New research institute will apply complexity and quantitative sciences to societal and business issues
Kellogg has received a transformative $25 million gift from the Patrick G. ’59, ’09 H (’97, ’00 P) and Shirley W. Ryan ’61,’19 H (’97, ’00 P) Family to create a revolutionary research lab designed to change the way business and societal issues are studied. The Ryan Institute on Complexity will enable students to become pioneering business leaders through studying big data, harnessing the power of AI, and managing through increasingly complex business and societal climates.
Led by distinguished faculty in physics, economics and sociology, the Ryan Institute creates a radical new approach that combines multidisciplinary talents and quantitative sciences in new ways to attack bigger problems faster.
The Ryan Institute will be the first of its kind to be housed in a business school. It will gather leaders from academia and industry with PhD students and postdoctoral fellows — all from diverse fields — to collectively study a variety of issues affecting society. Initial areas of focus include the power of social networks, the secrets of invention and human-machine partnerships.
Record-setting Reunion 2023 reaches a new level of excitement
With all the singing, dancing and celebrating that filled the Kellogg Global Hub during the first weekend in May, you could have easily forgotten that you were in the halls of an elite business school — that is, until you realized you were among some of today’s most influential business leaders.
Reunion 2023 was a chance for alumni to reunite, reignite memories and friendships, and hear the latest business insights from legendary faculty. The event drew 1,900 alumni, setting an all-time record. The attendees showed their purple pride and learned how their alma mater plans to graduate to a new level of student service and academic excellence.
In her keynote address, Dean Francesca Cornelli struck an optimistic note as she outlined the Kellogg School of Management’s recent achievements and its future vision. Her talk began with an enthusiastic, “Isn’t this the best place in the world?”
Cornelli stressed that Kellogg is a place where “we can embrace uncertainty and bring opportunity into this world. We’ve always been recognized, we’ve always been amazing and I’m here to tell you that we are on a strong trajectory.” —Lou Carlozo
New gift establishes grant program for student entrepreneurs
Northwestern University Trustee Larry Levy ’66, ’67 MBA and Carol Levy ’64 made a $1 million gift to support Kellogg students interested in entrepreneurship and to honor former University President Morton Schapiro. The gift complements the work of the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice — which the couple established and endowed previously — and enhances students’ personalized journeys by creating the Levy Inspiration Grant Program.
The grant program champions inspiration, exploration and immersion by providing funds that enable students with entrepreneurial ambitions to delve into the market they wish to address. Students are encouraged to tackle big issues and to thoroughly investigate their issue firsthand before developing a solution.
To support this firsthand investigation, the grants enable students to travel to explore the issue in person. Outcomes can be an entrepreneurial product, service or solution that may eventually lead to new businesses. The program, which launched in fall 2022, advances the school’s founder-centered approach to entrepreneurship.
“Carol and I are delighted to celebrate President Schapiro’s remarkable impact and dedication to the student experience by making this gift to create new, hands-on programming that is so important to our students’ entrepreneurial growth,” says Larry Levy.
The Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice provides a foundation for curriculum and engagement activities for Kellogg students through alumni networks and the startup community. Its support helps advance Kellogg’s unique approach to entrepreneurship. We recognize that there are many ways to become an entrepreneur: start a new venture from scratch, buy a business or finance the next big disruptor. For our students, being an entrepreneur is a lifelong calling — a journey that does not end when they receive their diploma.
Kabiller Science of Empathy Prize winners announced
Awarded biennially, this prize advances the understanding of empathy and its consequences. It is given to a faculty member who has conducted novel research in this area and to an alum who leads with exceptional empathy while delivering financial results and driving innovation. The 2023 winners are:
Paola Sapienza: The Donald C. Clark/HSBC Chair in Consumer Finance, Sapienza has examined the origins and implications of trust across cultures and markets, providing a distinctive perspective on empathy.
Anant Goenka ’07 MBA: Based in Mumbai, India, Goenka is vice chairman of conglomerate RPG Group and CEAT, one of India’s leading tire manufacturers that employs more than 6,000 people. Goenka has led CEAT through a transformative 10-year period during which its values-driven focus and innovations have increased its market cap from $44 million to over $1 billion.
Learn more about the prize and its namesake, AQR Capital Management co-founder David G. Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA.
Kellogg expands management education options for early-career professionals
BY EMILY HAYDON, ASSISTANT DEAN OF ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID
Ever since Kellogg launched the MS in Management Studies Program in 2013, we’ve equipped early-career professionals with the core business management skills they need to become well-rounded leaders, ready to excel in any industry. Because of our program’s continued success and growing demand, we’re expanding its reach and giving it a new name more in line with our peers in higher education — the Master in Management (MiM).
Designed for recent graduates with a background in STEM, economics or the liberal arts, the program was previously open only to students with one year or less of career experience after earning a bachelor’s degree. Now we’re excited to make it available to students with up to two years of career experience, expanding eligibility to more young leaders as they consider their professional goals in a fast-changing job market.
The MiM Program is a STEM-designated degree program, taught by the same top-tier faculty who teach MBA students at Kellogg. The top 25% of MiM graduates will be automatically accepted for deferred admission to the prestigious Kellogg One-Year MBA Program.
Discover how the MiM Program can benefit a young professional in your life.