Schulich School of Business

The Kellogg-Schulich Worldwide Classroom: Chicago

In previous weeks, we have been providing you with a closer look at the international opportunities that await Kellogg-Schulich EMBA students through the program's global electives options. This week, we are profiling Marc Dorval and his Year 2 electives experience at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in Chicago, USA. During Year 2, all Kellogg-Schulich EMBAs take elective courses together with Kellogg's own Chicago-based EMBAs and the students from the Kellogg Miami campus.

Marc Dorval (MD, EMBA '10) was a staff nephrologist at Dr. Georges L. Dumont Regional Hospital in Moncton, New Brunswick, for ten years before he was appointed medical director of nephrology in 2008. With an academic background in the sciences, Marc wanted to deepen his understanding of business management.

"I had performed some administrative duties prior to my appointment," said Marc. "But I wanted to gain a better understanding of business language, develop my leadership skills and learn more about conflict resolution and finance. I wanted to become a creative and effective business manager."

Marc decided to apply to the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA in part because of the abundance of elective courses it offered and the unique design of the program.

"The main reason I decided to take the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA was because I wanted the opportunity to customize my EMBA studies," said Marc. "Not only did the Kellogg-Schulich program give me an opportunity to select elective courses, but also the ability to choose from a wide variety of unique courses.

Another factor I considered when thinking about management training was the amount of time I would be away from work. The alternating weekends of classes in the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA program suited me much better than a program with regular live-in weeks."

Consisting of 15 months of classes, the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA program is efficient, flexible and balanced. With classes held on alternating weekends, time away from work is minimized and in-class and study team learning is maximized, promoting a healthy balance between learning and living.

Throughout Year 1, Kellogg-Schulich EMBA students complete core curriculum courses at Schulich in Toronto. In Year 2, in addition to completing at least one compulsory global electives module at one of Kellogg's global partner schools (the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration at Tel Aviv University in Israel or the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management at Vallendar/Frankfurt, Germany), students begin taking elective courses at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, Illinois.

"In Year 1, I had developed a strong knowledge base and skill set in all the major areas of management at Schulich," said Marc. "In Year 2, I really enjoyed the challenge of working in a different environment with schoolmates from different backgrounds and perspectives. I was amazed by the international exposure that results from Kellogg's global network."

One of the elective courses Marc took in Chicago was an international team-based health care project that gave him the opportunity to learn more about business practices in South America. He worked with a pharmacist from Kellogg's Miami campus and a pharmaceuticals representative from Kellogg in Chicago on the project.

"This was a really unique project," explained Marc. "In Chicago, our instructors taught us about South American business practices through lectures and activities. Next, we went on a 10-day field trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile. During this time, we conducted meetings and interviews with members of local health care organizations. To complete our assignment after we returned, my team conducted weekly phone meetings and met in person in Chicago.

This project was challenging; my adaptability and flexibility were certainly put to the test. But overall, it was a great learning experience. I learned about and witnessed firsthand how business is conducted in a different region, met new people and created fantastic memories. It was incredible."

The Kellogg campus in Chicago is based in Evanston, Illinois. Just a short train ride away from downtown Chicago, Evanston is the first in a string of North Shore Chicago suburbs stretching along four miles of Lake Michigan. A truly "urban suburb," Evanston includes residential neighborhoods, parks, business districts, beaches and recreational facilities. Kellogg-Schulich EMBA classes are held in the heart of the Evanston campus, at the James L. Allen Center.

Attending Kellogg was very conducive to learning and networking," said Marc. "Located next to Lake Michigan, Evanston is beautiful. The Allen Center is a modern building with spacious and comfortable lecture halls and numerous, multifunctional meeting rooms with the latest IT equipment. The campus was isolated enough to allow us to focus on learning, but close enough to enjoy Chicago in our spare time.

School organizers planned optional social outings to the city on a few occasions, including an informal social event at a restaurant. One evening, some classmates and I ventured into Chicago and dined at a Brazilian steakhouse. And I also took the time to sightsee and explore the city on my own for the first time. Chicago is a great city with a rich past, impressive architecture and numerous public art installations."

Overall, Marc said his experience in Chicago was enriching and a great complement to his time at Schulich.

"My experience in Chicago added tremendous value to my EMBA," said Marc. "To my knowledge, Kellogg-Schulich is the only EMBA program that offers such electives in Canada. Taking courses at Kellogg allowed me to customize my EMBA studies to meet the challenges of working as a health care administrator. The elective courses offered exceeded my expectations and provided a really good balance with core curriculum courses."