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The JD-MBA Alumni Association:  Our Next Source of Strategic Advantage
Jim Sinclair, Class of 2007

Current students are the first to admit that the three year structure of Northwestern’s JD-MBA degree is by and large the most attractive element of the program.  Many of the best applicants weigh the relative merits of joint degree programs throughout the country and are continually drawn to the integrated degree offered by Northwestern.  This explains why this program draws hundreds of applicants every year compared to a handful at many other elite schools.  This also helps explain why the average GMAT score of JD-MBA applicants is routinely higher than any other business school in the country.  Northwestern Law and Kellogg are both amazing individual institutions in their own right, but the integration and expedition offered by this particular degree is perhaps the single biggest reason why we get the best and the brightest each and every year.

As we talk with administrators at both the Law School and Kellogg, we quickly realize that this source of competitive advantage is not permanent.  Several schools, including some that appear in the top ten in both business and law school rankings, are currently evaluating the feasibility of a three year program.  It would be folly to assume that Northwestern will continue to be the only three year JD-MBA program.  To this end, we’re always looking to operationally improve the current program and market these improvements to prospective students.

As we have talked with prospective students, current students, alumni, and administrators, it becomes apparent another source of differentiation can become our biggest asset in the future.  With nearly 400 Northwestern JD-MBA alumni, the shear size and depth of our alumni network is unparalleled.  With the outstanding help of both Northwestern Law School and Kellogg, we are working hard to build this network and make it easier for alums to interact with each other, the schools, current students, and prospective students.  By holding events, receiving JD-MBA specific alumni gifts, and issuing our biannual newsletter, we believe we are on the right track.  We cannot thank you enough for helping us build this franchise, and we cannot emphasize how much your continued support will be needed in years to come.

We are in the early stages of establishing a visible JD-MBA Alumni Association, and we hope that each one of our alums can become an integral part in this effort.  We believe in the value of the education, the friends that we have made, and the memories that we have shared all through the unique educational experience we had in the Northwestern JD-MBA program.  Please help us continue to build out our JD-MBA Alumni Association so that this degree will continue to be recognized as the best JD-MBA program in the country.