Executive Education Program celebrates 50th anniversary

Executives from all corners of the world will be heading to
campus for the celebration of the UCLA Anderson School of
Management Executive Education Program’s 50th
anniversary.

The program began with a smaller number of classes than
presently offered and were created to help executives enhance their
leadership and management skills.

Programs aimed at turning creative ideas into business solutions
and ones addressing women’s leadership issues are examples of
courses offered.

Since its inception in 1954, the program has developed and
grown, becoming an internationally renowned educational experience
for executives.

Originally, the executives attending the program were from the
local community around Southern California, said Alissa Materman,
marketing director for the Office of the Executive Education
Programs.

The programs now host around 2,000 executives annually, coming
from countries around the world to be taught by faculty at the
Anderson School.

Some companies who have participated in the programs include
Federal Express, Xerox and Nike.

The amount and variety of classes offered to executives have
also expanded, and over 40 management programs are now open for
enrollment, Materman said.

The Medical Marketing Program is one of the classes that has
remained on the enrollment list for 27 years.

“Pharmaceutical professionals attend the class because
they need to learn about advancements in the medical field,”
said Bart Bronnenberg, associate professor of marketing at the
Anderson School. Bronnenberg has been teaching the course since
2001.

The class serves as a great forum for people who are in the
medical marketing business because they are able to network with
the professor and amongst themselves, he said.

The ever-changing atmosphere of medical business and business as
a whole fits in with the programs’ goal of introducing
executives to “the most recent innovations in management
education.”

One of the programs’ recent innovations is personalized
classes for individual companies.

Individual client companies can create customized courses to
develop their business and work on specific needs.

Companies can opt to have the program taught anywhere they
choose, and faculty are sent out to the chosen destination.

This option allows global program participants to remain in
their respective locations while learning through Executive
Education.

Materman said the Office of the Executive Education Programs is
working to further develop its customized programs.

Program participants include not only major global companies,
but also executives who have become headliners in the business
world.

One of these business celebrities was Ruth Handler, the inventor
of the Barbie doll. Handler attended the program early in the
1950s.

Handler’s daughter will accept a Distinguished Alumni
Award for her at the anniversary celebration, Materman said.

The awards ceremony will highlight the achievements of program
alumni who have made an impact on the business industry.

Both alumni and prospective program participants will attend the
day-long festivities, receiving two free leadership sessions taught
by Anderson School faculty.

All attendees will participate in a networking lunch with
faculty, managers and executives affiliated with the program.