Olin Business School

Ideas are all around us — helping solve problems, develop new products, and make important decisions. Good ideas are rarely created in a vacuum, however. They often emerge when people refine their ideas in response to suggestions and comments received from colleagues.Having strong bonds to an idea can make that necessary collaboration challenging, finds new research from Washington University in St. Louis. The study suggests that psychological ownership — the extent to which people feel as though an object, or idea, is truly theirs— may be at the root of this phenomenon.

The Washington University in St. Louis-Fudan University Executive MBA program, ranked second in mainland China by the Financial Times, will celebrate its 10th anniversary May 25. Established in 2002 at Olin Business School, the program was among the first U.S.-China joint MBA degree programs.

Rising senior Justin Blau is on a mission. Blau, a finance major at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, is more widely known by his stage name, 3LAU. He plans to use his status as a rising star in the electronic music world to raise money for schools for underprivileged children in developing nations.

The Knight Center courtyard was the venue for the wedding of Kelly Ayers and Eric Patterson April 27. The couple, whose 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed at birth with a rare genetic disorder, wasgiven a “gifted wedding,” for which 35 local vendors — including Olin Business School’s Knight Center — donated time, talents and products.

At the groundbreaking ceremony May 7 on Washington University’s Danforth Campus for two new buildings — Knight Hall and Bauer Hall — needed to address the growth of the Olin Business School’s graduate business education programs, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced a commitment of $3 million from Emerson Charitable Trust. Emerson’s gift is designated for an auditorium for the growing number of special events, lectures, conferences, and student activities offered by Olin. The 300-seat venue will be located on the first floor of Knight Hall.

The Graduate Student Senate of Arts & Sciences honored seven faculty members with Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards during its 13th annual awards ceremony and reception April 11 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. The awards recognize faculty members whose dedication to mentoring PhD students and commitment to excellence in graduate training have made a significant contribution to the quality of life and professional development of students in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Special recognition for excellence in mentoring went to nine other faculty members at the ceremony.

On May 7, Washington University in St. Louis broke ground on Knight Hall and Bauer Hall, a major expansion project that will nearly double the footprint of Olin Business School on the Danforth Campus. The buildings will be named for dedicated university benefactors and lead gift donors Joanne and Charles F. Knight and Carol and George Bauer.

Eleven Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated entrepreneurs are among the winners of $750,000 in inaugural grants from Arch Grants, the global business plan competition providing $50,000 grants to startups and taking no equity in return. The 11 WUSTL-affiliated winners comprise five alumni, four faculty members and two students.

Mickey Turner and Katie Callaghan, the Record’s Outstanding Graduates from Olin Business School, knew when they met at MBA orientation in fall 2010 that their relationship would be more than a standard business alliance. The couple will be married this July.

Women serve as CEOs of just 17 of the Fortune 500 top companies in the United States. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has been quoted as saying, “The glass ceiling will go away when women help other women break through that ceiling.” However, that may not necessarily be happening. Research from Washington University in St. Louis finds that women often do not support qualified female candidates as potential high-prestige work group peers.