Description
Abstract about executive ed offerings evolve to meet business needs.
Executive Ed Offerings Evolve to Meet
Business Needs
By: Jill Gambon, Special to the Journal
Reflecting the transformation that many industries have experienced as a result of the recession,
several area business schools have reshaped their executive education programs in the past year,
launching new courses, expanding online offerings and extending their reach overseas.
After the recession hit full force in late 2008, many executive education programs saw a raft of
cancellations as companies clamped down on spending. But business has slowly started to pick
up, according to some schools.
“We’re seeing more activity now than a year ago. Some budgets that were frozen have started to
thaw,” said Beth Cliff, director of executive education at Northeastern University.
Looking ahead, several business schools are planning to introduce new executive education
courses in the coming year. Boston University is adding new courses for pharmacy
professionals, project management for lawyers and a program targeting the clean-energy
industry.
Northeastern is exploring ways for the executive education program to join forces with the
university’s Social Enterprise Institute, which works with small business owners in developing
countries. And Babson College has plans for courses on how businesses can use social
networking and media as well as on corporate social responsibility.
In recent years, executive education programs at many business schools have been shifting away
from open enrollment classes to custom-designed courses related to an organization’s specific
goals or strategy. The recession, say several executive education directors, has only accelerated
that trend.
“Companies aren’t interested in doing something because it’s a good idea,” said Heikki Topi,
associate dean of business, graduate and executive programs at Bentley University. “They want
the programs closely linked to the organization’s goals.”
Bentley has been overhauling its executive education programs to focus on custom-designed
courses developed for long-term clients. But it has also decided to offer a series of open
enrollment classes starting in January to address the growing demand for quick classes on
specific topics.
“There’s much more appetite for the short-term programs, where the learning can be applied
immediately,” Topi said. The new courses, which include foreign exchange trading and user-
experience boot camp, will leverage Bentley’s expertise in several disciplines, Topi said.
Northeastern University is also developing short courses for its clients. With corporate travel
budgets slashed, classes where managers and executives take one or two weeks out of work and
attend classes off-site at a university are on the wane, said Cliff. Instead, many companies are
looking for “shorter learning bursts,” with courses lasting a couple of days or a couple of hours
over breakfast or lunch. Online options are also in demand because they eliminate travel and can
be done at the participant’s convenience, Cliff said. The school’s online MBA program, for
instance, was launched in 2008 and now boasts an enrollment of more than 800 students. In
2009, the university partnered with IBM to offer an online MBA to Big Blue’s employees in
India.
Some schools are looking to combine classroom experience with Web based learning. Boston
University is shifting to “hybrid models” using webinars and social media to follow up with
attendees of its executive education classes.
“We’re really interested in what happens when you leave here,” said Elizabeth Nassar, director
of executive education at BU’s School of Management. Upon completing a program, course
participants can check in with BU advisors using webinars and other online tools to measure
their progress on attaining individual goals established during the class.
Many area business schools are expanding their international reach. Northeastern, for example,
has been working for the past two years with Moscow State University to bring Russian
entrepreneurs to Boston for 10-day executive education sessions. Work is underway to create a
similar program for Moroccan executives.
Harvard Business School has continued its expansion overseas. The school is getting ready for
an official unveiling of its Harvard Shanghai Center, a new state-of-the-art facility where it will
offering a growing roster of courses for executives in China.
“Formal business education is relatively scarce in China,” said David Yoffie, senior associate
dean for executive education at HBS. “We continue to see demand for training executives.” The
expansion in China is part of a global strategy that HBS initiated three years ago, Yoffie said.
Despite the sagging economy, the HBS executive education program grew over the past year,
launching 10 new programs, far more than in a typical year, according to Yoffie. Topics of the
new courses included health care, the financial crisis and turnaround strategies. While there was
some softening of demand in lower-level management programs during the past year, the
commitment to develop senior executives remained strong among HBS clients, he said.
doc_666248363.pdf
Abstract about executive ed offerings evolve to meet business needs.
Executive Ed Offerings Evolve to Meet
Business Needs
By: Jill Gambon, Special to the Journal
Reflecting the transformation that many industries have experienced as a result of the recession,
several area business schools have reshaped their executive education programs in the past year,
launching new courses, expanding online offerings and extending their reach overseas.
After the recession hit full force in late 2008, many executive education programs saw a raft of
cancellations as companies clamped down on spending. But business has slowly started to pick
up, according to some schools.
“We’re seeing more activity now than a year ago. Some budgets that were frozen have started to
thaw,” said Beth Cliff, director of executive education at Northeastern University.
Looking ahead, several business schools are planning to introduce new executive education
courses in the coming year. Boston University is adding new courses for pharmacy
professionals, project management for lawyers and a program targeting the clean-energy
industry.
Northeastern is exploring ways for the executive education program to join forces with the
university’s Social Enterprise Institute, which works with small business owners in developing
countries. And Babson College has plans for courses on how businesses can use social
networking and media as well as on corporate social responsibility.
In recent years, executive education programs at many business schools have been shifting away
from open enrollment classes to custom-designed courses related to an organization’s specific
goals or strategy. The recession, say several executive education directors, has only accelerated
that trend.
“Companies aren’t interested in doing something because it’s a good idea,” said Heikki Topi,
associate dean of business, graduate and executive programs at Bentley University. “They want
the programs closely linked to the organization’s goals.”
Bentley has been overhauling its executive education programs to focus on custom-designed
courses developed for long-term clients. But it has also decided to offer a series of open
enrollment classes starting in January to address the growing demand for quick classes on
specific topics.
“There’s much more appetite for the short-term programs, where the learning can be applied
immediately,” Topi said. The new courses, which include foreign exchange trading and user-
experience boot camp, will leverage Bentley’s expertise in several disciplines, Topi said.
Northeastern University is also developing short courses for its clients. With corporate travel
budgets slashed, classes where managers and executives take one or two weeks out of work and
attend classes off-site at a university are on the wane, said Cliff. Instead, many companies are
looking for “shorter learning bursts,” with courses lasting a couple of days or a couple of hours
over breakfast or lunch. Online options are also in demand because they eliminate travel and can
be done at the participant’s convenience, Cliff said. The school’s online MBA program, for
instance, was launched in 2008 and now boasts an enrollment of more than 800 students. In
2009, the university partnered with IBM to offer an online MBA to Big Blue’s employees in
India.
Some schools are looking to combine classroom experience with Web based learning. Boston
University is shifting to “hybrid models” using webinars and social media to follow up with
attendees of its executive education classes.
“We’re really interested in what happens when you leave here,” said Elizabeth Nassar, director
of executive education at BU’s School of Management. Upon completing a program, course
participants can check in with BU advisors using webinars and other online tools to measure
their progress on attaining individual goals established during the class.
Many area business schools are expanding their international reach. Northeastern, for example,
has been working for the past two years with Moscow State University to bring Russian
entrepreneurs to Boston for 10-day executive education sessions. Work is underway to create a
similar program for Moroccan executives.
Harvard Business School has continued its expansion overseas. The school is getting ready for
an official unveiling of its Harvard Shanghai Center, a new state-of-the-art facility where it will
offering a growing roster of courses for executives in China.
“Formal business education is relatively scarce in China,” said David Yoffie, senior associate
dean for executive education at HBS. “We continue to see demand for training executives.” The
expansion in China is part of a global strategy that HBS initiated three years ago, Yoffie said.
Despite the sagging economy, the HBS executive education program grew over the past year,
launching 10 new programs, far more than in a typical year, according to Yoffie. Topics of the
new courses included health care, the financial crisis and turnaround strategies. While there was
some softening of demand in lower-level management programs during the past year, the
commitment to develop senior executives remained strong among HBS clients, he said.
doc_666248363.pdf