At Babson we always check the Financial Times rankings because we tend to do
relatively well in them for reasons I don't understand.  This year we were
ranked above Notre Dame and other equally surprising schools.
Tom raises an interesting point about global alliances and law.  For a few
years now, I automatically include EU law in my marketing law class for
several reasons.  First, EU competition law tends to be the model followed
by other countries, even Mexico.  This may also be true for other areas such
as consumer protection; it is too early to tell for sure.  Second, the EU is
the largest market in the world and growing.  Third, we have students with
EU interests.  Fourth and most importantly, students should understand that
US laws are not the only choice and that other countries make different
choices.  This helps me emphasize the managing the law aspect of the course.
Laws are different because of different politics including lobbying by
businesses.  In a global marketplace, it is always a wseful argument to urge
harmonization.
Globalization also can help us with general education law.  Last year, I
proposed a course in comparative federalism to compare the EU unification
process and decisions made to date with the US experience with federalism
over the past 200 years.  This was based on an experimental half course I
co-taught in Wintersession with a colleague from the UK.  The latter was
well received, but the full course only received 2 students.  Still it is a
fascinating comparison particularly for those who believe the EU is the
model for future regional alliances
Ross Petty
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dunfee, Thomas" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2001 8:28 AM
Subject: Fin Times on Business Education


> Check out the January 22nd Financial Times for their section on business
education.  They have profiles of many of the leading business schools and
also describe some of the trends in business school education.
>
> Some of you may have seen the announcment that there is now a Wharton West
located in San Francisco.  We will operate an executive mba program there
and we will also be expanding opportunities for undergraduates through
Wharton West.  More announcements to come soon.
>
> A reasonable prediction is that the next decade will see substantial
consolidation among business schools, initially in the form of joint
ventures (some involving a jointly offered degree) and then moving beyond
that.  One question for us is how might law fit into a global alliance.  If
Texas and the Rotterdam School of Management were to offer a joint MBA
degree, were would law fit into that program?
>
> There was an interesting article a week ago Sunday in the NY Times on the
fact that George W. will be the first MBA (Harvard) in the White House.
>
>
>
> Thomas W. Dunfee
> Vice Dean and Director
> Wharton Undergraduate Division
> University of Pennsylvania
> Philadelphia, PA 19104
> 215-898-7691
>