Boston College, Arthur D. Little management schools to affiliate alliance is first to join corporate university, traditional business school

Business Wire, Oct 3, 1996

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 1996-- In a move expected to provide a new model for graduate and executive management education, Boston College's Carroll School of Management and the Arthur D. Little School of Management (ADL SOM) have agreed to form a first-of-its-kind "strategic alliance" to offer educational programs with a distinctive global business focus.

"This unprecedented initiative creates an innovative vehicle for management education that combines the advantages of a corporate university and a traditional business school." said John J. Neuhauser, dean of the Carroll School of Management. "It also combines the expertise of two excellent, but distinctly different, management programs in a collaboration that will complement both organizations' goals and objectives."

ADL SOM Dean Thomas E. Moore noted that the two institutions share a practical, experienced-based approach to management education. "The ADL School of Management's tradition of blending leading-edge management theory with corporate practice stems from Arthur D. Little's global consulting experience. This alliance is particularly appropriate because we share this tradition of applied learning with Boston College's Carroll School of Management."

Calling the alliance "a good strategic fit," Boston College Graduate Dean Hassell H. McClellan said, "Increased synergy between traditional business schools and the corporate world is imperative to prepare executives for the challenges of the 21st century. This partnership provides the Carroll Graduate School of Management with an unequaled portfolio of management programs. It represents an innovative and logical extension of the graduate school's strategy of complementary programs and professional joint degrees, such as our Master of Science in Finance, MBA/JD, MBA/MSW and other international programs."

Partnerships between business schools and corporate universities-the training arms of many major companies-are on the rise. According to recent estimates, by the year 2000, one-third of corporations expect to grant degrees in partnership with universities. To date, however, most revolve around small-scale projects limited to the sponsoring company's employees. The Boston College/ADL SOM alliance is the first to involve two major institutions in a partnership that will include extensive sharing of resources and facilities and provide educational services to a broad range of customers.

"This alliance will establish a standard for the growing convergence of corporate and traditional business education," said Dean Neuhauser.

The agreement holds many advantages for each institution. Boston College, which offers a globally focused MBA program, will gain the added reach of ADL School of Management's extensive international network. Both will have opportunities for new joint marketing activities in both the international and executive education arenas.

The ADL management school gains economies of scale through joint operations, as well as access to Boston College's exceptional facilities and services. The partnership with a major research university also has positive implications for ADL SOM's application to win full accreditation from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB recognition would make ADL SOM the first corporate university to gain national accreditation for its degree programs. ADL is currently accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Under the agreement, the schools will retain their distinctive identities and continue to grant their own degrees. At the same time, they will explore cooperation in "generic" activities, such as student and career services, and will work together to develop joint curricular and research initiatives. Additionally, the Arthur D. Little School of Management may relocate from Cambridge to Boston College's Chestnut Hill campus as early as next September.

To implement the agreement, the ADL School of Management will complete its previously announced shift to nonprofit status. Along with enabling the alliance to go forward, this move will allow the school to seek new relationships with private and governmental agencies.

Arthur D. Little, Inc., the international consulting firm, employs 3,000 worldwide and has 52 offices in 30 countries. It provides consulting services in three areas: management consulting; environmental, health, and safety consulting; and technology and product development.

Founded in 1964 as a subsidiary of Arthur D. Little, Inc., the ADL School of Management offers the only U.S.-accredited master's degree in management (MSM) outside of a university. The master's program currently enrolls 65 international managers from more than 25 countries. In addition to the master's degree, ADL SOM offers extensive executive education programs and custom management development, and is responsible for ADL management consulting training worldwide.

Boston College's Carroll School of Management was founded in 1938 and enrolls 3,200 students in its undergraduate and graduate divisions. The graduate division enrolls approximately 960 students in its M.B.A., Master of Science in Finance, and doctoral programs. The full-time and evening M.B.A. programs stress applied management education, and include a unique first-year consulting project for full-time students, as well as opportunities for immersion in international business environments.