Faculty and alumni contemplate the past, present, and future of the business school.
As we celebrate the first century of Stanford GSB and look forward to the next 100 years, faculty and alumni share what has made the school so special — and their thoughts for the school’s future.
A Distinctive Place: What Makes the GSB Unique?
Jeffrey Pfeffer, PhD ’72
The Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior
I have the best job in the world because I am surrounded by incredibly talented faculty and colleagues.… The quality of the people makes the quality of the place. And that’s simply what has made the GSB what it is.
Rebecca Lester
Associate professor of accounting
The reason I love working here at the school is my colleagues across so many different fields that are willing and open to do cross-disciplinary work.… Unlike many other institutions, we have really strong relationships with so many other parts of campus that are also outstanding in their own rights.
Diana Nassar, MBA ’20
What’s made the GSB stand out is its focus on authenticity and self-reflection, and preparing leaders for looking deep into themselves and [deciding]what kind of leaders they want to become when they go out into society.
Neil Malhotra
The Edith M. Cornell Professor of Political Economy
Our emphasis on the role of businesses in society.… Not only should nonprofit leaders and government executives, learn management to be better managers, but also managers need to learn about government and understand that their actions have influences on society.
Steve Murphy, MBA ’15
It’s been a willingness to teach the next generation, to give back to the people that are coming after you, that has really allowed the GSB to thrive.
Szu-chi Huang
Associate Professor of Marketing
Our passion for innovation: We are always innovating, looking for new ideas, things that haven’t been envisioned, and we are thinking about how those innovations can make our world a better place.
Ron Gutman, MBA ’05
This is a group of dreamers, people who are capable and passionate about making a really big difference in the world.
Susan Athey, PhD ’95
The Economics of Technology Professor
The GSB has been a really fabulous place for helping us stay grounded and really connected to real problems, but also allowing us to hire the kind of talent and giving us the space to do the pure research that doesn’t just solve today’s tactical problems, but that actually builds the foundation for many people to solve applied problems.
John Onderdonk, MBA ’25
I think this place is so special because it combines people who are doing Nobel Prize-caliber research with students who want to take that research out into the world to make an impact and build incredible companies that make people’s lives better.
Michele J. Gelfand
The John H. Scully Professor in Cross-Cultural Management and Professor of Organizational Behavior
“It’s a magical combination of humility, curiosity, and impact.”
Elena Zhukova
Imagining the Future: How Might the GSB Prepare for Its Next Century?
Amir Goldberg
Professor of Organizational Behavior
No university, no school is better poised to be the leader in understanding the implications of AI, the ability to use it and harness it as a managerial [and] productivity tool, than Stanford GSB.
Jennifer Aaker, PhD ’95
The General Atlantic Professor
I really think the answer is simple. How do we make humanity thrive?
Ron Schaeffer, MBA ’67
What are the skills, wisdom, insights, values, and energy the school now provides to the world? Some of the practical elements may never change, like accounting and marketing, but new elements and the priorities and emphasis certainly have and will continue to change. What will keep us at the forefront of helping society adapt to a fast-changing world where combining human, financial, and physical capital will remain critical to a flourishing and peaceful world for everyone?
Carter McClelland, MBA ’73
Stanford has such an important role to play in a world where one of the biggest issues is workforce displacement through technology. Stanford sits at the epicenter of all that and is an important part of the solution.
Sunasir Dutta, PhD ’14
I would hope the GSB of the next century breathes fire into the hopes, aspirations, and potential of the many geographic communities who are yet to be touched by the great things the GSB can bring to them.
Sheetal Nariani, MS ’18
Continue improving, continue adapting. That is exactly how the GSB has always stayed in the front of the game. [The GSB] knows what’s on the pulse of the market. They know what is needed out there. And that’s what they deliver.
Tom Gorman MBA ’25
Over the next 100 years, as automation and AI transform the world, relationships and human interaction will become pivotal. The GSB should lean into its strength, which I feel is its ability to cultivate the soft skills of its students.
Saumitra Jha
Associate Professor of Political Economy
“Having a global set of solutions and a global school which focuses on the world beyond our valley — where the GSB has to go and where we can really make a difference is in tackling the key global questions like those of climate change and of conflict.”
Top Takeaways: What Is Your Favorite GSB Memory?
Dwight Russell, MBA ’57
My favorite memory involved Professor [Theodore J.] Kreps. I recall him stalking across the area in front of the class, and trying to write as fast as he spoke (almost impossible).
Nadia Kotova, PhD ’22
The main thing Stanford gave me is the people — my advisors and my peers — and the ability to interact with the best economists on the planet.
JoAnn Morgan, MS ’77
The professors forced you to make decisions. You’d have to stand up and present [your work]. It broke me out of the mold of my upbringing.
Tom Falk, MS ’89
What I got was a framework to make decisions and the confidence to make them — and to live with the consequences.
Jillian Kilby, MBA ’15
[It] was the realization of how lucky I was to be here on campus. To sit in a class with Condoleezza Rice and know that I was one of the few receiving an education that would benefit so many in the future.
Weili Dong, MBA ’20
I came to the GSB pregnant. When I shared the news with the professors and my classmates, they all showed such tremendous support.
David Beeman, MBA ’62
I was quite impressed with the first thing our class was asked to do when we arrived for enrollment in September 1960. An invitation to attend a welcome gathering at Dean Ernie Arbuckle’s home!
Tripp Twyman, MBA ’24
GSB Show was one of my favorite experiences.… That was probably the moment that the GSB community was most palpable for me.
Alicia Seiger, MBA ’02
“I said ‘yes’ to as much as I could pack in and didn’t sleep much.… Being an MBA student at Stanford is an incredible experience that pays lifelong dividends.”
Toni Bird
For 100 years, we’ve been dedicated to the things that haven’t happened yet, and the people who are about to dream them up. Join us in commemorating our Centennial in 2025.
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