This column, written by capital campaign co-chairs Dennis Keller, ’68, and Andrew Alper, A.B. ’80, M.B.A. ’81, highlights campaign supporters, events, and news and will provide a guide to the campaign coverage found
elsewhere in each issue. “From the Chairs” will be a regular feature for the duration of the campaign.
As the capital campaign continues in its first months, we are pleased to report great success. Several individuals have brought us closer to our $175 million, five-year goal with their generous gifts. One such alumnus, David Booth, ’71, pledged $10 million this spring to help fund the GSB’s new integrated campus. Booth is chairman and CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors, Santa Monica, California. (To read more about Booth and his decision to support the GSB, see “Behind the Campaign.”) Many other committed individuals have come forward to support the campaign and its objectives.
Focus on Faculty
Beginning in this letter, we’d like to highlight the components of the campaign to give you an idea of why we’ve embarked on this ambitious––and crucial––journey. A key element of the GSB Campaign is support for faculty. The indispensable basis for our future achievement is people––students and faculty who demonstrate intellectual agility and uncommon desire for knowledge. It is our faculty––the finest among all business schools––that ensure we retain our superb reputation. We must have the resources to continue to attract and retain the very best researchers and teachers, and securing these resources is a critical component of the GSB Campaign.
Recruiting and retention issues for faculty are no different from those in other professions: Who else is on the team? How much support is there? What kind of commitment is being offered? The best minds in the country, whether they are newly minted Ph.D.’s or senior faculty, can hold out for the right answers to those questions. They demand competitive salaries, academic freedom, opportunities for growth, students who challenge as much as they are challenged, adequate facilities, research support, interdepartmental stimuli, and the recognition of gifted colleagues.
To meet and exceed current and prospective faculty members’ expectations in these areas, we must increase the number of endowed professorships and fellowships in all disciplines. At present, the school has 41 professorships that are fully funded or in the process of being funded. The campaign goal is to secure at least 50 professorships. (To read more about recent appointments to named professorships, see “Focus On: Faculty.”)
In the last few years, we have had extraordinary success in recruiting top faculty in finance and marketing. By retaining these recruits, Chicago GSB will dominate those fields for the next several decades. By duplicating that success in other fields, we can secure our status as the preeminent business school for years to come.
Now that we’ve launched the campaign, we hope you’ll look for ways that you can be involved as together we make history for the GSB. For more information, contact Karen Gaillard at 773.834.0319.
To learn more about the campaign, take a look
at the related stories in this issue:
New Name Announced for Annual Fund
Alumni Support Capital Campaign
Focus On: Faculty
