Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business will establish a new institute designed to expand the Kelley School’s footprint in Latin America thanks to a generous private gift received this week, the school announced.

The $4.8 million gift, coordinated by the GEO Global Foundation, is the largest single gift to the school from someone who is not an IU alumnus. It will establish the Institute for Global Organizational Effectiveness, a new center designed to increase educational and research opportunities for Kelley students in Latin America. It is one of several strategic initiatives to expand Kelley’s global education offerings.

Herman Aguinis, a research professor in Kelley’s Department of Management and Entrepreneurship and a native of Argentina, will direct the new institute, which will merge research, teaching and outreach functions to enhance the value of a Kelley education in Latin America. 

“Much like in China, where there are millions and millions of people, quantity is not the same as quality, and for many organizations from Latin America to be able to hire an MBA trained at Kelley who is fully bilingual, fully bi-cultural is a gem,” Aguinis said in a statement. “The vision is that Kelley will be the business research and education provider of choice for Latin America 10 to 15 years from now,” he continued. 

The new institute will award global fellowships for MBA and Ph.D. students involved in research and consulting projects with partner Latin American companies. Up to eight MBA fellowships, each consisting of a two-year $25,000 annual stipend, will be awarded each year, with about 55 such fellowships awarded by 2019. Eight additional doctoral fellowships, consisting of a $25,000 annual stipend on top of a full tuition fee waiver during the five-year program, also will be awarded by 2019. The institute will enable Kelley to match offers made to qualified candidates by other top business doctoral programs, including Harvard and Stanford.

Additional institute activities will include research studies to result in new “actionable knowledge” on Latin America, outreach  designed to lead to synergistic relationships with companies across Latin America, and networking opportunities for current and former Kelley MBAs throughout Latin America.

Ariel Aisiks, founder and chief executive officer of GEO Capital Holdings LLC, will chair the new institute’s advisory board. GEO Capital team members will partner with Kelley to support emerging social entrepreneurs and projects that promote sustainable change and improve conditions in local communities, Aisiks said in a statement. “The institute will be a means of building bridges between Latin America and other economies around the world,” he added. 

For more on the new Institute for Global Organizational Effectiveness at IU’s Kelley School of Business, click here.

Go to Source