Ushering in a new era for both UCSD and the San Diego regional economy, the UC Regents unanimously approved plans for a graduate management school last Wednesday at their meeting in San Francisco.

Current plans have the management school enrolling full-time students for the Master of Business Administration degree by fall 2003.

The plans for the new school have the campus set to be built on North Campus, just north of the new Eleanor Roosevelt College campus and east of Scholars Drive.

According to a Business Week survey, San Diego is the only major metropolitan area in the country without a management school in the top 50 rankings.

Chancellor Robert C. Dynes believes the new graduate school will be designed for emerging industries in California.

“”The Management School will respond to the growing need of California industry for personnel with strong management skills in the high technology and biotechnology sectors,”” Dynes stated. “”After extensive consultation with industry and community members, it became clear to us that there was a strong demand for employees who are skilled in technology and have management skills as well.””

The new school will be unique in its curriculum emphasis by deviating from the traditional business school program in favor of a more technical and technological-driven slant.

International Relations/Pacific Studies professor Peter Cowhey, chair of the School of Management steering committee, said that one of the key goals is “”to provide the type of technology-skilled managers that the San Diego community needs.””

The new school will be specifically built for the new economy.

“”We’re leaning toward a strong focus on technology,”” Cowhey said.

Some tech-driven schools, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, are being examined by the steering committee and could be models for the new management school.

“”The mix of students will be different than those at the top 10 management programs in the country,”” Cowhey said. “”They will be more tech savvy and will include students with engineering, I.T., science and health care degrees.””

An undergraduate degree in business affiliated with the school is not in the works, said economics professor Theodore Groves, who is a part of the steering committee.

“”Business education is traditionally a professional degree like law — that’s why you don’t have an undergraduate curriculum in law or an undergraduate curriculum in medicine,”” Groves said.

However, Groves did say that there would be a close connection between the management school and school departments. Such integration would include management science courses being taught by the graduate school’s faculty in the future.

Fred Cutler, executive director of UCSD Connect, has been in close contact with the San Diego business community and has said there has been overwhelming positive feedback.

“”[It’s] an extremely important step forward,”” he said. “”A world-class management school would augment the technical aspect. The real feedback we received is high-tech, entrepreneurial skills. It’s this crossover, tech-experience that is the wave of the future.””