Big Boost For 'Big Picture' Course

When Foresight in Business and Society was launched in 2009 as a required course for all juniors, its subject areas seemed a natural fit for Mendoza: namely, the world, the future, and what students need to do about the both of them if they hope to use the power of business to impact life for the better on a global scale.

Enormous topics to be sure, especially for undergraduates who had yet to embark on even an entry-level job in business. But now, nearly three years down the road, the course has received recognition for its innovative curriculum, its engagement of students in research projects, and its use of business leaders as mentors. 

As part of that recognition, Michael J. Murray (’66) and family recently gave a major gift to benefit the course, which will be used for faculty and curriculum development.

Murray, independent director of trucking-services company Con-Way Inc., previously served as the president of Global Corporate and Investment Banking at Bank of America Corp. David Murray, Michael’s son and managing director of Murray Capital Ltd., is mentoring a student team researching the future of mobile banking in the BRIICK countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China and Korea).

“Foresight represents a huge step forward in business education, as the course requires students to lift their heads and think about the big picture,” said Michael Murray. “It provides a great balance to the number-crunching mania that can afflict businesses.”