed
the ideal way to honor the firm's 75th anniversary in 2001.
At Gleacher Center in May, 100 individuals from both institutions
celebrated the inauguration of the Fred G. Steingraber-A.T. Kearney
Chair of Organizations and Strategy--the GSB's first endowed professorship
in strategic management. Guests of honor included Steingraber,
who is now the firm's chairman emeritus, and Professor Toby E.
Stuart, the first to hold the new chair. He was appointed last
summer.
"As long as this university exists, professors will succeed
to this chair," said then dean Robert S. Hamada. "They
will vindicate the faith of its donors in our mission of teaching
and research, and they will bear witness to the names and to the
vision and to the generosity of its donors."
Hamada thanked Steingraber for
his service to the GSB as well as for his gift. In addition to
being a member of the GSB council since 1987, Steingraber chaired
his class's 30th reunion and participated in task forces on how
to incorporate technology into the GSB's new integrated campus
and how to launch the Barcelona campus. Further, Steingraber was
recognized in 1996 for his accomplishments in business with the
school's Distinguished Corporate Alumnus and Distinguished Alumnus
awards.
"Your career has been such a great model for our students,"
added Hamada. "You showed everybody how a boy from Minneapolis--with
all of your higher education from Midwestern universities--could
turn your intellect, your imagination, and your experience into
successful international business in Europe."
Steingraber spoke next, focusing on the relationship between
the GSB and A.T. Kearney, which draws about 15 to 20 percent of
its annual hires from the GSB. "Both of our organizations
share a passion for the business theory that changes business
practice," he said, referring to the establishment of the
chair as "a tangible symbol [of] our shared philosophy."
Steingraber also had high praise for Stuart. "Professor
Stuart is indeed an outstanding scholar, indeed a leading thinker,"
Steingraber said. "It's no accident his classes are absolutely
overflowing, not just in terms of attendance... but also in terms
of the participation and enthusiasm of students."
Stuart became a full professor in 2000, just five years into
his academic career--about half the time usually required to achieve
that position. His influence and leadership, said Hamada, made
Stuart the ideal choice for the chair and set the standard for
future appointees.
Stuart called the named professorship a "truly great honor"
and a "tribute that brings me tremendous pride." He
also commented that A.T. Kearney, like the GSB, is an institution
that "prides itself on thought leadership and generating
new ideas that fundamentally change executive management."--K.S.
See also:
Career
Highlights of Fred G. Steingraber
An Overview
of Research by Toby E. Stuart
