Letter From the Chairs

Building the Strength of the GSB

Published: February 1, 2007

In October, BusinessWeek biennial rankings placed Chicago first among U.S. full-time MBA programs. This is certainly worth celebrating, but our strength does not come from any single number or from any ranking. Chicago GSB’s strength comes from the shared mission’s and efforts of many:

  • deans and volunteer leaders over the decades with the foresight and acumen to guide the school through growth and change while sustaining core values and excellence;
  • a faculty that exemplifies the best in teacherscholars in many different disciplines;
  • a student community rich in diversity and unafraid of challenges in the classroom or in the workplace; and
  • a truly global alumni base of entrepreneurs and corporate and civic leaders connected across some 94 countries.
Those are the Chicago GSB numbers that make our degree distinctive.And those numbers are made stronger by the generous support of numerous contributors to the GSB Campaign. Recent gift highlights include:
  • Faculty competitiveness. On page 12 Chuck McQuaid, ’76, comments on establishing the Charles P.McQuaid Professorship. John Mutch, ’97 (EXP-2), and MV Advisors recently established an endowed faculty research fund for corporate governance.
  • Student support. Amy Wallman, ’75, and Richard Wallman, ’74, have pledged $1.2 million to ensure future generations of students benefit from the Chicago Approach. Bruce Rigal, ’89; Luis Miranda, ’89; and professor emeritus Marvin Zonis, along with other supporters, have made multiyear commitments to launch the Zonis International Scholars Fund. Peter Thompson, ’00, established an endowed scholarship fund.
  • Research and learning centers. On pages 10–11 you’ll read about two new faculty-led endeavors. The CME Trust helped launch the Initiative on Global Financial Markets, and council member John “Mac” McQuown provided seed money for the Initiative on Growth and Operational Excellence.
  • Facilities. The Steiner Family (Corky, ’67, Ellen, and Rick Steiner, ’70) named a faculty conference room. Leon Wagner, ’77, increased his pledge to name the Leon M. Wagner Meeting Room on the second floor of the Hyde Park Center.
  • GSB Fund.Members of the Council on the Graduate School of Business contributed more than $1 million to last year’s unrestricted annual fund, setting a new record for council participation.
Thanks to all of you who have made Chicago GSB’s numbers so impressive. The bar graph below tells the tale: strong fundraising progress and growing resources for faculty, students, and facilities. That’s true strength in numbers!