Kellogg School Poised for Transformation
Sally Blount recently celebrated the first anniversary of her tenure as dean of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In an extensive Fortune.com interview with John A Byrne, Blount elaborates on the school’s recent re-branding efforts, plans to build a $200 million campus on Lake Michigan, and a major strategic review to back up Kellogg’s new “Think Bravely” marketing slogan.
In a video address explaining what it means to “Think Bravely” and how that translates into concrete action in the classroom, Blount highlights four key tenets students must embrace in order to achieve this mindset and become strong leaders:
- Understanding the architecture of collaboration
- Understanding markets, particularly the demand side
- Understanding the art and science of innovation
- Understanding the public/private interface
This is Kellogg School of Management’s first attempt to rebrand itself, Byrne reports, although we’ve seen similar efforts in the past at top MBA programs such as Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Much more than a phrase, Blount says that the new “Think Bravely” slogan “speaks to a great legacy, a great future and a great community. It speaks to what it means to be a Kellogg leader, and as Kellogg’s leader, it speaks to me about what it means to rightly guide our organization.”
As the school and its dean pushes itself to think about business education and Kellogg’s role in it, Blount says thinking bravely means challenging the status quo and taking a stand where it counts because you believe that change really matters.
A major, double-digit gift announcement is imminent, Blount tells Fortune, and Kellogg already has $100 million in the coffers for a new, state-of-the-art building which the dean says will feature breathtaking lakefront views and become a destination for business and civic leaders from around the world.
The new building will be adjacent to the Allen Center and won’t be ready for five years. Nevertheless, Blount says she’s feeling energized about the project and how the new building fits into longer term goals for building a dynamic global presence for Kellogg.
For more on Dean Blount’s brave new strategy, read the complete interview on the Poets & Quants site.
