We prepare graduates for learning to disagree: Kellogg b-school dean Francesca Cornelli

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Learning to disagree, and working with customers and employees who have polarized views are lessons that will prepare graduates from the Kellogg School of Management for the real world. Francesca Cornelli, dean of Kellogg School of Management, told Mint that while attraction towards a master's in business administration (MBA) has not dwindled, what is taught in the classroom has changed to keep pace with the global environment.

Edited excerpts: No. In fact, the number of applications from students in India for Kellogg's full-time programs increased 11.5% from 2023 (927) to 2024 (1,034). This upward trend has continued into 2025.

One course that is not new but has been a staple for Kellogg students since well before the pandemic is crisis management. How do you communicate with your employees in the middle of a crisis, and not panic? This is important now, but it always has been. In fact, the alumni got back to us during Covid and after to say that what we taught them in the classroom helped.

Now, we have added courses on leading with empathy; selling yourself and your ideas; everything an MBA should know about climate change; fintech and society; and for the family business, keeping it all in the family. In addition to courses, we have the Ryan Institute on Complexity, where our research uses aspects of physics to understand social networking. These insights guide teaching, where students are taught how to use social networks to come up with business ideas like Uber or Air B&B.

We started teaching AI and analytics six years ago. What we teach is how leaders can best use the scientists on their teams and how to reorganize the team to activate those scientists working with AI. Kellogg is