Alumni Q and A: Creation of the Carey Business School
Why are two schools being created now?
The School of Professional Studies in Business and Education (SPSBE) has a long history of serving part-time students in a variety of fields of study (education, business, engineering, nursing, and liberal arts). Through natural evolution, other schools at Johns Hopkins have incorporated SPSBE offerings into their respective schools, thus focusing SPSBE's portfolio to business, education and public safety leadership. Over the years, SPSBE has grown in enrollments, expanded programs and national research, and increased financial support. Now, poised for even greater growth, the university believes that SPSBE's faculty, students and alumni will benefit further by the creation of two separate schools, which will provide greater flexibility and allow each field of study to focus more specifically on its mission, programming, research and development activities.
Where will the Divisions of Undergraduate Studies and Public Safety Leadership reside?
Since the majority of the undergraduate studies division's programs operate out of the business division, the undergraduate division will reside in the Carey Business School. Public Safety Leadership will reside in the School of Education where, in addition to its broader focus on public safety and security issues, its faculty will continue to work with education faculty to build quality educational experiences for public safety professionals and address issues related to school safety and security.
When will the creation of the two schools take effect?
The creation of the two new schools will take effect on January 1, 2007. While the two schools will have separate leadership and faculties, they will share an internal administrative infrastructure referred to as the Professional Schools Administration (PSA).
What are the official names of the two schools?
The official name of the new education school is "The Johns Hopkins University School of Education." Consistent with the University's practice in the case of its named schools, the school of business will bear the official name "The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School"; however, it will be referred to as the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University for all external marketing purposes.
Why the Carey Business School?
Wm. Polk Carey has announced a $50 million donation which, paired with $50 million to be raised by the university, will launch the Carey Business School. His is the largest gift ever in support of business education at Johns Hopkins. The new school is named for his great-great-great grandfather, James Carey of Loudon, a prominent Baltimore businessman of the 18th and 19th centuries. William Polk Carey is chairman of W. P. Carey & Co. LLC, a real estate investment firm based in New York, and chairman of the W.P. Carey Foundation. He joined the board of trustees of the university in 1992 and became trustee emeritus in 2000.
The gift to Johns Hopkins marks Carey's second $50 million gift in support of business education. His 2003 donation to Arizona State University established the W. P. Carey Business School there. In 1885, Carey's maternal grandfather, John S. Armstrong, introduced legislation that created the Arizona Territorial Normal School, which evolved into Arizona State University.
Who will lead the School of Education?
The dean will be Ralph Fessler. He has been a Johns Hopkins faculty member and academic leader since 1983. He became interim dean of SPSBE in 1999 and dean in 2000. His research and program development activities have focused on leadership development, teacher career stages and development and school-university partnerships. (For a bio on Dean Fessler, see www.jhu.edu.)
Will the new schools serve part-time or full-time students?
The business and education schools will continue to serve working adult professionals who benefit from flexible, part-time programs of study. However, both SPSBE's business and education programs now serve some full-time students, and full-time program options are expected to expand as the freestanding schools grow. For example, the Carey Business School will offer a five-year BA-BS/MBA option to full-time undergraduates in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering. (Details will be announced as they are developed.)
If I obtained a degree/certificate from SPSBE prior to this change, can my diploma be reproduced with the new school name?
Since diplomas must, by university policy, reflect the current name of the school at the time a student earned his or her degree, alumni will not be able to change their diplomas retroactively.
Will SPSBE's main phone number and Web site remain the same?
After January 1, 2007, the main phone number and Web site URL addresses will remain the same, but the phones will be answered differently for each school, and the Web sites will reflect the schools' new names. Student service advisers in the current central phone distribution system will answer the phones, "Johns Hopkins University." Staff in the shared infrastructure, the Professional Schools Administration (PSA), will answer the phones, "Professional Schools Administration." Calls will be transferred to the appropriate source depending on the nature of the call. As the schools move forward, phone numbers and Web sites will be changed to better reflect each school's identity. You will be notified of these changes as they occur.
How do SPSBE's non-credit programs - Odyssey and Evergreen - fit in the new structure of the two schools?
Prior to the creation of the two schools, plans were already underway to move the Odyssey program, which features liberal arts courses and lecture series for adults, to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. The program will resume in fall 2007. No decision has yet been made about where the Evergreen program, which provides educational and social opportunities for semi-retired and retired individuals, will be housed.
Can I continue to support the annual fund?
Annual gifts from this date forward should be designated to either the Carey Business School or the School of Education. Many Johns Hopkins alumni and friends request that their gift be split among specific schools, and we are happy to honor those requests.
What about larger gifts that have been made to the school, like scholarships?
Johns Hopkins University has a well-established policy of using all donated funds in the manner that best serves the donors' wishes, and that will be the guiding principle for all of these decisions. Gifts for specific use (specific programs, department faculty support or facilities) will continue to support those needs. For example, scholarships to support business students will exist in the Carey Business School; program support for the Center for Summer Learning stays with that specific center, etc.
In those cases where a scholarship fund exists to support all SPSBE students, we will seek guidance from the individual donor. When that is not possible (i.e., the donor is deceased and we are not in contact with surviving relatives), the funds will be equally divided between the two schools.
Will I get letters from both schools asking for support?
No. Business and Education alumni will each get mailings for their individual schools. Those alumni who are not as easily categorized will not be on duplicate lists - and, like all Hopkins alumni, they will be free to direct their gifts as they wish (for example, to a particular school or the library).
I understand that the Carey School of Business was made possible by a $50 million dollar gift. Do you still need relatively small annual gifts?
Yes! In fact, we need your support for both schools now more than ever. Launching a new school at Hopkins is a huge commitment. Creating two at once is unprecedented. The loyal support we have received from our alumni and friends over the years has played a significant role in allowing us to develop and grow our programs to the point that they evolved into separate schools.
At this juncture, we have a unique opportunity to have significant impact in these respective fields. The continued, and indeed, increased support of our alumni will be essential to achieving the schools' visions.
Will the two schools continue to have reunion and networking activities?
Under the guidance of the new deans and leadership, all reunion and networking activities will be reviewed and refined. You will be notified of changes as they occur.
Do I need to update any of my alumni information?
All of your information will automatically be transferred to the appropriate school, depending on your degree. However, we encourage all alumni to update their information on a regular basis so they can learn about new programs, social and networking events, faculty updates, and class notes.
If you have any further questions or want to become involved in the School of Education or the Carey Business School, please email studentalumniQA@jhu.edu.
For more information regarding the creation of the School of Education and the Carey Business School, go to http://www.jhu.edu/news/univ06/dec06/schools.html and http://www.jhu.edu/news/univ06/dec06/schools-soe.html.
