World class

12/17/2010 - In today’s global economy, understanding the varying ways people do business around the world is crucial to growth and success. With 45 percent of its full-time faculty of international origin, the Kellogg School is well positioned to educate future leaders.

“People with different backgrounds bring different perspectives,” says Finance Professor Paola Sapienza. “If you believe much of the growth in future years will take place in different places than the U.S., understanding the institutions, the culture and the functioning of markets in other parts of the world is essential for an institution that has the ambition to be an intellectual leader.”

It was the high quality of the faculty that drew Sapienza to Kellogg, and with professors from around the world among her colleagues, the Italian native felt right at home. Thirty countries are represented on the Kellogg faculty, with India, Israel and Germany leading the pack, says Paul Christensen, senior lecturer of finance and associate director of the International Business & Markets Program.

“We focus on providing or integrating global business topics into everything we do here, including the classes we teach,” he explains. “The professors who come from different backgrounds tend to share those backgrounds in and out of the classroom, and the students benefit from that.”

With a third of all Kellogg students also of international origin, a diverse faculty helps meet their educational and social needs. “The diversity in the class is well served by having a diverse faculty as well,” Christensen says.

To Daniel Diermeier, IBM Professor of Regulation and Competitive Practice and professor of managerial economics and decision sciences, the fact that so many high-level academics choose to make Kellogg their home illustrates the quality of the work done here.

“It is a testament that we are competing for top talent all around the world,” says Diermeier, who hails from Germany. “[Having an international background] gives you a certain intuition, a different sensibility that can be helpful.”

The openness of the Kellogg team culture, the school’s first-rate reputation and the opportunity to contribute to a growing research group attracted Belgian professor Jan Van Mieghem.

“U.S. academia is a meritocracy and a dream for any academic,” says Van Mieghem, the senior associate dean of curriculum and teaching and the Harold L. Stuart Distinguished Professor of Managerial Economics.

“Kellogg draws excellent students from across the world, has a world-class faculty and has the most transparent tenure review system. It reflects, and is in line with, what a global top school should be.”