Stanford Center for Professional Development and Strategic Decisions Group Launch a New Program to Teach Critical Decision-Making and Risk-Management Skills

Business Wire, March 13, 2006

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford Center for Professional Development

--The intensive series of courses will start in June, 2006 on the Stanford Campus

--An Online Executive eBriefing describing the program will be held March 17, 2006

The Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD), in partnership with Strategic Decisions Group (SDG), is offering a new certificate program, Strategic Decision and Risk Management, which is designed to give a wide range of professionals indispensable insights and tools for sharpening their decision-making skills and ability to assess and manage risk.

A Powerful, Concentrated Curriculum Taught by Leaders in the Field

The program--which starts in June, 2006 and will be delivered in six courses lasting 2.5 days each--targets mid-career professionals with significant business experience and will offer both classroom training and online courses leading toward a certificate.

"Stanford and SDG are a formidable team, and both bring a lot to the table," said Paul Marca, deputy director of the SCPD. "SDG is a global leader in strategic decision and risk management and brings many years of direct experience training executives in decision-making and leadership skills. Stanford offers a world-class team of instructors, led by the program's academic director, Professor Ronald A. Howard."

Carl Spetzler, chairman of SDG and curriculum director of the program, emphatically agrees. "Stanford is the ideal education partner for SDG. Professor Howard defined the field of Decision Analysis and has spent forty years developing and refining its concepts. Our combined expertise offers the best possible platform to train current and future organizational leaders."

Professor Ronald A. Howard

Professor Howard has been in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University since 1965, and is also professor by courtesy in Stanford's Graduate School of Business. His extensive experience includes dozens of decision analysis projects in areas as diverse as investment planning and nuclear waste isolation. Considered the father of the decision analysis field, Professor Howard has been a consultant to several organizations worldwide, and was a founding director and chairman of SDG.

Addressing the urgent need for the new program, Professor Howard stated, "With the flattening of organizations, there's a clear demand for highly-developed decision-making skills, and not just at the top. Nowadays, managers and staff at all levels are participating in making critical strategic decisions, and rapid decision cycles are required to remain competitive."

All of the certificate program's courses will be available on campus or online except for the Decision-Making Practicum, which must be completed on campus. The first courses are available at Stanford beginning in June. For more information and the description of the complete curriculum, costs, and course availability, visit http://strategicdecisions.stanford.edu or call toll free 1-866-234-3380 (or outside the US 1-650-475-4490).

A Unique--and Free of Charge--Executive eBriefing

Professor Howard, Paul Marca, and Carl Spetzler will host a free one-hour interactive online discussion about the benefits of earning the Stanford Strategic Decision and Risk Management Certificate. The event will take place on March 17, at Noon-1 p.m. Eastern Time, 9-10 a.m. Pacific Time. To register, please visit http://www.sdg.com/stanford

About Strategic Decisions Group

The founders of SDG pioneered the field of Decision Analysis, which is now included in almost all business school curricula. While maintaining its core concepts, SDG continually modifies its approach to incorporate the newest ideas and technology, and has helped a variety of client organizations build their decision-making and risk-analysis competency. SDG has seven offices across the globe including Boston, Houston, London, New York, and Palo Alto, as well as joint ventures in Japan and India.

About the Stanford Center for Professional Development

The Stanford Center for Professional Development was established 35 years ago to meet the career-long educational needs of professionals, managers, and executives. Offerings include 56 master of science degree programs, 40 graduate and professional certificates, and more than 450 individual credit courses and short courses. Customized educational programs are developed in conjunction with specific clients. Courses are offered on campus, online, and on-site at client organizations. http://scpd.stanford.edu