We’ve rounded up the biggest news stories coming out of business schools and MBA programs in the Los Angeles metro this week.
Entrepreneurship Lives at UCLA Anderson as U-Defi Wins Top Knapp Venture Competition Prize- UCLA Anderson Blog
Anderson School of Management at UCLA recently hosted the 2018 Knapp Venture Competition, which was organized by students in the Entrepreneur Association and supported by the University’s Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. The competition, now in its 36th year, gave out more than $100,000 in awards to talented business students throughout the university.
The big winner of the evening was U-Defi, a company that offers skin care products specially formulated for each individual’s skin. U-Defi is comprised of students with a variety of backgrounds, including those in Anderson’s FEMBA program as well as students at the College of Life Sciences and School of Medicine. As the top winner, U-Defi walked away with $15,000. Cash prizes of $10,000 and $7,500 went to the second- and third-place teams. U-Defi was also selected to participate in the Pritzker Group Fellows Program—the first of its kind in Los Angeles—which will provide mentorship, co-working space, and a financial investment for the company over the course of a three-month summer program.
Read more about the 2018 Knapp Venture Competition at UCLA Anderson here.
Pepperdine Graziado Launches Executive DBA Program- Los Angeles Business Journal
Students at the Pepperdine Graziado Business School who are looking to take their degree to the next level will now get their chance as part of a new Executive Doctorate of Business Administration program launching this fall. The program, designed to accommodate a senior executive’s schedule, will combine in-person intensive residential experiences with self-paced assignments and online instruction. The program will culminate with a final presentation of student research and projects to an annual DBA conference, to which peers, alumni, and faculty will all be invited.
“A doctorate is the highest academic qualification a university can grant,” commented Graziadio Dean Deryck van Rensburg. “The addition of the Executive DBA demonstrates our commitment to offer an advanced educational program that focuses on the unique needs of intellectually curious and progressive senior executives.”
Read more about the new DBA program at Graziadio here.
Sotheby’s Institute Trains Students in the Subtle Skill of Appraising Art- Claremont Graduate University News
One of the most unique course offerings at a business program in Los Angeles involves a partnership between the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Taught by Karen McManus, adjunct professor and president of a boutique L.A. art appraisal firm, the course helps students understand some of the most important factors behind the business of art. And while several business schools have curriculums that deal with valuation, a course like this one, focused on appraisal, is unique to CGU.
Popularized by shows like Antique Roadshow, the ability to effectively appraise art can have distinct ramifications for collectors, insurers, and the IRS. Knowing the value of a piece and understanding the latest trends in the art world can also influence artists’ willingness to take risks and create new work.
For more information about the practice of art appraisal and the course at CGU, click here.