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Hi, I'm Jonathan Levin.
I'm the incoming Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
I can't wait to get started in this new position.
I'm going to do so later this summer, by meeting with members of the GSP community.
And hearing about what they perceive to be the opportunities and
the challenges facing the school.
Some of our students already have questions.
Let's get started.
>> What are you most excited about in this role?
>> There's so many reasons to be excited about this new position.
First of all, the GSB is just unparalleled in the excellence of its faculty,
students, staff, and alumni.
The faculty here are exceptional intellectual thought leaders.
The students at the GSB bring so
much passion and energy and talent to the university.
I'm really impressed by the dedication and the commitment of the alumni.
The alumni are a tremendous asset to the GSB.
I've had the opportunity at Stanford to be a researcher, to be a teacher.
And to be an advisor and
a consultant to companies here in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
I'm so excited to be in a position where I get to bring all these
different experiences together.
And get to work with members of the GSB community and
the larger university, who I admire so much.
>> What role do you see the GSB playing in the larger Stanford University?
>> Stanford has enjoyed such an extraordinary 15 years under
the leadership of John Hennessy and John Etchemendy.
I'm really excited to work with Stanford's new president Marc Tessier-Lavigne.
Yo find ways for the GSP to cooperate with the larger university and
to make the entire campus even stronger.
GSB already has connections with all of Stanford's other schools.
I experienced it myself when I was in the economics department.
We had close partnerships with many of the students and faculty here at the GSB.
I'm confident we can find so many more of those opportunities.
>> What is the legacy you hope to leave behind as Dean of the Stanford GSB?
>> What is remarkable about the GSB is, that it excels in both the educational
experience that it offers to its students and in the scholarship of its faculty.
And these two things come together to help the school achieve its mission
of changing lives.
Changing organizations and changing the world.
If I could choose one thing to leave behind as my legacy at the GSB,
it would be to strengthen the school in both of these dimensions.
>> What does diversity mean to you, and
how do you intend on growing diversity at the GSB?
>> The GSB already is making strides to become a more diverse place
>> The current graduating class of MBAs
is over 40% women, that's up from the mid 30s just a few years ago.
The current graduating class also has over 40% international
students and 23% US minorities.
GSB also has launched a Research Dallas program with a goal of preparing
limited minority students To be graduate researchers and
eventually scholars and academics.
You also need to make sure that students,
after they leave the university are supported.
So that our women and minority students can be successful.
All the way from the classroom into boardrooms and
other positions of leadership.
>> What's your favorite place in the world?
>> I really love being out in the outdoors and in the wilderness.
When I first moved to California,
one of my favorite things to do was to go out on the weekends.
Drive up to the Sierra Nevada's and go out climbing or hiking or whitewater kayaking.
I once carried my kayak up to the top of Mount Whitney and
kayaked down the west side of the mountain on the Kern river.
Nowadays, we have three kids, most of our adventures are a little bit more local.
>> What matters most to you and why?
>> It matters to me to be part of an institution
that is having a positive impact on people's lives.
Stanford is such a remarkable place in its innovation and
in its contribution to educating the world's future leaders.
It's such a privilege to be part of this community and
to have this leadership opportunity.
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