A New Brand of Leader

A New Brand of Leader Requires a Different Kind of Educational Program

Two new executive degree programs – part of Thunderbird’s curriculum transformation – showcase the reinvention already underway

One of the most significant aspects of our modern era is the pace and magnitude of change. Technological innovation and disruption in the Fourth Industrial Revolution are more ubiquitous, more rapid and more impactful than ever before.

To make a difference in this complex and interwoven global economy, leaders across sectors – private, public and nonprofit – need a firm understanding of how to leverage the immense opportunities and mitigate the threats arising from innovation and disruption. These are leaders with entrepreneurial mindsets who look beyond borders – across geographies, across cultures, across sectors and industries.

The world needs a new brand of leader in order to inclusively capitalize on the benefits of this new era of rapid change while minimizing its risks, and producing these new leaders requires a different kind of educational program. That’s why one of the core elements of Thunderbird’s reinvention is curriculum transformation, which includes the introduction of two new graduate degrees: The Executive Master of Global Leadership and Strategy (EMGLAS) and the Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management (EMAGAM).

EXECUTIVE MASTER OF GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY (EMGLAS) At the leadership tables of businesses and governments around the world

The Executive Master of Global Leadership and Strategy constitutes the pinnacle of our degree pyramid. The yearlong degree program experience

takes students inside the boardrooms of businesses and governments around the world. It provides exclusive insight into the strategy and leadership nuances at play in today’s complex and dynamic global environment.

Delivered by prominent faculty members in six global locations – Phoenix/Los Angeles, Geneva, Mumbai, Shanghai, Nairobi, and Sao Paulo – and online, the Executive MGLAS breaks free of a traditional, lockstep curriculum to immerse students in hands-on, culturally complex leadership situations. Real-world themes to be covered include megatrends, sustainable futures, shaping markets, capturing digital dividends, and delivering results. “There are senior managers and leaders who are moving up in their careers to take on increasingly global responsibilities, which means they need to have some on-the-ground knowledge

of different regions of the world,” said Thunderbird Director General and Dean Sanjeev Khagram. “They’re at places in their careers where they’re not going to take time off for executive courses, so we created a 21st-century flipped classroom with interactive learning.”

EXECUTIVE MASTER OF ARTS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AND MANAGEMENT (EMAGAM) At the intersection of global business, public policy and law

Another 1-year program, the Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management, is a transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral, solution-oriented degree focused on global innovation. The pro

gram will be delivered at Thunderbird’s new regional hub in Washington, DC. The idea for a DC program was proposed by T-birds in the area, who had long wanted to see Thunderbird programs closer to

the nation’s capital.

The EMAGAM is a “truly global degree for mid-career professionals in the public, private, or nonprofit sector who want to understand other sectors, engage other sectors, or move to another sector,” Khagram said. “A lot of folks in government want to move to the private sector or vice versa. They want a global degree that’s critical for that next career phase and they want to continue to work. It’s a wonderful opportunity that builds on ASU’s culture of working across disciplines and across schools.”

Indeed, the EMAGAM is a perfect reflection of Thunderbird’s new transdisciplinary approach. Students can choose three pathways – global business, global law or global policy – taught by eminent faculty from Thunderbird and across ASU, including the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Students will take courses inside and outside their chosen pathway because effective global business leaders understand global law and global policy, and vice versa.

Our inaugural EMAGAM cohort started in January 2020, and our Executive MGLAS program begins in the summer of 2020. (Do you know someone who would fit? Please refer them at thunderbird.asu. edu/degrees)