News : News Releases : 2002-2003

April 2003

MBA program jumps to 11th best in U.S.
U.S. News rankings come in year of increased applications, enrollment growth
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - April 5, 2003 - The MBA program of Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business has soared in the annual rankings of the nation's top 20 part-time programs in the country, rising to 11th, according to U.S. News and World Report.

The business school's 11th-best ranking among the nation's 218 part-time programs, from a 17th ranking in 2002, positions the MBA program as the fourth best part-time program in California, as reported by U.S. News in its annual "Best Graduate Schools" rankings, posted today on its Web site, www.usnews.com.

"As the premier business program for Silicon Valley, our MBA program has long been recognized in the region as combining rigorous study with reflective engagement in real world issues," said Barry Z. Posner, dean of the Leavey School of Business and professor of leadership. "This integration of theory and practice within the framework of ethical decision making now has the attention of national business educators."

The rankings came in an academic year when SCU kicked off a $350 million fund-raising campaign that includes a new business school building. The MBA applications last fall were at the highest levels in three years, and in 2002, the business school last fall unveiled its new monthly Santa Clara University Business Index, tracking business optimism in Silicon Valley.

The business school part-time rankings were based on a reputation survey of business school deans and MBA program directors. In addition to Santa Clara University, the other Bay Area part-time program ranked in the top 20 was the University of California, Berkeley. University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California also were ranked in the top 20.
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About The Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. The business school's MBA program was one of the original group of MBA programs in 1961 to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
SCU's business school offers a professional education emphasizing humanistic and moral development as well as technical proficiency. In the part-time MBA program, 1,043 students were registered in fall 2002, more than 80 percent of them working professionals in Silicon Valley.

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,060 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is on line at www.scu.edu.

March 2003

Lecture series, breakfast briefings among offerings for Spring 2003
Management Professor Jacques Delacroix will present "The Only Real Globalization I Can Find : The View From The Screen," as the Spring 2003 Leavey Lecture on Tuesday, April 1, 2003, in Mayer Theater on the Santa Clara University campus. The lecture, a part of the quarterly series for MBA students, begins at 6:30 p.m. and discusses Professor Delacroix's findings about the American motion picture industry. (See paper in PDF, 181 KB)

Other presentations scheduled for the Spring 2003 academic quarter are the Business School's highly regarded Breakfast Briefings series, a monthly morning presentation focused on topics of current interest. On April 17, the Briefing focuses on career development, with Joshua Rossman of Cisco Systems, and on May 15, the series will feature Meir Statman, the oft-quoted behavorial finance expert, speaking about "Why The Market Behaves the Way It Does."

For more information, contact the Business School events office at 408/554-5451.

February 2003

SILICON VALLEY IN THE CLASSROOM
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Feb. 11, 2003 - Ten top executives will spend February 12 and 13 at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business as guest faculty in the sixth annual Winter Executive Briefings, known as "Silicon Valley Executives in the Classroom."

During the two-day event, each executive will be a guest in a School of Business class closely connected with the individual's experience and background. "Our students gain an 'up close and personal' exposure to these Silicon Valley veterans," said Barry Z. Posner, dean of the University's Business School and professor of leadership. "Ours is the only undergraduate program that offers young women and men the opportunity to really connect with the leaders in Silicon Valley. Our annual winter executive briefings are a significant part of our work in educating students for life and leadership."

Several of the speakers are themselves alumni of Santa Clara University's business program, including Ken Chow, former Executive Vice President and CFO of Catena Networks (BSC Finance 1986 and MBA 1996); Ken Kam, president of Ingenuity Capital Management, and portfolio manager, medical specialist (BSC Finance 1982); and Milan Lazich, VP Corporate Marketing, Magma Design Automation (MBA 1987).

Among the other executives participating are Nate Vince, President and CEO, Docutek Information Systems; Sharon Winston, Senior Vice President, Lee Hecht Harrison and Roger Sanford, President, Three Marketeers Advertising, Inc.

Joining them are Kim Perdikou, CIO, Juniper Networks; Robin Abrams, former President/CEO, BlueKite.com ; Bob Underwood, Founding Partner, North American Business Development Companies; and Mark Pincus, Entrepreneur in Residence at Mobius Venture Capital.

The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. The business school's MBA program was one of the original group of MBA programs in 1961 to be accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business.

It offers a professional education emphasizing humanistic and moral development as well as technical proficiency. Approximately 900 students are enrolled in the MBA program, rated one of the top 20 part-time programs in the U.S., attracting working professionals in Silicon Valley. Its undergraduate business programs, which enroll approximately 1,300 students, are ranked third in California by U.S. News and World Report.

January 2003

Silicon Valley begins new year with no new optimism, SCU Business Index shows
Survey by Leavey School of Business shows that business optimism in Silicon Valley continues in seven-month 'holding pattern'

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Jan. 29, 2003 - Seven months and holding: That's the pattern continuing for Silicon Valley business executives and managers, according to the latest monthly survey of business optimism in the Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara University Business Index, released today.

Amid mixed signals about the overall U.S. economy and anxiety about war, the January survey by SCU's Leavey School of Business was conducted after some details of the President's tax cut were revealed but before his State of the Union address.
The latest SCU Business Index shows that Silicon Valley executives and managers continue to be only slightly optimistic about their business prospects in the next six months. The SCU Business Index responses tracking business optimism have remained static since June 2002.

"Events on the global stage appear to be trumping any local trends right now," said SCU economist Kris Mitchener.

"Although there are a few promising signs that the chip producers may be in the early stages of a recovery, our index suggests that sentiment has not improved over last month. Uncertainty over proposals to stimulate the national economy and reduce unemployment, and heightened global tensions are keeping firms in the Valley in a holding pattern."

The Santa Clara University Business Index debuted in October after a year in development. The survey has been tabulating results since February 2002 to affirm its validity and establish trends.

This monthly business indicator, the only one of its kind for the Silicon Valley region, is a composite index that every month tracks business conditions in Silicon Valley companies and their markets, as well as trends in job availability in the region, by polling the region's executives and managers.

The SCU Business Index asks managers and executives in a wide range of businesses in Silicon Valley to assess their business prospects for the next six months, and in comparison to the past six months, as well as the current and future availability of jobs in their companies. It is managed for the Leavey School of Business by The Survey Company.

The last time the survey respondents expressed significant optimism about current and future economic conditions in Silicon Valley was in May. Complete SCU Business Index results and methodology for January and earlier months, can be found at
http://www.surveycompany.com/SCUBI/SVOutlook.html. For more about the Index methodology, see October 2002 release.

November 2002

Cautious Silicon Valley business outlook unchanged, according to latest SCU Business Index
Monthly survey by SCU Leavey School of Business shows managers and executives see little change in business conditions or jobs: "No signs of recovery in local economy"

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Nov. 26, 2002 – The outlook for businesses in Silicon Valley has leveled off for another month, after a slide from optimism early in the year, according to the November business index for Silicon Valley released today by Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.

The Santa Clara University Business Index: Silicon Valley Outlook recorded a fifth straight month of little change in the respondents’ slightly optimistic assessment of the local economy in the next six months.

The latest index shows “there are no major signs of recovery ahead,” said SCU economist Mario Belotti, who has tracked the Silicon Valley economy for decades.

“The index numbers have stabilized for five months -- the economy is flattening out,” he said.

Belotti said the latest index also shows that, despite some recent positive signs, such as lower interest rates, positive earning expectations and improved consumer confidence, Silicon Valley business managers aren’t expecting any new increases in orders soon.

The Santa Clara University Business Index debuted a month ago, after a year in development. The survey has been tabulating results since February 2002 to affirm its validity and establish trends.

This new monthly business indicator, the only one of its kind for the Silicon Valley region, is a composite index that every month tracks business conditions in Silicon Valley companies and their markets, as well as trends in job availability in the region, by polling the region’s executives and managers.

The last time the survey respondents expressed significant optimism about current and future economic conditions in Silicon Valley was in May. Complete SCU Business Index results and methodology for November and earlier months, can be found at www.surveycompany.com/SCUBI/SVOutlook.html

About the Santa Clara University Business Index:

The Santa Clara University Business Index survey polls several hundred MBA alumni and several dozen members of its business advisory board, all in managerial and executive positions in Silicon Valley companies.

The survey elicits both a backward-looking as well as a forward-looking indicator, thereby capturing the sentiment of the past six months' trend and its counterpart six months into the future. The reported averages of these indicators offer an aggregate summary of business sentiment in the Valley. The indicators range from 0 to 100, centered on 50. Values below 50 imply negative sentiment, and those above 50 imply positive sentiment. A comparison of the backward swing to the forward one reveals the change in sentiment. The survey is conducted every month and over time is meant to develop an early warning system of upswings and downswings in the Silicon Valley economy. Detailed results, profile of respondent samples, and methodology for the index are available at: http://www.surveycompany.com/SCUBI/SVOutlook.html

October 2002

New Santa Clara University Business Index shows that six months of pessimism in Silicon Valley has bottomed out.
New monthly survey by SCU Leavey School of Business of Silicon Valley managers and executives tracks business conditions and job availability

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Oct. 29, 2002 - A new business index for Silicon Valley released today by Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business shows that business prospects for the region have leveled out, after a sustained downward slide since March 2002.

The new Santa Clara University Business Index: Silicon Valley Outlook was announced today by business school dean Barry Posner, after a year in development. The survey has been tabulating results since February 2002 to affirm its validity and establish trends, he said.

"This new business indicator, the only one of its kind, is a composite index that every month will track business conditions in Silicon Valley companies and their markets, as well as trends in job availability in the region," said Posner. He said the SCU Business Index will be released the last week of each month.

Results released today showed that the survey respondents - comprised of SCU MBA alumni in the region - are now slightly less pessimistic about business conditions in Silicon Valley than last month. This holds steady after a six-month downward trend.

The new SCU Business Index asks managers and executives in a wide range of businesses in Silicon Valley to assess their business prospects for the next six months, and in comparison to the past six months, as well as the current and future availability of jobs in their companies. It is managed for the Leavey School of Business by The Survey Company.

The survey's "forward index" - rating future business prospects and job growth - had declined 25 percent from March to September, then rose 3 percent in October. On a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the most optimistic, this indicator had slipped from an optimistic 74.67 in March to a mildly optimistic 55.86 in September. The October indicator was 57.7.

The survey's "backward index," rating business conditions today relative to six months ago, has been pessimistically below a score of 50 since May, the last time the survey showed optimism about current and future economic conditions in Silicon Valley.

The survey results released today showed that Silicon Valley companies' assessment of the health of their customers' business conditions had reached its lowest values of the year in September, then improved slightly in the new data.

"Since much of Silicon Valley's sales reflect infrastructure expenditures by their customers, this decline in customer prospects implies continued reductions in purchases from Silicon Valley suppliers," said SCU economist Kris Mitchener. "The momentum may be shifting, however, because the Business Index shows that Silicon Valley companies' view of the future prospects of their customers has remained essentially unchanged from September to October."
Complete Business Index results and methodology for October and earlier months, can be found at http://www.surveycompany.com/SCUBI/SVOutlook.html

About the Santa Clara University Business Index:
The Santa Clara University Business Index survey polls several hundred, MBA alumni and several dozen members of its business advisory board, in managerial and executive positions in Silicon Valley companies.

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MEDIA:
Economists and finance experts at Santa Clara University are available for comment on the SCU Business Index, and the Silicon Valley economy.
Contact SCU Media Relations at 408-396-4491 to arrange interviews with economists Mario Belotti (mbelotti@scu.edu 408-554-5170), or Kris Mitchener (408-554-4340, kmitchener@scu.edu), or finance professor Robert Hendershott (408-554-4698, rhendershott@scu.edu).
Barry Posner, Dean of the Leavey School of Business (408-554-4523, bposner@scu.edu) is available for comment on the SCU Business Index.

About The Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. It undergraduate business program has been recognized as one of the best in California, and it MBA program has been ranked in the nation's top 20 part-time programs. More than 80 percent of its 1,043 MBA students are working professionals in Silicon Valley. For more information, see http://business.scu.edu.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,054 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is on line at www.scu.edu.

September 2002

US News says Undergraduate Business Program one of the nation's best
Program is in California's Top 3, Management in Top 25 nationwide
9/13/02 Full story

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