Stanford Graduate School of Business
Historically, business schools have focused on making a profit. At Stanford, a unique program challenges that idea. The joint MA / MBA in Education and Business Administration is a collaboration between Stanford College of Education (GSE) and the College of Business (GSB) —and it is an “unlikely” collaboration that requires two very different fields to join forces and flourish.
Michael Kirst, professor emeritus at GSE and former professor (courtesy) at Stanford GSB, oversaw the launch of the program in 1969. He went on to direct it for more than 30 years. In an interview with Stanford GSE News, he followed the development of the program.
“The story of this program is truly a story of perseverance and change,” Kirst notes. “It took a lot of will on the part of the two schools to make that happen at all - and to change how the area changed, and how students’ interests developed. And it’s still blooming. “
CONCERTED EFFORT
The joint program allows students to graduate with both an MA and an MBA in just two years. Students place a full load on both GSB and GSE, in addition to summer internship or independent study.
On the surface, business schools have very different values from educational schools. Business students learn to maximize profits and shareholder value, while education students learn to focus on social responsibility and civic leadership.
“There’s usually not much affinity and interaction between education and business schools,” says Kirst. “Educational schools often have reservations about business and its motives for making a profit, and business schools have reservations about the quality of educational schools. Traditionally, there have been no very close ties between the two, and in general that is still the case. “
When the joint program began, Stanford GSB had an ambitious vision. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, the then dean of the GSB, Arjai Miller, wanted to redirect education in the B-school so that it would focus on both social responsibility and corporate interests. His solution? Launch a public governance program at the GSB. “A strong partnership with the school of education” fit in where they are [GSB] “Let’s go,” says Kirst. “And building a program with a business school has really expanded what we were able to provide on our own.
When the joint degree program was officially launched, it was originally created as a Master in Educational Administration (MEA) before being changed to a joint MA / MBA program. The change was a significant change that helped graduates look more attractive to potential employers in education - from charter schools to beginners in education.
“If [employers] could get someone with an MBA and an MA in education, that was gold, ”says Kirst.
With all the differences between business and education, it seems that Stanford has finally managed to find a common language.
“The business and education worlds are different but interconnected, and living in both has allowed me to see that there are solutions that are not unique to any sector,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, a 1995 graduate and now CEO of Futuro Health. and, he says. “If you’re going to work on reshaping education, you have to be able to bridge these two worlds.”
It is a type of bridging the two worlds that is not very common in many schools. In fact, according to GSE professor emeritus Deborah Stipek, that is exactly what makes Stanford Stanford.
“One thing I’ve always experienced at Stanford is the culture of collaboration between different schools and departments,” says Stipek, who was also dean of GSE from 2001 to 2014. “I think that’s one of the reasons Stanford could have done this, where not many other universities would have done it - even if they tried, and most didn’t.”
Sources: Stanford Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Business
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