Darden Graduate School of Business Administration
Encyclopedia
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is the graduate business school
associated with the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, Virginia
. The Darden School is one of the world's leading business schools, offering MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. The unique Darden experience combines the case study method, the highest-ranked faculty whose research advances global managerial practice and business education, and a tight-knit learning environment to develop principled and complete leaders who are ready to make an impact. The School was founded in 1954 and is named after Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr., a former Democratic congressman, governor of Virginia, and president of the University of Virginia.
These elements create an environment that develops Darden students into principled and complete leaders who are ready for anything after graduation.
annual survey.
The Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) advances rigorous academic research on corporate sustainability
issues by providing data, tools and networking opportunities to scholars. ARCS held its second annual research conference at Harvard Business School
in May 2010. ARCS also co-sponsors with the University of Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business
an annual PhD Sustainability Academy, which immerses young scholars in a multidisciplinary dialogue with leading sustainability faculty. In 2010, ARCS conducted a National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop on Data Needs for Accelerating Progress on Corporate Sustainability. Founded in 2009, ARCS is housed at the Darden School of Business. The Faculty Director is Darden Professor Michael Lenox and the Managing Director is Darden’s Manager of Sustainability Programs Erika Herz.
The Batten Institute at the Darden School of Business creates value and transforms society through entrepreneurship
and innovation
. The Institute’s academic research center advances knowledge that addresses real-world challenges and shapes Darden’s curriculum, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership offers one of the world’s top entrepreneurship programs. The Batten Institute was established with gifts now totaling over $100 million from UVA alumnus Frank Batten
, Sr., a media pioneer, visionary, and founder of The Weather Channel
.
The Behavioral Research at Darden (BRAD) Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory supporting behavioral research at Darden. Researchers affiliated with BRAD study organizational behavior, marketing, business ethics, judgment and decision-making, behavioral operations and entrepreneurship.
Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics, housed at the Darden School, is an association of chief executive officers. Its mission is to enhance ethical behavior of business leaders in the conduct of day-to-day business decision making.
The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) gets students and executives ready for global opportunities by developing and implementing educational programs and research projects to enhance understanding of international issues. CGI also aims to increase global awareness of Darden and of the University of Virginia
by promoting interaction between Darden and the rest of the world and currently has partnership agreements with over 20 international business schools in more than 15 countries. Overseas faculty and business leaders are brought to the university and the state to share their experiences, knowledge and perspectives, and in any given week Darden may have a distinguished global speaker, an international food festival, faculty members consulting abroad or the dean hosting a guest from outside the United States.
UVA Darden–Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education merges best practices from business and education administration to provide senior leadership of school organizations and their business and community partners with a new leadership perspective.
The Olsson Center for Applied Ethics, one of the world’s leading sources of thinking about ethics and business, conducts research, publishes books and other resource materials and sponsors the Ruffin Lecture Series.
The Society for Effectual Action (SEA) is a group of academic researchers, instructors, and entrepreneurs gathered for a single purpose: to fundamentally change the way entrepreneurship
is taught and learned around the world. Co-founded by Professor Saras Sarasvathy and Darden alumni Chip Ransler and Ian Ayers, with support from the Batten Institute, SEA enables researchers and instructors to disseminate and discuss contributed papers, articles, teaching materials and techniques. Serving as a central hub for effectuation research, SEA invites the community to extend the principles presented in Sarasvathy’s book, Effectuation: Elements of Entrepreneurial Expertise (2008), to new areas and practical applications.
The Tayloe Murphy Center forms alliances with communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia that are facing challenging economic conditions. In addition, the Tayloe Murphy Center conducts path-breaking and leadership-focused research projects that inform pressing policy and business issues central to the challenge of economic development and social progress.
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...
associated with the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. The Darden School is one of the world's leading business schools, offering MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. The unique Darden experience combines the case study method, the highest-ranked faculty whose research advances global managerial practice and business education, and a tight-knit learning environment to develop principled and complete leaders who are ready to make an impact. The School was founded in 1954 and is named after Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr., a former Democratic congressman, governor of Virginia, and president of the University of Virginia.
Darden MBA Programs
Darden is unique because of the combination of three key elements:- Case Study Method – Rather than lecture, Darden professors engage students in active, content-rich discussions in class about real business problems and solutions.
- World’s Best MBA Teaching Faculty – Ranked #1 by The Princeton ReviewThe Princeton ReviewThe Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
and Financial TimesFinancial TimesThe 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....
, Darden professors put students first and advance innovative thinking in business. - Tight-knit Community – Students, faculty, staff and alumni join in an atmosphere of collaboration and community not often found in top business schools.
These elements create an environment that develops Darden students into principled and complete leaders who are ready for anything after graduation.
MBA
Designed for students who seek to strengthen their leadership, business and communication skills, Darden’s two-year MBA program — ranked #1 in student satisfaction by Bloomberg Businessweek — combines core and elective courses in Charlottesville, Virginia with opportunities to study abroad. The program is known for its case study method, top-ranked faculty, commitment to ethics, outstanding entrepreneurship opportunities and focus on sustainability.Curriculum
The required curriculum in the First Year is designed to provide students with an integrated perspective on general management. Beginning in the final term of the First Year, the curriculum is made up entirely of electives to allow students to develop more depth in chosen areas of interest. Students may choose two from among the following optional concentrations:
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Global Opportunities
Darden offers Global Business Experiences (GBEs) electives — one- to two-week courses that enable students to explore international business issues firsthand in a country other than their own — in ten countries. In the Second Year, students can also spend time abroad in one of 18 exchange programs around the world.Career Development
Darden is one of the few top MBA programs to integrate career strategy and planning into its curriculum. All students are also assigned both a functionally-aligned career consultant and a Second Year student career coach whom they meet with regularly throughout the recruiting process. As alumni, Darden provides lifelong quality career assistance, free of charge.MBA for Executives
Taught by Darden’s top-ranked faculty, the MBA for Executives program allows experienced professionals to earn the same degree as the Full-Time MBA students, without interrupting their careers. Each MBA for Executives class is composed of experienced managers from a broad spectrum of industries and functions. The 21-month program combines:- Once-a-month, on-Grounds residencies. Students will typically come to Darden once a month for sessions that take place Thursday through Saturday. Action-oriented classes include case discussions, simulations and individual and group presentations.
- Leadership residencies. Throughout the course of 21 months, students will participate in four one-week leadership residencies. These intensive, experiential residencies provide new perspectives on management challenges. One of the four leadership residencies takes place in a global business center outside of the United States (most recently this has been China).
- Distance learning. To maintain the intense pace of interaction and to stay in touch with the Darden community between residencies, students will use distance learning technology to interact with professors, hold virtual team meetings, work on team deliverables and submit exams. All online sessions are recorded.
Global MBA for Executives
Similar to the MBA for Executives program, the Global MBA for Executives program is designed for experienced managers who seek to advance their careers by earning an MBA while working full time. The program focuses on preparing students to thrive in globally distributed firms, across markets, across cultures and in emerging regions. The 21-month program combines:- U.S. residencies: During the two two-week residencies in the U.S., students will divide their time between Darden and Washington, D.C. In the nation’s capital, students will visit political and financial organizations and cultural sites.
- Residencies in China, India, Brazil and Europe: The four two-week international residencies are spread evenly across the 21-month program. Each time students meet in person, they will attend classes, engage with local Darden alumni, visit influential firms, gain cultural knowledge and contacts, and learn to work across international borders.
- Distance learning: To maintain the intense pace of interaction and to stay in touch with the Darden community between residencies, students will use distance learning technology to interact with professors, hold virtual team meetings, work on team deliverables and submit exams. All online sessions are recorded.
Darden Executive Education
Darden Executive Education serves as a critical resource for businesses around the world, conveying the relevant concepts and thinking necessary to formulate excellence in leadership and management. The inaugural Executive Education program was offered in 1955. Darden Executive Education offers both open-enrollment and custom programs, as well as consortia, corporate university design and development, and industry specific partnerships. Open-enrollment program focus areas include strategy, leadership and change, finance, sales and marketing, and general and advanced management. Year-after-year these programs are ranked in the top five of the Financial TimesFinancial 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....
annual survey.
Darden Ph.D. Program
Darden’s doctoral program allows students to obtain a Ph.D. degree in management, specializing in either ethics, entrepreneurship, or leadership and organizational behavior. The program prepares individuals for careers in research and teaching at major universities and corporations.Rankings
Darden is regularly ranked as being among the Top 15 business schools in the U.S. and Top 25 in the world. Its current rankings (updated November 2011) are as follows:MBA Rankings
- #3 (North America) - The Economist 2011
- #4 (Global) - The Economist 2011
- #9 - Forbes 2011
MBA Specialty Rankings
- #1 Education Experience - The Economist 2011
- #1 Student Satisfaction - Bloomberg Businessweek 2010
- #1 General Management - Financial Times 2011
- #1 Best Faculty - The Princeton Review 2011
- #3 Corporate Social Responsibility - Financial Times 2011
- #3 Entrepreneurship - The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine 2011
- #5 Placement Success - Financial Times 2011
Executive Education Rankings
- #2 Open-Enrollment Programs (USA Schools)/#5 Open-Enrollment Programs (Global) - Financial Times 2011
- #2 Course Design (Global) - Financial Times 2011
- #1 Course Design (Global) - Financial Times 2003-2010
- #1 Faculty (Global) - Financial Times 2004-2011
Research Centers
Our Research Centers extend Darden's influence in critical areas advancing both thought leadership and the application of new ideas.The Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) advances rigorous academic research on corporate sustainability
Corporate sustainability
Corporate sustainability is a business approach that creates long-term consumer and employee value by not only creating a "green" strategy aimed towards the natural environment, but taking into consideration every dimension of how a business operates in the social, cultural, and economic environment...
issues by providing data, tools and networking opportunities to scholars. ARCS held its second annual research conference at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
in May 2010. ARCS also co-sponsors with the University of Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business
Richard Ivey School of Business
The Richard Ivey School of Business is located on the University of Western Ontario campus in London, Ontario, Canada, and is consistently rated as the top business school in Canada. It is offered, along with a range of other programs, by the University of Western Ontario, but is managed separately...
an annual PhD Sustainability Academy, which immerses young scholars in a multidisciplinary dialogue with leading sustainability faculty. In 2010, ARCS conducted a National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop on Data Needs for Accelerating Progress on Corporate Sustainability. Founded in 2009, ARCS is housed at the Darden School of Business. The Faculty Director is Darden Professor Michael Lenox and the Managing Director is Darden’s Manager of Sustainability Programs Erika Herz.
The Batten Institute at the Darden School of Business creates value and transforms society through entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
and innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
. The Institute’s academic research center advances knowledge that addresses real-world challenges and shapes Darden’s curriculum, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership offers one of the world’s top entrepreneurship programs. The Batten Institute was established with gifts now totaling over $100 million from UVA alumnus Frank Batten
Frank Batten
Frank Batten was the founder of the first nationwide, 24-hour cable weather channel, The Weather Channel...
, Sr., a media pioneer, visionary, and founder of The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
.
The Behavioral Research at Darden (BRAD) Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory supporting behavioral research at Darden. Researchers affiliated with BRAD study organizational behavior, marketing, business ethics, judgment and decision-making, behavioral operations and entrepreneurship.
Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics, housed at the Darden School, is an association of chief executive officers. Its mission is to enhance ethical behavior of business leaders in the conduct of day-to-day business decision making.
The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) gets students and executives ready for global opportunities by developing and implementing educational programs and research projects to enhance understanding of international issues. CGI also aims to increase global awareness of Darden and of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
by promoting interaction between Darden and the rest of the world and currently has partnership agreements with over 20 international business schools in more than 15 countries. Overseas faculty and business leaders are brought to the university and the state to share their experiences, knowledge and perspectives, and in any given week Darden may have a distinguished global speaker, an international food festival, faculty members consulting abroad or the dean hosting a guest from outside the United States.
UVA Darden–Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education merges best practices from business and education administration to provide senior leadership of school organizations and their business and community partners with a new leadership perspective.
The Olsson Center for Applied Ethics, one of the world’s leading sources of thinking about ethics and business, conducts research, publishes books and other resource materials and sponsors the Ruffin Lecture Series.
The Society for Effectual Action (SEA) is a group of academic researchers, instructors, and entrepreneurs gathered for a single purpose: to fundamentally change the way entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
is taught and learned around the world. Co-founded by Professor Saras Sarasvathy and Darden alumni Chip Ransler and Ian Ayers, with support from the Batten Institute, SEA enables researchers and instructors to disseminate and discuss contributed papers, articles, teaching materials and techniques. Serving as a central hub for effectuation research, SEA invites the community to extend the principles presented in Sarasvathy’s book, Effectuation: Elements of Entrepreneurial Expertise (2008), to new areas and practical applications.
The Tayloe Murphy Center forms alliances with communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia that are facing challenging economic conditions. In addition, the Tayloe Murphy Center conducts path-breaking and leadership-focused research projects that inform pressing policy and business issues central to the challenge of economic development and social progress.
Prominent Alumni
Darden's list of prominent alumni (in order of graduation) includes:- John H. BryanJohn H. BryanJohn Henry Bryan, Jr. is the former CEO of the Sara Lee Corporation.A graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, he is also affiliated with the French Legion of Honor, the World Economic Forum, and was a Member of the Board for Sara Lee,...
(MBA '60), CEO and Chairman of Sara Lee from 1976 to 2001 - George DavidGeorge DavidGeorge David is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Technologies Corporation. David was elected UTC’s President in 1992 and Chief Executive Officer in 1994. He joined UTC’s Otis Elevator subsidiary in 1975 and became its President in 1986.-Life and career:David was born in...
(MBA '67), CEO and Chairman of United Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies Corporation is an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in the United Technologies Building in Hartford, Connecticut... - Rea S. Hederman (MBA '68), Chairman since 1984, New York Review of Books
- John D. Shafer Jr. (MBA '68), CEO of Dunkin' DonutsDunkin' DonutsDunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
- Ronald E. Trzcinski (MBA '71), President and Founder of The Original Mattress Factory
- L.F. Payne (MBA '73), former VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
congressman - Henri Termeer (MBA '73), the President, Chairman and CEO of Genzyme Corporation
- John Strangfeld (MBA '77), Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial
- Roger L. Werner Jr. (MBA '77), founder Speedvision and Outdoor Life Network
- Charles A. de Mestral (MBA '78), the current CEO of Winstar Resources Inc.
- Steven Reinemund (MBA '78), the former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCoPepsiCoPepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
. Voted number 15 in Barron's 2006 "World's Most Respected US CEOs." - Mark B. TempletonMark B. TempletonMark B. Templeton is the CEO of Citrix Systems, Inc. He attended North Carolina State University, where he joined Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He has an MBA from Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.-External links:*...
(MBA '78), President & CEO, Citrix SystemsCitrix SystemsCitrix Systems, Inc. is a multinational corporation founded in 1989, that provides server and desktop virtualization, networking, software-as-a-service , and cloud computing technologies, including Xen open source products....
Inc. - Doug Scovanner (MBA '79), Executive Vice President & CFO, Target Corporation
- Bill HawkinsWilliam A. HawkinsWilliam "Bill" A. Hawkins was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic from 2008 until 2011.-Early life:Hawkins received a bachelors of science degree in electrical and biomedical engineering from Duke University in 1976...
(MBA '82), President & CEO, MedtronicMedtronicMedtronic, Inc. , based in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the world's largest medical technology company and is a Fortune 500 company.- History :...
Inc. - Warren M. Thompson (MBA '83), President & Chairman, Thompson Hospitality Corporation
- Frank Batten Jr (MBA '84), CEO of Landmark Communications (owner of The Weather Channel and many newspapers)
- V.N. DalmiaDalmiaThe Dalmia Group of Companies came into existence in India in the early 1930s as the Dalmia-Jain Group. Founded by the late Ramkrishna Dalmia, with the assistance of his younger brother Jaidayal Dalmia and his son-in-law Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain, the group’s activities included banks and insurance...
(MBA '84), Chairman Dalmia Continental, Chairman Sunshine Tourism Services - Daniel S. Lynch (MBA '84), former CFO and CEO of ImClone SystemsImClone SystemsImClone Systems Incorporated is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing biologic medicines in the area of oncology. It was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in New York City. On October 6, 2008, it accepted a $6.5 billion acquisition offer from Eli Lilly and Company, and became a...
- Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA '88), Treasurer of Tyco International Ltd.
- Carolyn Miles (MBA ’88), CEO, Save the Children
- Mark SanfordMark SanfordMarshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician from South Carolina, who was the 115th Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011....
(MBA '88), Governor of South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... - Naren K. Gursahaney (MBA '89), President of TycoTycoTyco may refer to:* Tyco International, a diversified industrial conglomerate* Tyco Electronics, a former segment of Tyco International* Tyco Toys, a division of Mattel...
Engineered Products and Services - Scott Price (MBA ’90), President & CEO, Walmart Asia
- Steven Silbiger (MBA '90), author, The Ten-Day MBA, third edition, Harper Business, 2005
- Thomas Baltimore (MBA '91), Co-founder & President, RLJ Development
- James Geisler (MBA ’93), Vice President Finance, United Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies CorporationUnited Technologies Corporation is an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in the United Technologies Building in Hartford, Connecticut...
- Trip Davis (MBA ’94), President & CEO, TRX, Inc.
- Doug Lebda, founder of Lending TreeLendingTreeLendingTree is an online lending exchange. LendingTree is a web-based company that operates an online lending marketplace that facilitates matching borrowers and lenders...
, which was conceived as business plan during his first year. Doug left Darden (Class of 98) to pursue the business. - Dustin Masaru Shindo (MBA ’99), Chairman & CEO and Founder, Hoku Scientific.
- Tom Watjen, (MBA '81), Chairman & CEO Unum Group
See Also
- List of United States business school rankings
- List of business schools in the United States
Darden Website
- Darden Official Site
- MBA Program
- MBA for Executives Program
- Global MBA for Executives Program
- Executive Education
- PhD Program
- Darden Research Centers
- Darden News
Social Media
- Darden Student Bloggers
- Dean Robert Bruner's blog
- Darden on Facebook
- Darden on Twitter
- Darden on YouTube