The deans of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and INSEAD announced last week that the two schools have renewed their partnership – initially launched in 2001 – for another four years. The alliance brings together the resources of two of the world’s top management education programs to offer students quality business education and research opportunities across four campuses.
Through collaborative projects at Wharton’s U.S. campuses in Philadelphia and San Francisco and INSEAD’s campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore, the two schools offer a truly global approach to management education and combine the intellectual capital of more than 400 resident faculty.
Joint endeavors include an MBA student exchange, a faculty exchange and joint research and teaching projects through the Center for Global Research and Education. In addition, the alliance allows for PhD collaboration, co-branded executive education courses and continuing joint alumni initiatives.
“The alliance has given our students wonderful opportunities to study within a multinational framework,” said Thomas Robertson, dean of the Wharton School, in a statement.
Indeed, it is the continued success of the alliance that prompted its renewal. Since its launch seven years ago, more than 800 MBA students have participated in the INSEAD-Wharton exchange, taking advantage of an opportunity to study across three continents, and more than 750 executives have taken part in a range of co-branded executive education programs. These programs, including courses such as “Strategic R&D Management” and “Leading an Effective Sales Force,” are delivered at all campuses and taught by faculty members from both schools.
“INSEAD’s continued partnership with Wharton underscores the value we place on developing transcultural leaders,” said J. Frank Brown, dean of INSEAD, in a statement. “It is essential for leaders in business and beyond to gain international experience and an understanding of different cultures,” he continued.
Expanded research opportunities also have been a core component of the alliance, as has development of the large, joint alumni communities of the two schools. The INSEAD-Wharton Center for Global Research and Education, jointly-funded and governed by a joint R&D committee, promotes faculty exchange, large-scale global research projects and teaching innovations. And alumni associations at each school regularly provide opportunities to connect the 82,000 Wharton alumni in 148 countries with the 37,000 INSEAD alumni in 150 countries.
Even more extensive faculty research collaboration and deepened alumni relations will be a major focus in the alliance’s next four years. Some of the planned initiatives include an agreement for direct distribution of INSEAD teaching cases to Wharton and an upcoming INSEAD-Wharton research conference on leadership, to be held at INSEAD on June 19-21.
More information about the alliance can be found in each the INSEAD and Wharton websites.
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