Thunderbird School of Global Management
Encyclopedia
Thunderbird School of Global Management is a private business school
whose main campus is located in Glendale, Arizona
. Founded in 1946 by retired U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant General Barton Kyle Yount
(1884–1949), it is arguably the oldest graduate school specializing in international management and global business.
Since its founding, the school has consistently been known as Thunderbird, after the converted army air base where its campus was established. However, its official name has changed several times, as shown below:
Thunderbird has over 40,000 alumni and 150 alumni chapters in 141 countries throughout the world. T-Bird alumni have a long-standing tradition, called First Tuesday, where on the first Tuesday of every month in major cities across the globe alumni gather for informal socializing and networking opportunities.
The school received regional accreditation
in 1969 from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
(NCA). In 1994, it was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
(AACSB).
, U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant General Barton Kyle Yount
acquired a former military airbase, Thunderbird Field
, whose property was valued at US$407,000, for a token amount on the condition that it be used as a school for at least ten years. (Postwar policy allowed government property to be purchased at great discounts if intended for educational use.) A 1946 congressional investigation into the land sale exonerated Yount of any wrongdoing.
With Yount as its first president, the school was chartered on April 8, 1946 as the American Institute for Foreign Trade (a nonprofit corporation). Classes began on October 1, 1946, and the first class of 234 students graduated on June 14, 1947. The school offered only one degree, a Bachelor of Foreign Trade (BFT), in a curriculum which originally emphasized the Spanish
and Portuguese
languages and Latin America
n business culture. (Observing the difficulties faced by Americans doing business overseas, Yount sought to offer a course of studies that would correct their shortcomings.)
Although the BFT was billed as a four-year degree, the actual course of studies required two years. Students were expected to bring in transfer credits amounting to the first two years.
The earliest classes were overwhelmingly men studying under the G.I. Bill. (In 1951 there were 10 female students, four of them World War II veterans). About half the students were married men, many of whom brought their families. (Wives were encouraged to enroll in language classes.) In those days the students were all American citizens. The first foreign students enrolled in 1958, and their proportion steadily increased until 9-11
, reaching some 60 % of the student body.
After Yount's death in 1949, a "Barton Kyle Yount Award" was created to honor the best student in the graduating class. Its first recipient (in 1950) was Robert Frohse, later executive director of the Hearst Corporation
.
In 1953, the school logo (which had been affixed to several repurposed aircraft hangars) allegedly inspired the name of the U.S. Air Force demonstration flight team, the Thunderbirds.
In 1965, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the school the President's "E" Certificate for Export Service (later upgraded to an "E-star" ranking). A small flag signifying this flies in front of the school.
Marketing professor Edwin H. Coleman (formerly of Upjohn; taught 1962–1966) began an "Interad" class, in which students carry out projects on behalf of real companies, and are judged by their executives. It is now one of Thunderbird's most sought-after classes.
Under the presidency of Arthur L. Peterson (served 1966-69), Thunderbird received regional accreditation
; the size of the student body doubled from an average of 250-300 in the early years, to 503 in 1967; several significant building projects were undertaken, including a library; the name of the school was changed to the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management; and the BFT was phased out in favor of a Master of International Management (MIM) degree. A pilot, Peterson was known for landing his plane on Thunderbird field.
William Voris (served 1971–1989) continued many of the same trends. Academically, professorial qualifications improved, and the school adopted a "tripartite" curriculum consisting of business, international studies, and language. An Arabist, Voris established overseas study programs in several foreign countries—including cooperative agreements with the Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) and the Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade
(1980)--and again changed the name of the school (replacing "Thunderbird" with "American") on the grounds that "Thunderbird" did not always translate well into other languages. He also organized the school's first executive education
programs.
Yount's grandson, Barton Kyle "Buzz" Yount III, attended the school in 1970-71.
The Thunderbird Hot Air Balloon Classic was first held in 1975, on the Thunderbird campus itself (which had been designed as an airfield). The event became an annual festival featuring student-run food-booths and the like. It was moved to the Glendale Airport in 1989 and then, in 1991, to Scottsdale
's Westworld
.
Originally unique, Thunderbird began to encounter direct competition from other international business programs in the 1980s. In response the school's marketing literature emphasized the "Thunderbird mystique" (referring to the school's distinct identity and formidable alumni network) and "a difference of degree" (the MIM over the traditional Master of Business Administration
(MBA)). By the 2000s, however, most business schools had acquired a global focus. Thunderbird, surrendering to the trend, converted its flagship degree into an MBA in International (later Global) Management.
In 1994, the AACSB reversed a longstanding policy which made "mixed" programs such as Thunderbird's ineligible for accreditation. Thunderbird's was the first such program to be thus accredited.
During the 1990s, the school began publishing the Thunderbird International Business Review, a bimonthly academic journal.
The 1990s and 2000s brought financial upheaval as MBA programs in general fell out of favor during the internet bubble, and foreign student enrollment plummeted after 9-11. In 2001, 30 faculty members were "bought out" or given early retirement; 2004 saw staff cuts of 25%. Student enrollment dropped to a low of 700 in 2003, down from an average of 1,500 during the 1990s. Speculation to the effect that the school would close, or be taken over by another institution, was rife. In 2004, an unprecedented pledge of $60 million (by alumnus Sam Garvin and his wife Rita) seemed to forestall these possibilities, and the name of the school was accordingly changed to "the Garvin School of International Management"--a change reverted when Garvin proved unable to make good on the promised donation.
In August 2004, Angel Cabrera, formerly dean of IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, became the first foreign-born president of the School, succeeding Roy A. Herberger Jr. Under his leadership the School underwent a major operational and financial restructuring and launched various new programs. The School has been operating with financial surpluses since 2006 and it delivered record revenues and increase in net assets in 2011. In October of 2011 the School announced the successful completion of a $65 million, 5 year fundraising campaign chaired by Craig and Barbara Barrett.
Since 2004, Thunderbird sponsored "Project Artemis," aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills among Afghan women. In addition, partnerships with investment bank Goldman Sachs, the InterAmerican Development Bank, the U.S. Dept. of State, mining company Freeport McMoRan and the Australian Government helped Thunderbird train hundreds of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan, Jordan, and Latin America.
Thunderbird's honor code (developed during 2005, and approved by the Board of Trustees in 2006) may have been the first MBA Oath
. (Text below.)
/ vision / belief statement:
In that same year was approved the following (optional) Oath of Honor
:
, marketing
, management
, and/or development
. The curriculum evolved from that of the Master of International Management (MIM) degree, offered between 1971 and 2001.
In addition, Thunderbird offers other full-time graduate programs:
Before Thunderbird switched to the MBA, it entered into several dual-degree agreements whereby students could earn an MBA from another institution, and the MIM from Thunderbird. After the switch, it continued to award the MIM to dual-degree students on the basis of these agreements, but has now phased out the MIM in favor of the three non-MBA options listed above.
Thunderbird also offers the following degrees:
Thunderbird Online - Executive Certificates, Foundations for Global Business, Certificate in Global Oil & Gas Management
US News & World Report has ranked Thunderbird as the #1 school in international business for 15 consecutive years. The 2005 Business Week rankings place Thunderbird in the Top 50 Full-time MBA program (fifth consecutive time) and in the Top 10 for "Best & Brightest", Global Scope. Thunderbird was ranked #1 for Academic Excellence in International Business in the United States
(as judged by U.S. recruiters), #1 Regionally, and #5 for top International Schools overall in Europe and North America (as judged by global recruiters) by Wall Street Journal in 2007. In 2009, the Economist ranked Thunderbird as the #2 MBA in the world for "Potential to Network" and #2 for "Internationalism of Alumni". In the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report
the Thunderbird School of Global Management was ranked 17th in North America.
In 2008, 2009, and 2010, Thunderbird was ranked #1 by The Financial Times
Global MBA Rankings - "A League of Their Own/Top Schools by Subject" for “Best in International Business”, #10 for "Top for Corporate Social Responsibility” in 2010 and #10 in “Top for Aims Achieved” in 2009 In the Financial Times 2009 “Top 10’s in Selected Open Enrollment Categories” – #7 in US Schools, #5 in European Schools and #9 in Quality of Participants.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
whose main campus is located in Glendale, Arizona
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
. Founded in 1946 by retired U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant General Barton Kyle Yount
Barton Kyle Yount
Barton Kyle Yount was a United States Army Lieutenant General. His most important assignments were carried out in military aviation as a member of the U.S. Army Air Force.Yount was born in Troy, Ohio...
(1884–1949), it is arguably the oldest graduate school specializing in international management and global business.
Since its founding, the school has consistently been known as Thunderbird, after the converted army air base where its campus was established. However, its official name has changed several times, as shown below:
- 1946–1968: the American Institute for Foreign Trade
- 1968–1973: the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management
- 1973–1997: the American Graduate School of International Management
- 1997–2004: Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management
- 2004–2007: the Garvin School of International Management
- 2007-current: the Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird has over 40,000 alumni and 150 alumni chapters in 141 countries throughout the world. T-Bird alumni have a long-standing tradition, called First Tuesday, where on the first Tuesday of every month in major cities across the globe alumni gather for informal socializing and networking opportunities.
The school received regional accreditation
Regional accreditation
Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...
in 1969 from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
(NCA). In 1994, it was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business was founded in 1916 to accredit schools of business worldwide. The first accreditations took place in 1919. The stated mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership. It is regarded...
(AACSB).
History
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant General Barton Kyle Yount
Barton Kyle Yount
Barton Kyle Yount was a United States Army Lieutenant General. His most important assignments were carried out in military aviation as a member of the U.S. Army Air Force.Yount was born in Troy, Ohio...
acquired a former military airbase, Thunderbird Field
Thunderbird Field
Thunderbird Field was a military airfield in Glendale, Arizona, used for contract primary flight training of Allied pilots during World War II. Created in part by actor James Stewart, the field became part of the United States Army Air Forces training establishment just prior to American entry...
, whose property was valued at US$407,000, for a token amount on the condition that it be used as a school for at least ten years. (Postwar policy allowed government property to be purchased at great discounts if intended for educational use.) A 1946 congressional investigation into the land sale exonerated Yount of any wrongdoing.
With Yount as its first president, the school was chartered on April 8, 1946 as the American Institute for Foreign Trade (a nonprofit corporation). Classes began on October 1, 1946, and the first class of 234 students graduated on June 14, 1947. The school offered only one degree, a Bachelor of Foreign Trade (BFT), in a curriculum which originally emphasized the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
languages and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n business culture. (Observing the difficulties faced by Americans doing business overseas, Yount sought to offer a course of studies that would correct their shortcomings.)
Although the BFT was billed as a four-year degree, the actual course of studies required two years. Students were expected to bring in transfer credits amounting to the first two years.
The earliest classes were overwhelmingly men studying under the G.I. Bill. (In 1951 there were 10 female students, four of them World War II veterans). About half the students were married men, many of whom brought their families. (Wives were encouraged to enroll in language classes.) In those days the students were all American citizens. The first foreign students enrolled in 1958, and their proportion steadily increased until 9-11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, reaching some 60 % of the student body.
After Yount's death in 1949, a "Barton Kyle Yount Award" was created to honor the best student in the graduating class. Its first recipient (in 1950) was Robert Frohse, later executive director of the Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
.
In 1953, the school logo (which had been affixed to several repurposed aircraft hangars) allegedly inspired the name of the U.S. Air Force demonstration flight team, the Thunderbirds.
In 1965, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the school the President's "E" Certificate for Export Service (later upgraded to an "E-star" ranking). A small flag signifying this flies in front of the school.
Marketing professor Edwin H. Coleman (formerly of Upjohn; taught 1962–1966) began an "Interad" class, in which students carry out projects on behalf of real companies, and are judged by their executives. It is now one of Thunderbird's most sought-after classes.
Under the presidency of Arthur L. Peterson (served 1966-69), Thunderbird received regional accreditation
Regional accreditation
Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...
; the size of the student body doubled from an average of 250-300 in the early years, to 503 in 1967; several significant building projects were undertaken, including a library; the name of the school was changed to the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management; and the BFT was phased out in favor of a Master of International Management (MIM) degree. A pilot, Peterson was known for landing his plane on Thunderbird field.
William Voris (served 1971–1989) continued many of the same trends. Academically, professorial qualifications improved, and the school adopted a "tripartite" curriculum consisting of business, international studies, and language. An Arabist, Voris established overseas study programs in several foreign countries—including cooperative agreements with the Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) and the Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade
Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade
The Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade is the predecessor of the University of International Business and Economics...
(1980)--and again changed the name of the school (replacing "Thunderbird" with "American") on the grounds that "Thunderbird" did not always translate well into other languages. He also organized the school's first executive education
Executive Education
Executive Education refers to academic programs at leading graduate-level business schools worldwide for executives, business leaders and functional managers. These programs are non-credit and non-degree granting...
programs.
Yount's grandson, Barton Kyle "Buzz" Yount III, attended the school in 1970-71.
The Thunderbird Hot Air Balloon Classic was first held in 1975, on the Thunderbird campus itself (which had been designed as an airfield). The event became an annual festival featuring student-run food-booths and the like. It was moved to the Glendale Airport in 1989 and then, in 1991, to Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
's Westworld
Westworld
Westworld is a 1973 science fiction-thriller film written and directed by novelist Michael Crichton and produced by Paul Lazarus III. It stars Yul Brynner as a lifelike robot in a futuristic Western-themed amusement park, and Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as guests of the park.Westworld was the...
.
Originally unique, Thunderbird began to encounter direct competition from other international business programs in the 1980s. In response the school's marketing literature emphasized the "Thunderbird mystique" (referring to the school's distinct identity and formidable alumni network) and "a difference of degree" (the MIM over the traditional Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
(MBA)). By the 2000s, however, most business schools had acquired a global focus. Thunderbird, surrendering to the trend, converted its flagship degree into an MBA in International (later Global) Management.
In 1994, the AACSB reversed a longstanding policy which made "mixed" programs such as Thunderbird's ineligible for accreditation. Thunderbird's was the first such program to be thus accredited.
During the 1990s, the school began publishing the Thunderbird International Business Review, a bimonthly academic journal.
The 1990s and 2000s brought financial upheaval as MBA programs in general fell out of favor during the internet bubble, and foreign student enrollment plummeted after 9-11. In 2001, 30 faculty members were "bought out" or given early retirement; 2004 saw staff cuts of 25%. Student enrollment dropped to a low of 700 in 2003, down from an average of 1,500 during the 1990s. Speculation to the effect that the school would close, or be taken over by another institution, was rife. In 2004, an unprecedented pledge of $60 million (by alumnus Sam Garvin and his wife Rita) seemed to forestall these possibilities, and the name of the school was accordingly changed to "the Garvin School of International Management"--a change reverted when Garvin proved unable to make good on the promised donation.
In August 2004, Angel Cabrera, formerly dean of IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, became the first foreign-born president of the School, succeeding Roy A. Herberger Jr. Under his leadership the School underwent a major operational and financial restructuring and launched various new programs. The School has been operating with financial surpluses since 2006 and it delivered record revenues and increase in net assets in 2011. In October of 2011 the School announced the successful completion of a $65 million, 5 year fundraising campaign chaired by Craig and Barbara Barrett.
Since 2004, Thunderbird sponsored "Project Artemis," aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills among Afghan women. In addition, partnerships with investment bank Goldman Sachs, the InterAmerican Development Bank, the U.S. Dept. of State, mining company Freeport McMoRan and the Australian Government helped Thunderbird train hundreds of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan, Jordan, and Latin America.
Thunderbird's honor code (developed during 2005, and approved by the Board of Trustees in 2006) may have been the first MBA Oath
MBA Oath
MBA Oath is a voluntary student-led pledge that asks graduating MBAs to commit towards the creation of value "responsibly and ethically." As of January 2010, the initiative is driven by a coalition of MBA students, graduates and advisors, including nearly 2,000 student and alumni signers from over...
. (Text below.)
Guiding Principles
In April 2006 the school celebrated its 60th anniversary by announcing a new missionMission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
/ vision / belief statement:
- *Mission: We educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide
- *Vision: To be the world's foremost learning community for global managers and global enterprises
- *Beliefs: Global Mindset, Global Citizenship, Global Entrepreneurship, Global Thought Leadership, Global Connections
In that same year was approved the following (optional) Oath of Honor
MBA Oath
MBA Oath is a voluntary student-led pledge that asks graduating MBAs to commit towards the creation of value "responsibly and ethically." As of January 2010, the initiative is driven by a coalition of MBA students, graduates and advisors, including nearly 2,000 student and alumni signers from over...
:
- As a Thunderbird and a global citizen, I promise:
- I will strive to act with honesty and integrity,
- I will respect the rights and dignity of all people,
- I will strive to create sustainable prosperity worldwide,
- I will oppose all forms of corruption and exploitation, and
- I will take responsibility for my actions.
- As I hold true to these principles, it is my hope that I may enjoy an honorable reputation and peace of conscience.
- This pledge I make freely and upon my honor.
Programs
Today (as of 2010), Thunderbird's main degree is the MBA in Global Management. Students may select concentrations in global financeFinance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, and/or development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
. The curriculum evolved from that of the Master of International Management (MIM) degree, offered between 1971 and 2001.
In addition, Thunderbird offers other full-time graduate programs:
- Master of Science in Global Management. Intended for students who lack business education or experience.
- Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management. Oriented towards the management of public, international and social organizations.
- Master of Global Management: Billed as a post-MBA degree; also granted to dual-degree students.
Before Thunderbird switched to the MBA, it entered into several dual-degree agreements whereby students could earn an MBA from another institution, and the MIM from Thunderbird. After the switch, it continued to award the MIM to dual-degree students on the basis of these agreements, but has now phased out the MIM in favor of the three non-MBA options listed above.
Thunderbird also offers the following degrees:
- Global MBA On-Demand: A distance-learning MBA with a residency requirement.
- Executive MBA in Global Management. A modular EMBA program. Study takes place in Arizona, GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and/or Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
Thunderbird Online - Executive Certificates, Foundations for Global Business, Certificate in Global Oil & Gas Management
- Executive Certificates available in:
- Global Business Essentials
- Global Corporate Social Responsibility
- Global Finance
- Global Leadership
- Global Marketing
- Global Management
- Global Negotiations
- International Credit & Trade Finance
Rankings
With its student body of a thousand or so, Thunderbird can with equal justice be viewed as a small school, or as a huge graduate department. The fact that it is unaffiliated with a larger university (and thus foregoes the resources and access to undergraduate teaching that such an affiliation would provide) has affected its academic life and reputation. The school tends to do well in rankings which specifically evaluate programs in international business, and less well in general measures. Business Week, for example, considers Thunderbird a "second-tier" business school as of 2009 (and has held the same opinion since it first began to consider the school in 1996).US News & World Report has ranked Thunderbird as the #1 school in international business for 15 consecutive years. The 2005 Business Week rankings place Thunderbird in the Top 50 Full-time MBA program (fifth consecutive time) and in the Top 10 for "Best & Brightest", Global Scope. Thunderbird was ranked #1 for Academic Excellence in International Business in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(as judged by U.S. recruiters), #1 Regionally, and #5 for top International Schools overall in Europe and North America (as judged by global recruiters) by Wall Street Journal in 2007. In 2009, the Economist ranked Thunderbird as the #2 MBA in the world for "Potential to Network" and #2 for "Internationalism of Alumni". In the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report
QS Global 200 Business Schools Report
The QS Global 200 Business Schools Report identifies the most popular business schools in each region of the world. It aims to serve employers seeking MBAs at a regional level. It originated in the early 1990s under the partnership Quacquarelli Symonds. The TopMBA Career Guide was made in 1990, and...
the Thunderbird School of Global Management was ranked 17th in North America.
In 2008, 2009, and 2010, Thunderbird was ranked #1 by The Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
Global MBA Rankings - "A League of Their Own/Top Schools by Subject" for “Best in International Business”, #10 for "Top for Corporate Social Responsibility” in 2010 and #10 in “Top for Aims Achieved” in 2009 In the Financial Times 2009 “Top 10’s in Selected Open Enrollment Categories” – #7 in US Schools, #5 in European Schools and #9 in Quality of Participants.
Thunderbird Research Centers (Centers of Excellence)
Thunderbird has 6 main research, knowledge and information centers known collectively as the Thunderbird Centers for Excellence.- Garvin Center for the Cultures & Languages of Global Management
- Global Financial Services Center
- Global Mindset Institute
- Lincoln Center for Ethics In International Management
- Thunderbird Global Private Equity Center
- Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship
List of Thunderbird presidents
- Barton Kyle Yount (1947–49)
- William Lytle Schurz (1949-52[?])
- Ed Juliber (1952–53)
- Carl Sauer (1953–66)
- Arthur L. Peterson (1966–69)
- Robert F. Delaney (1970–71)
- William Voris (1971–89)
- Roy A. Herberger (1989–2004)
- Angel Cabrera (2004–present)
Notable alumni
- John Bauer, '87, Chief Architect, Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Walid ChammahWalid ChammahWalid Chammah is Chairman of Morgan Stanley International and serves as a member of the Morgan Stanley Management and Operating Committees. Between September 2007 and December 2009, Mr. Chammah was Co-President of Morgan Stanley, overseeing the Firm's Institutional Securities business and...
, '77, Co-President, Morgan StanleyMorgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000.... - Bob DudleyBob DudleyRobert "Bob" Dudley is the CEO of BP. He had served as President and Chief Executive of TNK-BP and on June 18, 2010, was assigned to be BP executive in charge of the Gulf Coast Restoration Organisation responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.-Early life:Dudley was born in Queens, New York,...
, '79, Chief Executive Officer, BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"... - Luis Alberto MorenoLuis Alberto MorenoLuis Alberto Moreno Mejía is the 4th and current President of the Inter-American Development Bank.-Life:Luis Alberto Moreno was elected president of the Inter-American Development Bank during a special meeting of the Bank's Board of Governors at IDB headquarters in Washington, D.C...
, '77, President, Inter-American Development Bank and former Colombian Ambassador to the United States - William D. PerezWilliam Perez- Greenhill & Co. :On January 11, 2010, William D. Perez joined Greenhill & Co. as a senior advisor.- Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company :On October 3, 2006, William D. Perez succeeded William Wrigley, Jr. II as CEO of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, the world's largest chewing-gum manufacturer. He was the first...
, ’70, CEO, Wm. Wrigley Jr. CompanyWm. Wrigley Jr. CompanyThe William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging... - Niels Marquardt, '80, U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar
- Philip Reeker, '91, U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia
- Gordon SmithGordon SmithGordon Harold Smith is a former United States Senator and businessman from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Senate. Born in Eastern Oregon, Smith was raised there and in Maryland before attending Brigham Young University and Southwestern University School of Law. Prior...
, '96, CEO, Chase Card Services - Raymundo A. Yu Jr., '81, Senior Vice President and Chairman of Asia Pacific Region, BofA Merrill Lynch
- Jeffrey Van Der Eems, '86, Chief Operating Officer, United BiscuitsUnited Biscuits__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
- Don NovelloDon NovelloDon Novello is an American writer, film director, producer, actor, singer, and comedian. Novello is best known for his work on NBC's Saturday Night Live, from 1977 until 1980, and then 1985 until 1986, often as the character "Father Guido Sarducci". Novello has appeared as "Sarducci" on many...
, '65, American writer, film director, producer, actor, singer, and comedian - Robert L. Shanks, '76, Vice President and Controller, Ford Motor Company
- Sunder Kimatrai, '92, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, 20th Century Fox International
- Saad Abdul-Latif, '81, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Asia, Middle East and Africa
- Merle A. Hinrichs, '65, Chairman and CEO, Global Sources
- Diego Veitia, '66, Founder and Chairman of the Board, International Assets Holding Corporation
- John S. Donnelly, '70, Chairman of the Board, Zurich Financial Services
- Frances Aldrich Sevilla-Sacasa, '78, President and CEO, U.S. Trust
- Kimberly Wiehl, '80, Secretary-General, The Berne Union
- Mark A. Emkes, '76, Chairman and CEO, Bridgestone Americas
- Carol Shuster, '83, Worldwide Managing Director, Ogilvy and Mather
- Robert Grant, '98, CEO and President, Bausch and Lomb Surgical
- Edward Verona, '87, President and CEO, U.S.-Russia Business Council
- Jim Ailing, '85, President, Starbucks Coffee International
- Kim Williams, '92, COO, NFL Network
- Jon Kailey, '76, Director of International Business Development, Owens Corning
- Timothy Sullivan, '76, President and CEO, Bucyrus International, Inc.
- Denise Farinos, '04, CFO, GM South America
- Paul Hussey, '95, CEO, Strix
- Lee McIntire, '81, Chairman and CEO, CH2M Hill
- Sean Mulvaney, '97, Director Economic Policy Program, German Marshall Fund
- Francis Najafi, '77, Founder and CEO, Pivotal Group
- Scott Walker, '81, President and CEO, BillMatrix
- Robert Theleen, '70, Chairman and CEO, ChinaVest
- Samuel S. Garvin, '88, Founder and Chairman, Continental Promotion Group/Vice Chairman, Phoenix Suns
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See also
- List of United States business school rankings 1
- List of business schools in the United States
- International Masters of Business AdministrationInternational Masters of Business AdministrationA International Masters of Business Administration is a Masters of Business Administration degree with a keen focus on International Business...