The Value of a Diamond When Dignity Health sought a partner for their new global health education initiative, the wish list was extensive. The partner should have world-class executive education and academic reputations. Robust digital capabilities were essential to support their interest in custom-designed certificates, but so too was the ability to mobilize leading-edge applied learning field experiences for participants in what Dignity hoped would be a flagship, hybrid, transdisciplinary, custom-corporate graduate degree for the healthcare sector. And, none of this could be geographically limited – the playing field had to be truly global. Recognizing the tall ask and prepared, if not expecting, to concede something along the way, Dignity canvassed the higher education landscape in search of an ideal collaborator. In the end, only one institution remained – Thunderbird 4.0 @ ASU. Leveraging the incredible assets of ASU and Thunderbird created an enabling environment but it took Dr. Khagram’s commitment to collabora-
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Thunderbird Magazine Spring 2020
B. Tom Hunsaker, PhD Associate Dean, Innovation tion and agile innovation to translate potential into reality. Previously distinct efforts and teams that lacked natural ways to connect were fused and aligned to better serve enterprise partners. Examples of this fusion and alignment included work being done by Thunderbird Executive Education, Thunderbird for Good, non-academic Digital Solutions, and Applied Learning. Known internally as the “Innovation Corps,” the collective covers the spectrum of enterprise needs in more integrated, robust ways. This move thrust Thunderbird once again into the industry catalyst role, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in meaningful ways. The Innovation Corps is built to serve the gamut of enterprise interests as a single-sourced, connected-value partner. Regardless of entry point need, Thunderbird Innovation Corps harnesses both timeless and future-shaping themes, from corporate social responsibility or social entrepreneurship collaboration to boutique faculty-mentored consulting projects, multi-faceted custom Executive Education partnerships to contemporary open
enrollment modules in digital, hybrid, and immersion formats. Other global players have noticed. Existing enterprise partners such as Freeport-McMoRan have found increased value as they’ve seamlessly engaged previously unimagined partnership opportunities. Previous partners like Sabic have noticed the new potential and reconnected with Thunderbird. Additionally, new collaboration clients, such as Boeing, envision a wealth of possibilities to encompass the many capabilities of Thunderbird’s Innovation Corps, especially our growing global network of regional centers of excellence as well as more broadly with other units of the ASU Knowledge Enterprise. Relevant and Applied. Digitally or Immersive. To do well. For good. Seamlessly. What was previously a nice but distant thought among our competitor set is now a reality at Thunderbird. Thunderbird’s Innovation Corps exemplifies why one of the world’s first global leadership academies is also among its finest.
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