Purdue News

November 17, 2000 Krannert graduates at Andersen Consulting endow professorship WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A group of Purdue University alumni who work for Andersen Consulting, together with a matching grant from the company's foundation, is creating an endowed professorship in information technology at the Krannert School of Management. "One of the measures of a world-class university is its number of endowed professorships," said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. "The Andersen Consulting Professorship of Information Technology is an excellent example of the quality of the relationships Purdue enjoys with its corporate partners. Andersen Consulting and the Purdue alumni who work with the firm have made an important and generous gift to Purdue and to the students who will profit from this generous faculty position." Earnings from the endowed gift, which totals $1 million, will help fund the salary of the professor who holds the new chair. The gift's principal will remain intact in perpetuity. The first recipient has not yet been named. Susan B. Butler, a 1965 Krannert bachelor's degree graduate and now a managing partner for Andersen Consulting's Office of the CEO, explained she and her colleagues funded the endowment because of the long-standing connections between Andersen and Purdue's Krannert School. Joe W. Forehand, who received his master's degree in industrial administration from the Krannert School in 1972, is the firm's managing partner and CEO. "The number of Krannert School graduates becoming Andersen Consulting partners continues to grow, and Krannert has always been a strong recruiting school for us," Butler said. "My colleagues and I felt now was the right time to make this endowment and formalize the important link between Andersen and Krannert. "Our view is that technology is critical to where business is going and where Krannert is going," Butler said. "Krannert needs more endowed chairs, and the technology focus ties in with Andersen's emphasis on technology-driven management solutions in its consulting practice." Andersen Consulting is an $8.9 billion global management and technology consulting organization that employs 65,000 people in 48 countries. "The Andersen Consulting gift is a recognition by one of the industry leaders that Krannert has a strong tradition of integrating technology into its management curricula," said Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management. "It is also a wonderful vote of confidence in our ability to educate future generations of technology-savvy graduates." The Krannert Graduate School's master's degree students study e-business by choosing from 13 classes across the business and management curriculum: marketing, finance, operations, organizational behavior, accounting, economics, management strategy and information systems. In addition, there are three interdisciplinary e-business classes offered in conjunction with Purdue's electrical and mechanical engineering departments. U.S. News and World Report ranks the Krannert master's degree program 23rd nationally, third in operations management, 7th in quantitative analysis and 15th in management information systems. The magazine ranks the undergraduate Krannert program 13th overall nationally, third in production-operations management and 13th in management information systems. ComputerWorld tapped Krannert as the No. 7 "techno MBA" program nationally. The Krannert School of Management has 2,450 undergraduates, 330 master's degree students and 112 doctoral candidates. Sources: Susan B. Butler, (972) 402-7929, susan.b.butler@ac.com Richard A. Cosier, (765) 494-4366, rcosier@mgmt.purdue.edu Writer: J. Michael Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page