Dean's Message
Note: Nicole Haggerty is Acting Dean while Dean Julian Birkinshaw is on medical leave
It’s a year and a half since we launched our new strategy and I’m incredibly proud of the progress we have made toward our vision: To Reimagine Experiential Business Learning for the World. We call it our Bold Ambition.
We are moving from ambition to action across all four strategic priorities: expanding access to Ivey through new pathways and digital platforms, strengthening support for student success and career outcomes, advancing research and thought leadership, and extending our global impact.
Transforming Experiential Learning
For more than a century, the case method has been at the heart of the Ivey experience. Its enduring value lies in a simple but powerful premise: leadership and judgment are not learned by memorizing answers, but by grappling with real decisions under conditions of uncertainty. By placing students in the shoes of leaders facing consequential choices, cases help learners develop the analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and judgment that effective leadership requires.
Today, however, the environments in which leaders operate are changing rapidly. Organizations face unprecedented technological disruption, increasing complexity, and challenges that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. As a result, Ivey is evolving its approach to experiential learning while remaining true to the principles that have always defined it.
At Ivey, experiential learning is not a single teaching method. It is a philosophy of learning through action, reflection, and application. The case method remains a cornerstone of that philosophy, but it is now complemented by a broader portfolio of experiences that place students in authentic situations where they must apply knowledge, navigate ambiguity, collaborate with others, and exercise judgment. These experiences include simulations, consulting engagements, field-based projects, leadership development opportunities, service learning, client-sponsored initiatives, and technology-enabled learning environments.
Programs such as the Ivey Digital Innovation Studio (IDIS), Service Learning in Africa (SLA), and the Ivey Field Project (IFP) exemplify this evolution. In each, students move beyond discussing challenges to engaging directly with them. They work with organizations, communities, and stakeholders to address real problems, test ideas, adapt to changing circumstances, and reflect on the consequences of their decisions. These experiences transform knowledge into capability and help students develop not only competence, but also confidence, character, and leadership capacity.
For many schools, Artificial Intelligence is threatening the learning and teaching mission. Not so at Ivey – here it is creating new opportunities to extend and enhance experiential learning. Ivey has expanded access to leading AI technologies for faculty, staff, and students; integrated AI throughout its curricula; and launched the AI Fellows Program, believed to be the first initiative of its kind among Canadian business schools. Through the program, accomplished practitioners and alumni bring current industry perspectives into the School, helping shape how AI is incorporated into teaching, research, and institutional practice. One such Fellow, Salim Teja, HBA ’96, is profiled in this edition.
Across our programs, faculty are exploring ways to use AI to enrich experiential learning through simulations, coaching tools, scenario-based exercises, and redesigned cases. Just as importantly, students are learning not only how to use these technologies, but how to evaluate them critically, understand their limitations, and exercise sound judgment when applying them.
In January, Ivey launched Ivey Online, extending access to experiential learning through flexible digital formats that combine case-based learning, collaboration, and AI-enabled educational tools for learners around the world.
The technologies and educational tools available to us will continue to evolve. What remains constant is Ivey's belief that leadership capability is developed through experience. In a world where information is abundant and analysis is increasingly automated, the ability to exercise judgment, navigate complexity, and make responsible decisions becomes even more important. Experiential learning, in all its forms, remains how we help students develop those capabilities.
Open More Pathways
In April, we opened the stunning new Donald K. Johnson Centre, expanding our footprint in Toronto, doubling classroom and study space, and equipping it with advanced educational technology. This expansion supports growth in “while-you-work” programs and executive education while creating a premier space to convene leaders across business, government, and academia.
We launched the Graduate Diploma in Management, making Ivey’s Accelerated MBA more accessible to professionals from non-business backgrounds. The first cohort started in May 2026. In conjunction, we doubled the capacity of the Accelerated MBA program, enabling more learners to pursue an MBA without stepping away from work.
We're rethinking student support through a coordinated suite of programs that build habits for success. Students are introduced to PRESET (preparation for case method learning), The Learners Studio (developing participation and deep capacity in the classroom), and RESET (recalibration during periods of academic strain). By helping students take ownership of their learning, we expect to enhance their feeling of engagement and belonging at Ivey. We also encourage students to use AI to enrich their learning, not shortcut it.
Create Insights that Matter
Ivey prioritizes research on the critical issues facing the world today and making it accessible to learners, business leaders, and policymakers around the world. To achieve this, we’ve increased funding for research and thought leadership and raised $1.9 million in donor funding to support research and thought leadership activities.
Investments are paying off with increased external recognition of research strength. Ivey’s Financial Times (FT) Research Rank moved up 10 places to 48th globally in the 2026 FT MBA Ranking. Ivey also rose five spots to rank 25th globally and first in Canada in the 2026 Research Impact ranking, a position which owes a lot to our expertise in case writing and publishing.
We’re growing the reach and engagement of Ivey’s research through our thought leadership hub, Impact. The Impact platform amplifies faculty expertise through articles, events, podcasts, and videos. Content spans critical topics such as AI, leadership, tariffs, investing, and sustainability, positioning Ivey faculty as trusted voices on issues that matter to business leaders.
Expand Global Impact
This year, we launched the Ivey Global Opportunities (IGO) Fund, a competitive, donor-supported internal seed fund to accelerate initiatives that advance Ivey’s global impact. The Fund is designed to catalyze new ideas, pilot scalable models, and strengthen Ivey’s international presence through cross-school collaboration and high-impact global initiatives.
Through the 39 Country Initiative, 47 countries now have free access to Ivey's case-based teaching materials. In the last year, we have sent 13 trainers to 48 schools to deliver free case-teaching workshops to 1,589 faculty members. Workshops were delivered across Africa and Asia, including Ghana, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. The 39 Country initiative is on track to reach approximately 1 million students taught using Ivey cases by 2028.
Ivey Executive Education expanded into 13 countries this year – from Thailand and Japan to the UAE – with participants from over 40 countries. This growth reflects increasing engagement with large multinational organizations and strengthens Ivey’s position as a globally competitive provider of executive education.
The global reach of Ivey Publishing continues to expand with sales in 129 countries and submissions from over 2,500 authors across 54 countries, alongside a 47 per cent increase in direct customer accounts – strengthening engagement with educators globally. Record case submissions further reinforce Ivey Publishing’s position as a global publisher of choice for case-based business education.
As we continue to advance toward our vision, I want to thank alumni for all the support and encouragement you provide. This is a transformative time for Ivey. We can only move with your continued commitment to Ivey’s success.
Nicole Haggerty, HBA ’89, PhD ’04
Acting Dean, Ivey Business School