Thunderbird 2020 Global Vision

Vision 2020 began to solidify into concrete plans this fall as Thunderbird Global Council members met in Salzburg and New York to address three aspects of the school’s strategic priorities.

During the TGC European Regional Meeting held in Salzburg on Sept. 15, 2010, members discussed ways of measuring the overall 2020 goal of increasing “impact” and explored ideas on how to structure a “global community of learning and practice,” which has been identified as one of the school’s four key priorities under Thunderbird 2020.

On October 8, 2010, at the TGC North America Regional Meeting in New York City, additional groups continued the impact discussion and provided feedback on the school’s plans to develop a subsidiary organization, “Thunderbird Worldwide,” which would be charged with fulfilling another of the four key Thunderbird 2020 priorities – “innovate for scale and impact.”
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Thunderbird Associate Vice President Frank Neville talks Aug. 17, 2010, at an alumni chapter meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, about the Thunderbird 2020 Global Vision. The strategic plan will guide Thunderbird School of Global Management during the next decade.

Thunderbird Associate Vice President Frank Neville talks Aug. 17, 2010, at an alumni chapter meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, about campus projects and programs. Topics include the restoration of Thunderbird Tower, new degree programs and Campaign Thunderbird, a $65 million capital campaign that continues through June 2011.

By Ángel Cabrera, Thunderbird President

The world needs Thunderbirds now more than ever, and friends of the School like you are speaking up about ways to extend the institution’s influence in the coming years. Thunderbird’s 2020 Vision Tour started Nov. 4 at the Thunderbird Global Reunion in Macau and moved Nov. 21 to Dubai. In the coming weeks, my journey to gather input from the Thunderbird community will take me to Panama City, New York, Geneva and perhaps your hometown. | PDF: 2020 Backgrounder
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By Ángel Cabrera, Thunderbird President

This morning it was the Board of Trustee’s turn to brainstorm on the future of the School for the decade to come. I asked our trustees to dig deep into our mission “to educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide” and to imagine how Thunderbird could evolve throughout the next decade, leaving aside the constraints of the traditional academic model. What if we looked at ourselves not as just a graduate school of management worried for its competitive position, but as a community of scholars, students and practitioners focused on creating sustainable prosperity worldwide. I provided several “incendiary” statements, not as expressions of what we are or must be, but as what-ifs to make us think differently about ourselves. Read more on my Thunderbird Knowledge Network blog.

By Ángel Cabrera, Thunderbird President

Here are some highlights from yesterday’s Thunderbird Global Council meeting in Geneva: Thunderbird’s full-time programs ought to seek further differentiation along the following lines: (a) global learning experience options, (b) opportunities for hands-on, consulting/project-based learning, (c) opportunities for strengthening global networks — perhaps through innovative mentorship programs with alumni, sessions bringing together students and alumni, etc. — which create a sense of belonging to a global community of practice, (d) opportunities to develop leadership 2.0 skills for distributed, virtual teams and technology-based teamwork. Read more in Dr. Cabrera’s blog on the Thunderbird Knowledge Network.

By Ángel Cabrera, Thunderbird President

Here are some of the highlights of the discussions we had on Thunderbird’s new 2020 Vision with a group of Thunderbird Global Council members and alumni from Central and South America during a session hosted by trustee Merle Hinrichs in Panama. 1. Entrepreneurship and social responsibility are the leadership traits most needed to drive prosperity in Latin America and should become more central both in the curriculum and in the way Thunderbird presents itself in the region. 2. Thunderbird may want to explicitly offer certificates and specializations in global entrepreneurship (with an emphasis in responsible entrepreneurship). Read more highlights on Dr. Cabrera’s blog on the Thunderbird Knowledge Network.

By Ángel Cabrera, Thunderbird President

Thunderbird Global Council members, trustees, and alumni leaders held today a lively discussion in the headquarters of the American Management Association on Time Square, New York, about the vision for Thunderbird. Here are some of the ideas that were discussed: 1. The focus on professional ethics and the commitment to building a sustainable and inclusive global economy has to shape the curriculum in meaningful ways, from issues of anti-corruption, to accounting standards, governance, etc. In other words the Thunderbird Oath must come alive inside each course in the curriculum. Read more on Dr. Cabrera’s blog on the Thunderbird Knowledge Network.

Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D., invites Thunderbird friends gathered Nov. 4-7 in Macau to think big about the best ways for the School to serve six key constituencies: 1. full-time students, 2. working professionals, 3. the developing world, 4. thought leaders, 5. corporate clients and 6. alumni. “The big question is: How do we want Thunderbird to serve the world?” Cabrera says. Watch the six videos below to see responses.