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February 2001, Volume 69, Number 2 |
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February 2001, Volume 69, Number 2 |
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| Spreadsheet One *Popping Out of the Box *School Adopts a New Grading System *Networks For Entrepreneurs |
Spreadsheet
Two *Stumping
for Stamps *Future Growth a Pretty Sure Bet *Pop Culture Online |
Spreadsheet Three *Alumni Interview MBA Applicants *Urrutia Heads SBSAA |
| People:
Mike McCaffery, MBA '82 People: Peter Baish, SEP '84 For The Record: MBA Class of 2000 Employment Report |
Spreadsheet One
Popping Out of the Box FEELING STUCK IN A RUT? The next time you pop popcorn, pick out one kernel and stare at it for 75 seconds without letting any words come to mind. Then try drawing its likeness without using mental language or looking at the paper. Manufacturing executives who wanted to improve their creative problem-solving skills were asked to do this exercise at a recent workshop hosted by the Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing at Stanford, a joint venture of the Business and Engineering schools to promote the exchange of ideas and techniques between academia and industry. The exercise, designed by mechanical engineering professors to help participants see beyond the catch-all term "popcorn," was one of several aimed at breaking down the stereotyping power of words. Participants eventually designed and prototyped amusement park rides, but not before they walked around a room calling out the wrong name for every object or person they encountered as a way to heighten their awareness of details, such as the vivid colors or edges of things and the spaces between them. School Adopts New Grading System A NEW GRADING SYSTEM that eliminates the use of pluses and minuses is being phased in for MBA students as of fall 2000. The new system is expected to provide more useful information about academic performance for both students and faculty. Once the system is fully in force, beginning with the Class of 2002, all students will be required to have a cumulative grade point average of 2.2 or above at the end of the third quarter of residency and must have passed or exempted all core courses. Students also must have a 2.2 or better average in all Business School courses to graduate. Under the new standards, grades are: H (6 points per unit) for honors performance, typically to be received by the top 10 percent of students in a class; HP (4 points per unit) for passing performance at the upper end of the distribution; P (3 points per unit) for average performance; LP (2 points per unit) for passing performance at the low end of the distribution; and U (zero points) for failing or unsatisfactory performance. For members of the Class of 2001, the new grading system will be used to provide feedback, but the previous grading system will be used to determine if individuals have met graduation requirements. To recognize outstanding scholarship, the Business School has established the Siebel Scholars, funded by a gift from Siebel Systems Inc. At the end of their first year, five MBA students are designated as Siebel Scholars; each receives $25,000 in tuition remission. Selection is based on scholarship, leadership, and citizenship. Networks for Entrepreneurs NEW AT THE SCHOOL'S Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES) are two services geared to help alumni/ae who are starting new companies, financing growth, or facing the wide range of issues that come along with business enterprise. The entrepreneurship resource database is an online conduit to connect alumni/ae (and students) seeking help with their businesses to mentors, investors, and service providers. Answering a few qualifying questions—such as, What kind of industry focus are you looking for?—connects the user to a list of people who have signed up as being willing to help. Business School alums are the majority of those in the database, but anyone can recommend someone for inclusion. CES program development consultant Linda Wells also has contacted some of the San Francisco Bay Area's leading venture capital firms, which usually employ a Stanford graduate or two. The site, launched in April, had more than 1,000 log-ins as of late October, and Wells is starting to collect stories from users. Kitty Powell, MBA '93, vice president of Brand Fidelity, an online brand and name creation firm, found an investor through the database. "It was a wonderful tool," she says. And the Stanford connection "gave us instant credibility." Wells also has initiated Founders Forums, groups of alumni entrepreneurs who get together for monthly discussions about the similar challenges they face in their businesses. "It helps develop a bond, relationship, and trust that is hard to find in other formats," Wells says. So far about 30 people are involved in the sessions held in San Francisco and Palo Alto, but Wells is seeking to expand them to other cities.
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