The Thunderbird Board of Trustees announced today that as part of
its Thunderbird 2010 strategic plan, the School is changing its name
to Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Previously known as Thunderbird, the Garvin School of
International Management, the School recently conducted a strategic
review which proposed the name change. The naming recommendation was
made in order to improve the school's marketing and brand recognition
and to allow the School to seize new growth opportunities under the
Thunderbird 2010 vision. The review concluded that the new name would
allow the School to better leverage its brand recognition and trio of
No. 1 rankings in "international business" (from the Financial Times,
Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News and World Report) as it expands its
offerings around the world.
The new name will focus the School's official name on its widely
recognized brand and historic name, Thunderbird. "Our strategic review
was unequivocal in concluding that we should focus on 'Thunderbird' as
our core brand," said Thunderbird president Angel Cabrera. "We also
concluded that 'global' was a more accurate descriptor of our unique
expertise in developing the broad cross-cultural mindset that is
critical to success in today's global economy."
"Thunderbird 2010 lays out an exciting array of strategic
opportunities for the School," said Mr. David Roberts, chairman of the
board of trustees. "Over the past year, our top rankings, our new
program offerings, and our overall positive momentum have generated
further options. The new naming structure will more easily accommodate
additional major gifts to support the centers, programs, and
initiatives that we have identified as part of our growth strategy.
The Garvins' gracious agreement to this change and their full support
of the school's long-term strategic goals says a lot about their
generosity and dedication to Thunderbird."
Thunderbird alumnus and Trustee Samuel S. Garvin '88, for whom the
school was named after he and his wife Rita pledged $60 million in
2004, endorsed the naming decision, saying: "I wholeheartedly support
the results of the strategic review, which should improve the School's
name recognition and help Thunderbird raise funds for future strategic
initiatives. Thunderbird needs to be aggressive and capitalize on its
position as the leader in global management education. I encourage
other donors who will support Thunderbird through investments in this
top-flight institution."
Thunderbird also announced that the Garvin name will now be used
for a newly-established position, The Garvin Distinguished Professor
of Global Management Research, which will add to the already existing
Garvin Center of Cultures and Languages of International Management
and the Garvin Professorship of Entrepreneurship. The new position
will allow Thunderbird to launch the Research and Knowledge Network, a
new strategic unit established by the Thunderbird 2010 plan, that will
provide new insights in global management and cutting-edge
breakthrough research in collaboration with leading businesses from
around the world.
"I am pleased to be able to help Thunderbird launch the research
network, a key strategic initiative which will enhance Thunderbird's
position as a source of new, breakthrough knowledge in global
business," said Sam Garvin.
About Thunderbird
In 1946, Thunderbird was founded as the first graduate management
school focused exclusively on global business. It is regarded as the
world's leading institution in the education of global managers and
has operations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Russia and
Asia. Ranked No. 1 in international business by U.S. News and World
Report, the Wall Street Journal survey of corporate recruiters, and
the Financial Times, Thunderbird is dedicated to educating global
leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide. The school's
programs facilitate the development of the global mindset which is
critical to managing effectively in different social, economic and
political environments. More than 38,000 students have graduated from
Thunderbird, and its alumni live and work in more than 140 countries.
For more about Thunderbird, please visit: www.thunderbird.edu.
