From the Dean: Thank you for an outstanding year!

Dear alumni and friends,

Owen celebrated another outstanding fundraising year, thanks to you. Our alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students collectively gave more than $4.3 million (Donor List). That is our best fundraising year for the school in seven years, and I am incredibly grateful to be part of such a proud and dedicated community.

In a variety of ways, our donors are strengthening Owen. For example, many of you contributed to the Taylor Force Scholarship. Lisa McKinnon, Owen Alumni Board member, established a scholarship endowment for women, supporting a strategic priority of the school. Corporate giving surpassed the $1 million mark, including a gift to establish a Center for Health Care Market Innovation. We have a vibrant health care focus at Owen, and this new center will further bolster our efforts to conduct world-class research and help prepare our students for the changes ahead. Additionally, Carolyn and Jack Long Jr. gave $1.5 million to the Owen Entrepreneurship Center to support the vision of burgeoning entrepreneurs who will foster a growing culture on campus in which students are challenged to think about their professional training in a whole new light.

We also had a great year for our Annual Fund, raising $729,000 in unrestricted gifts. These gifts are incredibly important as they give me the flexibility to support Owen’s most pressing needs. Part of this achievement is due to the university’s first-ever Giving Day in April, which so many of our volunteers and donors helped make a phenomenal success. I am proud to note 91 percent of Owen Alumni Board members made gifts on Giving Day led by Board Chair Erika Bogar King, establishing a high bar for Giving Day 2017.

Equally important, many of you gave your time and energy this year. More than 380 alumni attended a total of 24 Owen alumni events and 250 alumni volunteered their time to benefit students as mentors, speakers and panelists.

To our many donors and volunteers, thank you for all that you do to support the distinctive Owen experience.

Warm regards,

M. Eric Johnson
Ralph Owen Dean
Bruce D. Henderson Professor of Strategy

Executive Development Institute

Vanderbilt staff and alumni receive a 25 percent discount.

Leading Teams in Organizations
Taught by Professor Bart Victor and Professor Rangaraj Ramanujam
Through a combination of case studies, simulations, discussion and role-playing, you’ll improve your ability to motivate employees, work within diverse groups, apply human resource management tools to build effective teams, and lead change.
September 26-27. Register here

Managing with Strategic Intent
Taught by Professor Rangaraj Ramanujam
Through this highly interactive three-day course you'll gain a deeper understanding of some of the skills that are important for effective managers including managing people, managing information, managing upwards, managing within your unit and managing outside of the organization.
October 3-5. Register here

Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers
Taught by Professor Paul Chaney
While giving you a foundation in the basics of accounting and finance, this program also shows you how to uncover profit potential hidden in the financial numbers and guide capital to its most productive use. This three-day program helps you understand the numbers to manage more efficiently.
October 10-12. Register here

Parting Shot: Nashville Mayor Megan Barry (MBA'93) shares leadership advice with Owen students