Alumni Profile
ROBERT PUGH, Sloan '02
- Title: Chief, Space Electronics and Protection Branch
- Sponsor: Air Force Research Laboratory
- Education: MSNE Nuclear Engineering, University of Washington; PhD Physics, Air Force Institute of Technology
Most Sloan Fellows see their time at Stanford as an opportunity to learn more about running a business or managing an organization. After completing two-thirds of the courses in the Sloan program, my colleagues and I have a much deeper understanding of subjects like organizational behavior, economics, and strategic management. But we also know that there are important concepts and ideas from many of these classes that, if we could properly integrate them, would be the most important "take away" from the Sloan Program. Integrating what we have learned will require time to reflect on our earlier courses, to fill in the gaps in our understanding, to consolidate the information we've learned, and to adapt that learning to be useable in our jobs. Most of us know, however, that once we return to our firms and begin working, it will be virtually impossible to set aside the time necessary to reflect, consolidate, and adapt.
The 390 independent research course gives Sloans an opportunity to go through this process before we leave Stanford. We also get to take advantage of the insights and understanding of world-class experts—faculty advisors. Several of us in the Class of 2002 have enrolled in a 390 independent research course. We have defined our research topic—area where we believe additional learning and understanding will be personally useful—then selected our faculty advisor. We then worked with our advisor to research our topic, gain additional understanding, and document what we have learned. To receive academic credit we produce a thesis, many of which are subsequently morphed into journal articles, case studies, or business plans. My topic was to adapt recent developments in strategic management so government and non-profit organizations could use them effectively.
The bottom line: the GSB390 course gives a Sloan the opportunity to really analyze what we have learned, to answer a question or address an issue, and then codify the results in a way he/she believes will be important for the future. A very valuable and rewarding activity.
