Western’s Ivey Business School celebrated its century-old legacy of real-world leadership by looking ahead to ways it can magnify its impact on business and society in the next 100 years.
At the school’s centennial kick-off event on Jan. 17, dean Sharon Hodgson unveiled the official logo for the occasion – the number 100 with zeros resembling cogs of a wheel.
Hodgson also announced the 100th-anniversary campaign, called ‘The Future We See’ featuring Ivey faculty, staff, students, and alumni reflecting on the future. The campaign will appear online, in publications and at prominent locations in various cities throughout the year.
“The future I see is full of promise and opportunity. We’ll be an organization dedicated to lifelong learning for ourselves and for our alumni. And I see the Ivey community leading global change,” Hodgson said.
“As we celebrate a century of innovation and leadership at our business school, we acknowledge that Ivey is a huge part of Western’s past and future success,” said President Alan Shepard. “We look forward to building on that proud legacy and continuing to make the most of the vital contributions Ivey makes to our wider campus community.”
The centennial logo. (Ivey Communications)
Upcoming centennial activities include planting 100 trees with ReForest London and volunteer initiatives in locations around the world for the School’s annual Global Ivey Day on May 11.
The School also has other events to mark the milestone, including a community clean-up in April as part of the London Clean & Green initiative; a potential Habitat for Humanity building project in the summer; an Open House in September in conjunction with Doors Open London; a symposium in Toronto on The Future We See on November 9, following the School’s annual Business Leader Award Dinner; various alumni chapter events around the world throughout the year, livestream events and social media campaigns, among others. Limited-edition centennial merchandise will also be available from the Ivey Trading Company.
Calling the centennial a “pivotal point in time,” Hodgson highlighted Ivey’s strong legacy of teaching, research, and outreach and its distinction as first in Canada on many fronts. This includes among the first undergraduate business program, the HBA, in 1922; the first and only school in Canada committed to case-method learning; the first MBA and executive education program, both in 1948; the first PhD program in 1961 among others.
Citing Ivey’s growth over the years, Hodgson said one constant remained: the School’s unique and transformational student experience based on case-method learning that prepares future leaders for real-world business decision-making. She noted that one in two Ivey alumni hold senior leadership positions with their organizations.
“Today, the real-world case-method approach to business education that distinguished Ivey in its pioneering years is as strong as ever and continues to differentiate Ivey graduates,” she said.
Hodgson also said the new Ivey Next strategy will build on that legacy and form the foundation for the next 100 years. The strategy challenges Ivey to address critical issues facing business and society and includes the new purpose, “Inspiring leaders for a sustainable and prosperous world.”
