Krannert Graduate Student Association (KGSA) Update
By Jared Turner, KGSA President

Jared Turner

The 2008 –09 academic year has been an eventful one for KGSA. Last November, we held a town hall meeting with more than 125 students and 40 faculty and administrators in attendance. We broke out into discussion groups with students, faculty, and administrators to discuss ideas for improving the master’s program. Since then, KGSA has partnered with the administration and faculty to bring forth many initiatives.

Perhaps the most signifi cant change is the new core curriculum for the master’s program to be introduced this fall. Key elements of the new curriculum include a reduced core with greater flexibility for electives, experiential learning involving consulting projects with corporations, and global study trips during the second semester.

With Dean Rick Cosier and Manu Kalwani, head of the Department of Management and OneAmerica Professor of Management, serving as champions of the change, future generations of Krannert students will benefi t from this innovative approach to integrated learning.

KGSA has always encountered significant challenges supporting a sustainable alumni network due to the short one-year timeframe of each administration. To address this, Dean Cosier created the position of director of alumni relations and appointed the highly capable Hank Suerth to the position. Under Hank’s leadership, KGSA and the administration are working to build a viable and sustainable alumni network.

With the support of the admissions office, we also launched the Krannert Outreach Program, where current students are able to meet with interested prospective students in their hometown over the winter break. In addition, the admissions of- fice has increased the number of students interviewed prior to admission. Working together, we hope to reach a 100 percent interview rate of students who are admitted during next year’s admissions cycle.

In addition, KGSA and supporting clubs executed a number of successful programs. We approved the Investment Banking Club, launched KrannertBloggers.com, hosted the Etiquette Dinner, Charity Ball, CultureFest, Krannert Olympics, Krannert Satire, and Krannert Idol, and are also raising $7,000 for a stock ticker as a class gift.

The Dean’s Office provided a 50 percent increase in our leadership fund, which allowed more than 65 students to compete in 16 case competitions and supported nine additional worldwide leadership events. We also supported the Marketing and Human Capital Case Competition founded and hosted by Krannert, with dozens of peer schools in attendance.

I am equally pleased to report the active involvement of the class of 2010. Twenty-three students ran for leadership positions in KGSA, a record number, which represents the dedication of their class to the future of Krannert. I am pleased to present Vikesh Gumpalli as the KGSA president for the 2009 –10 academic year. I know he and the newly elected board will serve the student body with dedication and vision.

I’m very excited about the future of the school and owe a great debt of gratitude to the stellar performance of the KGSA board and the support of the faculty and administration. We look forward to their continued support, as well as that of our loyal alumni.

For more information on the Krannert Graduate Student Association, visit www.krannert.purdue.edu/clubs/kgsa or contact Jared Turner at turnerjt@purdue.edu.