Jeff Gustafson, CIR/MBA 2004
Senior Manager, Software Licensing & Compliance
EMC Corporation
Silicon Valley
I cannot overemphasize the quality of the joint-degree program with the CIR and the GSB. It was my primary choice while evaluating my options and fully lived up to my expectations. Among the reasons for the success of the program were the curriculum, the complementary opportunities "outside" the program, and the quality of the human capital. First, the flexibility of the curriculum offered students the responsibility and the authority to pursue their academic and professional interests. This was critical to me as I sought an interdisciplinary perspective tailored to my interests rather than a one-size-fits-all worldview. Second, the rich offering of complementary activities provided great depth in support of my goals. For example, I supplemented my joint-degree studies with i) a fellowship to attend a summer seminar (The Politics and Economics of the European Union) at the Sciences-Po in Paris, ii) a summer internship working with a dynamic software startup in Chicago, iii) two-weeks of in-country research with political, economic, and social leaders in Poland, and iv) participation in various student groups including those oriented toward business, academics, and social interaction. And third, the quality of the faculty and of my fellow students were first-rate. It was an honor to study at a world-class institution with professors who were leaders in their fields and with such a diverse and talented group of students. In sum, I desired a program that was intellectually robust and savvy to the consequences of a world in which politics, economics, and technology mix in an increasingly global environment. To that end, the University of Chicago provided me with a first-class environment, supporting my vision of crafting a synthesis between the academic and the professional in a net global context. It was a wise choice and one that I would make again without question.
