Building a Legacy
Executive Education Celebrates
Half a Century in the Industry
by Pam Losefsky
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As a product manager in a small software company, the
decisions he makes directly impact the company’s bottom
line. “We’ve been fortunate to grow rapidly—from 65 to
130 employees just in the time I’ve been in the
program,” Fulton says. “But we have to keep that
going—as a result of our success, more competitors have
their eye on us.” He’s excited to be able to switch back
to an intense focus on work, enabled and enhanced by his
Executive Education experience.
THE NEXT 50 YEARS
McCombs Executive Education will continue to track market developments as it develops future offerings to meet changing needs. Today’s companies have higher turnover rates than in the past, and because of that, there is eroding financial support for continuing education, leaving individuals to shoulder more of the burden themselves.
“Even though for many companies, it’s a given, we need to continue to build awareness of the value of continuing professional education—sending candidates to short courses or certificate programs can both enhance skills and be the mechanism for developing and retaining key employees,” Abeln says.
The completion of the new University of Texas Executive Education and Conference Center at the southwest corner of campus, slated for 2008, will herald the next era for McCombs Executive Education.
“We’ll be able to build on our current base of open-enrollment and custom programs with on-campus, residential-based learning programs,” explains Abeln. It will be one of the finest such education centers among business schools, allowing the McCombs School to compete more effectively with prominent schools such as Duke, Kellogg and Harvard, all of which have residential executive education centers.
Abeln believes the construction of the Executive Education and Conference Center signifies the university’s commitment to professional education and will allow the business school to develop even more enriching partnerships with the business community.
He notes that the new president of The University of Texas at Austin, Bill Powers, is committed to professional education. “As the former dean of the School of Law at UT—another professional school—he understands the significance of executive education as an enhancement to the school’s reputation overall.”
Make no mistake about it, executive education is a tough business. “More and more business schools have integrated executive education into their strategic missions and recognize that it can significantly enhance the reputation of their institutions,” says Ablen. “The national market for business education has become more competitive, as has the international market, with more schools offering MBAs.” With more than 50 schools eyeing spots in the top 20, there’s no time for any program to rest on its laurels—even if those laurels are as long-lasting and evergreen as they are at McCombs.
THE NEXT 50 YEARS
McCombs Executive Education will continue to track market developments as it develops future offerings to meet changing needs. Today’s companies have higher turnover rates than in the past, and because of that, there is eroding financial support for continuing education, leaving individuals to shoulder more of the burden themselves.
“Even though for many companies, it’s a given, we need to continue to build awareness of the value of continuing professional education—sending candidates to short courses or certificate programs can both enhance skills and be the mechanism for developing and retaining key employees,” Abeln says.
The completion of the new University of Texas Executive Education and Conference Center at the southwest corner of campus, slated for 2008, will herald the next era for McCombs Executive Education.
“We’ll be able to build on our current base of open-enrollment and custom programs with on-campus, residential-based learning programs,” explains Abeln. It will be one of the finest such education centers among business schools, allowing the McCombs School to compete more effectively with prominent schools such as Duke, Kellogg and Harvard, all of which have residential executive education centers.
Abeln believes the construction of the Executive Education and Conference Center signifies the university’s commitment to professional education and will allow the business school to develop even more enriching partnerships with the business community.
He notes that the new president of The University of Texas at Austin, Bill Powers, is committed to professional education. “As the former dean of the School of Law at UT—another professional school—he understands the significance of executive education as an enhancement to the school’s reputation overall.”
Make no mistake about it, executive education is a tough business. “More and more business schools have integrated executive education into their strategic missions and recognize that it can significantly enhance the reputation of their institutions,” says Ablen. “The national market for business education has become more competitive, as has the international market, with more schools offering MBAs.” With more than 50 schools eyeing spots in the top 20, there’s no time for any program to rest on its laurels—even if those laurels are as long-lasting and evergreen as they are at McCombs.
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