Best in Class

What if you could take some time to think deeply about a challenge you face at work? What if you had the chance to learn new strategies and evidence-based solutions? Would you do it?

Associate Dean Michael Koenig sees alumni as “partners, who can dig deep in co-designing and consulting to solve their organization’s specific needs. We want our alumni and their organizations to work with us and experience measurable outcomes.” The Executive Education courses at Rice Business are designed to give professionals the time, space, and support to do just that, enhancing their ability to tackle new issues and preparing them to overcome obstacles along the way.

“In its broadest sense, I think our programs can serve as a sabbatical for people,” says Professor Brent Smith, senior associate dean of Executive Education. “The opportunity to take a few days — or maybe a few weeks — away from the day-to-day work schedule and reflect in ways that most people can’t with their normal responsibilities and duties. This sabbatical is an opportunity to really think about new and different ideas and how they apply to work. It’s an opportunity to stretch their minds a bit, which is a powerful and unique tool we can provide.”

So, what could a problemsolving sabbatical mean for alumni? We asked the leaders of our Executive Education program, who offered this collective wisdom: Alumni are partners, leaders and ambassadors.

Associate Dean Michael Koenig sees alumni as “partners, who can dig deep in co-designing and consulting to solve their organization’s specific needs. We want our alumni and their organizations to work with us and experience measurable outcomes.” The pace of change in the business world today calls for trusted partnerships, and Rice Business Executive Education offers the best opportunity to bring together professors with cutting-edge research and peers from leading organizations to produce fruitful collaborations.

Leaders and managers take responsibility for shaping their own development and their teams’. New courses, like Leading Creativity and Innova tion, help them do that. In the classroom, participants from different industries and back grounds connect and “deepen their pool of resources,” says Director Sheree Ahart. “They strengthen their resiliency to stave off burnout or mitigate career derailment, and often develop a more meaningful relationship to their work.” The best endorsements come from those who have personally experienced and benefitted from a Rice Busi ness education. “As ambassadors,” says Marketing Director Vanessa Sobers, “alumni are the bridge between Rice and their community, however that community is defined – their teams, organization or net work.” They are the examples of the innovative work taking place every day on campus. Leaders are increasingly expected to quickly adapt to changing technologies, trends and economic forces — and Executive Education is adapting just as quickly to help make them more nimble and better equipped to face these challenges head on. 5 REASONS TO TAKE EXECUTIVE EDUCATION COURSES

Investment in self-improvement Collaborate with best-in-class faculty Solve complex problems creatively Learn in a flexible time frame Expand your network 1 2 3 4 5

Photo opposite: Executive Education leadership Standing: Michael Koenig, Associate Dean for Innovation Initiatives and Executive Director; Vanessa Sobers, Director of Marketing Communications

Seated: Sheree Ahart, Ph.D., Director; Brent Smith, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Management and Psychology