From the Dean

How do you raise your school’s profile? It’s a question we ponder every year, and as we entered 2016-17, there were three major goals.

First, we wanted to make a major push for analytics in students and programs. Second, we wanted to pursue a deeper engagement with our corporate partners. And finally, we needed to rebuild our research excellence.

Why business analytics?

Simple…employers demand it. Providing rich business analytics capabilities across all programs makes our students more valuable in the job market. 

We started a new degree program, a Master of Science in Business Analytics and Information Management, and welcomed 21 excellent students in our first class last fall. We had 420 applications for this year’s class. The digital and online potential to expand is enormous.

We also have pushed our Supply Chain, Information and Analytics undergraduate degree program to students. Since its introduction in 2013, we have gone from three students in the major to more than 125.

Corporate connection

Our school has excellent ties to the corporate world and several of our graduates hold leadership positions at top organizations. In fact, three Krannert alums are CEOs of Fortune 150 companies: Sam Allen of Deere & Co.; Dave Ricks of Eli Lilly & Co; and Greg Hayes (left) of United Technologies.

Our students are held in high regard by employers. Bloomberg Businessweek recruiters ranked our MBA students #17 nationwide in the latest survey.

It’s not surprising, then, that alumni from numerous corporations serve on the Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) and Krannert School Alumni Association (KSAA), providing support for faculty research, projects for students and input on curricular matters.