Delegation of Business Deans Builds Bridges in Washington
U.S. business school leaders meet with congressional and economic experts to chart a path for the future of business education
McCombs School of Business Dean Lillian Mills of The University of Texas at Austin and nine other business school deans traveled to Washington, D.C., in June to explore the future of business education. The Business School Deans Delegation to D.C. met with members of Congress, economic experts from the White House, and leaders of a top business association. They examined answers to the question: How should business schools be educating future business leaders to ensure a vibrant, dynamic American economy?
“As educators, we strive to prepare business leaders of the future to meet the evolving needs of society,” Mills said. “It is more important than ever to bring influential voices at the intersection of education, business, and government together to fully understand the economic impact of today’s most pressing issues.”
The deans started their discussions by meeting with Joshua Bolten, chief of the Business Roundtable, and other senior staff members of the organization. The association is made up of more than 200 CEOs from leading U.S. companies and is the chief executives’ voice in Washington.
They then moved on to a roundtable discussion titled “Building a Dynamic American Economy: A Conversation With Business School Deans and Members of Congress.” The event, hosted by U.S. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, involved talks about some of the most pressing issues facing business and government, including geopolitical tensions, economic opportunity, immigration, and manufacturing. Members of Congress were invited to join the discussions as their schedules permitted.
The discussions brought focus to economic opportunity and the need to spread wealth equitably, the impact that geopolitical tensions have on supply chains and national security, and the need to bring more focus to the field of manufacturing’s potential for high tech and sustainability — all areas of interest to today’s students.
After the roundtable discussions, the delegation closed out its day with meetings with Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, and Jared Bernstein, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Afterward, Mills praised the Washington trip and its goals. “This first-of-its-kind Deans Delegation was a productive step in building bridges between higher education leaders and policymakers. I look forward to continuing conversations on how business schools will educate the next generation and support America’s economic future.”
Jonathan Levin, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, also applauded the talks. “At a time of rapid change and new challenges, we need more events like the one today on Capitol Hill to share perspectives, explore ideas, and set a course for innovation, opportunity, and prosperity.”
Besides Mills and Levin, the delegation included business deans Bill Boulding of Duke University, Francesca Cornelli of Northwestern University, Ann Harrison of the University of California at Berkeley, Erika James of the University of Pennsylvania, Costis Maglaras of Columbia University, Madhav Rajan of the University of Chicago, Matthew Slaughter of Dartmouth College, and Ash Soni of Indiana University.
Story by Mark Barron
