As part of a strategic plan begun a year and a half ago, Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business is taking steps to better define and communicate the things that make it unique among top business schools. Dean Joe Thomas took time earlier this month in an exclusive interview with Clear Admit to explain the process, what they have identified so far and how a sharper brand could impact the school’s future efforts.
“The sharpening of our brand is built on three pillars about our school – things that make us different,” Thomas says. These pillars were identified through a series of focus groups the school has conducted since launching its strategic plan.
The first is performance learning. “We think we integrate theory and practice really well,” Thomas says. For example, Johnson has a student-run hedge fund that gives students an opportunity to put into practice the finance theory they are studying as part of their degree program. The fund, incidentally, has outperformed the market dramatically, Thomas adds. Other examples of performance learning opportunities include sustainability projects all over the world, an immersion in brand management program that allows students to complete projects with participating companies and an annual stock pitch competition.
The second pillar Johnson identified is its intense collaborative community. “We work well and lead others, but we also work very well together,” Thomas says.
The third thing that really sets Johnson apart is its very strong connections with the larger Cornell University community and resources, Thomas says. From a financial engineering program affiliated with the Cornell College of Engineering to a real estate program connected to Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, Thomas believes that Johnson’s connections with the larger university are stronger than most top business schools. Through both faculty research and student education we encourage our students to come out and others to come in,” he says.
In addition to identifying these three pillars, Johnson also set out to really understand what its students and graduates are like, Thomas says. “What our research shows – what really resonated – was that our students build organizations that move forward,” he says. When an organization hires a Johnson graduate, it gets the collective strength of many, he says. “Johnson students know how to network with not only Cornellians but with everyone to move a project ahead from the day they arrive.”
Its research complete, Johnson will now work to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum fit with this sharper brand and communicate the brand to the world. Advertising reflecting the sharpened brand is out, and the school launched a new website last week that reflects the three pillars and the “power of many” idea.
Of course, Johnson’s own branding effort will serve as fodder for training future brand managers, Thomas says. “We certainly intend to use our own brand as a case study in the brand management program,” he says.
To visit Johnson’s new website and check out the brand, click here.
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