Graduate School of International Economics and Finance, 1994-2003

The Lemberg Program met its objectives rapidly and its 1992 Director’s Report proposed expanding the scale and scope of the program within the setting of a new professional school. Although similar to Brandeis’ Heller School in its decision-making structure, the new school would be tightly connected with the Economics Department–a mutually beneficial arrangement that has lasted 25 years. The plan called for expanding the Lemberg Program from 50 to 100 students, adding a new Ph.D. program, hiring faculty, expanding research, and experimenting with executive programs. Several faculty and Trustee committees were involved in reviewing the plans and the Brandeis faculty voted unanimously to establish the new school.

The Graduate School of International Economics and Finance came alive in Fall 1994, soon after President Jehuda Reinharz took office. (President Reinharz had earlier shepherded the plans through the faculty as Provost.) The new Ph.D. program was led by Professor Rachel McCulloch, and the Lemberg Program continued to grow, now under the direction of Professor Michael Plummer. In 1998, MBA (initially MBAi to denote its international focus) and Master of Science in Finance programs were added, directed by Professors Ben Gomes-Casseres and John Ballantine, respectively. These initiatives reflected strong student interest but also highlighted the need for additional investments.

Thus, five or so years after GSIEF became a school, its progress had led to new interest in its next phase of development. With the support of a visionary Board of Overseers, a strategic plan was developed, jointly with McKinsey & Company. The plan envisioned still more ambitious academic goals, including a wider mission, larger enrollments, and substantial investments in faculty, staff and a new academic building. Published in 2001, the plan (reproduced below) provided a base for energetic fundraising efforts.

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Sumner Redstone briefly joins our faculty

We gain attention

Click for article in Financial Times, 2001

The day we’ll always remember

KEY DOCUMENTS

Newsletters (school publications)
Fall 1994 (GSIEF opens, Chinese Ambassador Li Daoyu visits)
Spring 1995 (Governor Weld and Indian Ambassador Roy launch India mission)
Fall 1995 (GSIEF creates a website!)
Fall 1997 (12 computers are added to the student cluster, wow!)
Fall 1998 (we celebrate first MSF class)
Summer 1998 (student and staff profiles)
Spring 1999 (interview with Prof. Ben Gomes-Casseres on new MBA)

Globalist (renamed GSIEF newsletter)
Fall 1999 (retrospective on a huge decade)
Spring 2000 (jobs, jobs, jobs)
Summer 2000 (Richard Rosenberg, CEO Bank of America, Commencement Address)
Spring 2001 (review of CEO forum addresses)
Summer 2001 (Bernie Marcus, CEO Home Depot, Commencement Address)
Fall 2001 (“Olympic Village” plan for our new building)
Summer 2002 (Yutaka Kawashima, Vice-Foreign Minister, Japan, Commencement Address)
Fall 2002 (GSIEF is responding to post-9/11 economy)

Student newsletter
Le LAC (showcasing amazing student creativity and energy in 1998!)