September 10, 2004

UC San Diego's Rady School Of Management Welcomes
An Impressive Inaugural Class Of FlexMBA Students

By Keri Minehart

The Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego welcomed their inaugural class today. The Rady School’s FlexMBA students are participating in “PreTerm Weekend,” an event designed to introduce them to their program. Students will have the opportunity to meet one another, and participate in their first official class.

On Friday night Ernest Rady, the school’s founding benefactor, will join students and faculty at a welcome dinner and will be giving the keynote address.

The FlexMBA program at the Rady School is a two-year executive MBA program specifically designed to meet the educational needs of working professionals, particularly those in science- or technology-driven organizations. The program will concentrate on fundamentals of business and management in a global environment, with a curriculum focused on the implications of management principles and business realities for organizations driven by science, technology and innovation.

“This weekend is a wonderful opportunity to welcome the Rady School’s inaugural class to a university community that has been eagerly awaiting their arrival,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “The Rady School is an excellent addition to a campus whose history of innovation and collaboration have been the primary building blocks of its success and is what the Rady School is all about.”

“We are excited to launch our first degree-granting program,” said Rady School Dean Robert S. Sullivan. “We are also extraordinarily pleased with the caliber of this inaugural class– the students’ professional experience and diverse backgrounds make them excellent candidates for the FlexMBA program.”

The inaugural class of the FlexMBA program is a group of more than 60 students from the San Diego region and as far away as Monterrey, Mexico. Over 40 different organizations are represented by students in the class, with many students from the telecommunications and biotechnology industries, and significant representation from companies in technology, pharmaceuticals, banking, financial services and consulting. On average, incoming students have eight years of professional experience, but the group represents a broad range of experience levels. The class includes individuals already in significant management or leadership roles, as well as individuals identified by their organizations as ready to take on greater responsibility.

The inaugural student body is highly educated– 40 percent of them have already earned advanced degrees in other disciplines. There are 11 students who have earned Ph.D.’s, four with M.D.’s and 11 with graduate level degrees in engineering or science disciplines. Close to 80 percent of students have academic backgrounds in science or technology.

The Rady School at UC San Diego offers a revolutionary MBA program that grows innovators into successful business leaders. Situated in San Diego’s globally recognized hotbed of innovation, the school is uniquely poised to offer access to both cutting-edge research and a fully engaged business community. The Rady School presents an integrated approach to business and technology and emphasizes cross-boundary collaborations and joint degree programs with UC San Diego centers of excellence: science, engineering, medicine, economics and international relations. The Rady School draws upon UC San Diego’s tradition of risk-taking and breakthrough innovation to recruit the top educators and students in the world.

Media Contact: Keri Minehart, (858) 534-0855