Spreadsheet One

But It's Not in My Job Description

Illustration by Michael Klein

REFLECTING ON the 20 years since their commencement, MBA grads of the Class of 1978 took a lighthearted look at "the moment Stanford least prepared you for" at their reunion last June. Early jobs presented surprises for some: One grad had to meet a payroll from his own bank account and another played janitor at his first company. Others cited layoffs and firings, as seen from both sides of the desk. Still another wished for better preparation for "immoral business practices," although it was unclear exactly what sort of preparation the alum had in mind. Managed care made the "you shoulda warned us" list, as did Generation X employees, tobacco chewing in the office, endless sports analogies, and employee sex-change operations.
       In fact, dealing with employees had posed some of the most bizarre situations for the reuniting MBAs. But could the GSB reasonably have been expected to prepare David Douglass for disarming a gun-wielding worker, one who was subsequently killed in a gun fight? Could a core course in, say, accounting have helped Margaret King when she was told by a job applicant that he had recently been released from jail for battery--and, by the way, King reminded him of his wife? A one-quarter course in human resources management was added to the MBA core five years ago. It seems to have come not a moment too soon.

PMP Specialists

BEGINNING THIS SPRING, students who plan to earn the certificate in public management can specialize within the Public Management Program (PMP) based on their specific interests. "Since many students have had some experience in the public or nonprofit sectors before coming to the Business School, we think this allows them to add some real value to their education," said Julie Juergens, director of the PMP.
       Students will be able to concentrate on nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, or public policy with an emphasis on education, the environment, or health care. Or they can still earn a general public management certificate. All public management students take required foundation courses plus two electives.
       Each year about 25 percent of all MBA students affiliate with the Public Management Program, although not all pursue the certificate. The PMP will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. On May 7 and 8 the program will hold an on-campus reunion featuring a keynote address by recognized social entrepreneur William Strickland, CEO of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and MacArthur Genius award winner.

Public Service Leader Wins 1999 Arbuckle

BECKY MORGAN'S new business card says it all: "community catalyst." A housewife turned state senator turned nonprofit CEO, community catalyst Rebecca Q. "Becky" Morgan, MBA '78, is the 29th recipient of the SBSAA's Ernest C. Arbuckle Award, which recognizes exceptional leadership in the private and public sectors.
       Morgan, who recently retired as president and chief executive officer of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, was an at-home mother and school board member when she enrolled at the Business School in 1976. Following a few years in the private sector with Bank of America, she turned to government, first serving on her county board of supervisors and then running for the California State Senate, where she served for nine years. Morgan stepped down from the senate in 1993 to head Joint Venture: Silicon Valley.
       Joint Venture brings together people from business, government, education, and the community at large to identify and act on regional issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in Silicon Valley. Under Morgan's leadership, Joint Venture did just that: Among its many projects, the organization unified the building codes in 27 jurisdictions, helped streamline permitting processes, assisted transitioning defense companies, promoted wellness programs, and raised $25 million in cash, technology, and human resources for creating systemic change in education.
       A graduate of Cornell University, Morgan has served Stanford as a trustee and a member of the Business School Advisory Council. She is a director of Cornell University, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Greater Bay Bancorp, and the American Leadership Forum. The Arbuckle Award is the most recent of her many awards for public service.

Student Loans Easier to Come By

Illustration by Michael Klein

FINANCIAL AID DIRECTOR Ursula Kaiser has some very good news for international students. Last fall, her office negotiated an agreement to extend loans without cosigners to all foreign students admitted to the Business School, subject to minimum credit review. Previously, only American citizens and permanent residents were able to qualify for loans.
       The new loans, sponsored by First Marblehead Corp. and Bank of America, carry a floating rate of 420 basis points over the 91-day U.S. Treasury bill and are repayable over 13 years. International students can borrow the same amount as domestic students, up to the annual cost of education minus other financial aid.
       Currently, the annual cost for an MBA student is estimated at more than $42,000 ($25,000 tuition plus $17,000 or more for expenses), and American students borrow an average of $26,000 a year from U.S. lenders. The new loans are available at a somewhat lower rate to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
       "These loans mark a significant breakthrough in our ability to meet foreign students' financial needs," says George Parker, associate dean and director of the MBA Program. "They will allow us to compete even more effectively for the best international applicants."

Elected to the Econ Elite

MATTHEW JACKSON, PhD '88, and Margaret Meyer, PhD '87, find themselves in good--if rarified--company after their election as fellows of the Econometric Society. Jackson, who is a professor of economics at Caltech, and Meyer, an official fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford, were among only 16 people elected this year. Meyer's husband, Paul Klemperer, MBA '82, a professor of economics at Oxford, was elected last year, and some 14 current Business School faculty are fellows of the society, including the organization's 1999 president, economics professor Robert Wilson.
       The Econometric Society is the principal international society for economic theory, econometrics (the application of statistical methods to the study of economic problems), and empirical studies. As president, Wilson will give five addresses this year in five countries: the United States, Singapore, Australia, Mexico, and Spain. He will focus his remarks on the design of new markets for deregulated infrastructure industries, such as telecommunications, electricity, and gas, an area in which he has been working for the past five years.

CLASSES IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP have long been popular at the GSB, but it is only recently that supply has caught up with demand. In six years, seats in entrepreneurship classes have more than quadrupled. In the 1992-93 school year there were 294 places. Last year there were 1,239, making it possible for fully 93 percent of the MBA Class of 1997--356 people--to take at least one of the 12 courses offered in the subject.