Thursday, May 14, 2009

GSM News & Summer Reading

Earlier today, I received a nice shout-out from the assistant director of the Davis GSM asking to feature my blog in their newsletter. Of course, I adamantly refused! Haha..j/k. It's pretty awesome to know that what started out as my attempt to re-invigorate my writing skills (while potentially awakening a few dormant brain cells) and chronicle my b-school journey has generated much interest from both prospective and newly admitted MBA students. As I continue this trek, I hope to shed a much more vibrant light on the GSM and highlight the amazing opportunities I'll have along the way. Remember that whether you choose a full-time or part-time program, your MBA experience is truly what you make of it. Getting an MBA is great, but relishing in the experience is priceless! I, for one, intend to take full advantage of most of what's being offered and then some.

On a related note, I am excited that the GSM will welcome our new Dean, Steven Currall, who hails from the prestigious London Business School and University College London. He also packs an impressive background in entrepreneurship and innovation. But I do have to confess that I'm going to miss our current Dean Nicole Woolsey Biggart for a couple good reasons. Firstly, I'm not too familiar with female deans, so whoo hoo! for amazing female business leaders. And secondly, she also has a sociology background, which I find so refreshing to the b-school environment. Last year, she was honored by the Aspen Institute with a Faculty Pioneer Award (dubbed as the Oscars for the business world) for her exceptional commitment to incorporating social and environmental issues into academic research & management education. She even donated her honorarium to Davis' Net Impact. This just goes to show how committed the GSM is to ensuring that corporate social responsibility is not just a fad, but an integral pillar in business education and that the school is also dedicated to educating socially-minded business leaders who will use their MBA to meet the challenges of a strained and vastly interconnected globalized economy.

Nonetheless, I'm hopeful that under Dean Currall's leadership, the GSM will receive a tremendous boost in elevating its global appeal. Already, the UC Davis GSM is the youngest and one of the smallest programs to be globally ranked in the Top 50 for 14 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report and we're also 25th among public universities! And, according to the Financial Times, we're ranked #2 in the world for Organizational Behavior. However, in my book, the most significant attribute of the GSM is its ongoing commitment to remaining small and intimate. I attended a very large undergraduate institution and I knew that I really didn't want the lecture-style set-up in a b-school; I guess I finally figured out my learning style and the conditions under which I thrive...I know, it's about time!

Another great thing the GSM sent me was their summer reading list. No, it's not mandatory, but purely a compilation of recommendations from the GSM community. In this spirit, I also came up with my own summer reads that I hope to pick up very soon!


1. More than Money by Mark Albion








2. Uncharitable by Dan Pallotta









3. How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas by David Bornstein






4. Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits by Leslie Crutchfield & Heather McLeod Grant

6 comments:

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HangginAround said...

Chandara,

I'm still reading "How to change the world". I borrowed it from a Cal Corps staff a few years ago and I never returned it. It's a great read, but I kept putting it off. The book has short stories about social entrepreneurs (mostly defined by Ashoka's standards) and how these people market their ideas. These social entrepreneurs are from all over the world (ex. james grant, florence nightingale, bill drayton) and from different time period (1800s to present). I highly recommend reading this book. It's applicable to all fields.

Andrew Choi said...

Great list of summer readings! More than Money and Albion definitely came at a crucial time in my MBA career. Should add Dr. Yunus's Creating a World Without Poverty if you have the time.

- Andrew

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