Graduate Programs

Northwood Colleagues:

I am very pleased to report enrollment in the DeVos Graduate School of Management is up 17% this fall with a record 378 students.

As you may know, Dr. Tim Nash was recently asked to assume the role of Vice President of Graduate and Specialty Programs. In this role Tim now oversees our DeVos Graduate School of Management, specialty programs and our continuing and executive education efforts (Specialty Programs will be the focus on an upcoming weekly message). In his role as The DeVos Graduate School Dean, Tim and our DeVos team are charged with moving our graduate education portfolio to a more wide-ranging and even higher profile within Northwood University and the overall management education market.

In addition to our existing evening MBA programs (Troy, Lansing and Midland), our full-time MBA program (Midland) and our Global DeVos/Dow/Hantz Partnership MBA program, we have many exciting opportunities we are exploring and/or implementing. They are:

1. The launch of an exciting new full-time MBA program in partnership with the renowned Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) in Montreux, Switzerland.
2. A partnership with the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals (AFIP) to develop a retail automotive MBA program. AFIP is the finance and insurance sanctioning body for the retail automobile industry. We are also in the early stages of developing a second industry-based MBA program that has tremendous potential.
3. The advanced discussions we are having with two Fortune 500 corporations regarding the development of in-house MBA programs based on DeVos methodology and tailored to the specific needs of these companies.
4. The development of strategic plans to bring the DeVos Graduate School to our Texas and Florida campuses as well as key University College sites.
5. The investigation of the market demand for innovative graduate programs in Management Information Systems (MIS) and/or Taxation.
6. The analysis of the market for cutting edge continuing and executive education programs based on DeVos content.

The Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management was established in 1993 to deliver high caliber master’s degree level education. The DeVos Graduate School regards management as an art that requires the ability to understand and utilize information, assumptions, contexts, processes, human factors and work groups. At its root, our curriculum is designed to drive responsible and effective decisions and influence others and organizations.

Our basic approach, our core understanding in DeVos is effective management education focuses on:

1. The use of data rather than beliefs.  Quantitative and qualitative data is used for interpretative purposes so sound judgments can be made.
2. An integrative approach.  The emphasis in the classroom is to have students look and see across the functions of an organization.  Rarely is the cause of a problem found in one silo of a firm and rarely can a solution be implemented that can be applied in only one area.  The goal for students is to be able to see, interpret, fix, and manage across the entire organization or firm.
3. Being student centered.  The focus is on developing effective behaviors in the classroom that can be transferred to the workplace.  Attention is paid to the reasoning and thinking of the student and the ability of the student to effectively engage others.
4. Being action oriented.  We do not expect students to merely develop simple or elegant solutions. We help students develop an understanding of the complexity of business problems while finding solutions that can address similar problems in the workplace. Students are encouraged to see through the protagonist’s eyes through cases and to take on a variety of roles and responsibilities in simulation exercises. In each case, the focus is on having the student be responsible for designing what needs to be done, implementing the details of the decision, and assessing risks.
5. Working within a globally competitive economy. Simply, we expect our students to develop an understanding of and respect for the global forces that drive invention, innovation and change.

At DeVos, our purpose is to create highly effective executives and managers through a process of personal and professional transformation that requires the learning of conceptual frameworks and the development of attitudes and emotions to successfully lead and manage. The desired transformation results in the wisdom to acknowledge and change the way we see and deal with the world, ourselves, and possibilities.

In earlier messages I have stated our international programs and our Creativity Center have played important roles in the life of Northwood University. I have also noted the expansion of these programs will be important in our continued success and growth.  Of equal importance to the future of Northwood University will be the growth and the enhanced influence of the DeVos Graduate School.

DeVos will play a major role in our Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal (BHAG) to be globally recognized as one of the foremost institutions in the development of leaders, managers and entrepreneurs. Our recognition of the global demand for diverse and well educated business leaders and our willingness to form strategic alliances is driving our DeVos Graduate School, our international programs, our Creativity Center and Northwood University as a whole ever closer to our BHAG.

I want to personally thank all of you for what we have accomplished and what we will accomplish together in the future.

Keith A. Pretty, J.D.
President and CEO
Northwood University
4000 Whiting Drive
Midland, MI 48640
989.837.4203 (phone)
989.832.9590 (fax)