[BLANK_AUDIO]. Our guest today is Professor Fiona Devine, the Dean of the Manchester Business School and a Professor of Sociology here at the University of Manchester. Before becoming Dean of the Manchester Business School, Professor Devine was head of the School of Social Sciences. Her research interests are in the areas of work, employment, social stratification, and mobility. She's a fellow at the Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University. And in 2011, she was elected to the Academy of Social Sciences here in the UK. So, thank you so much, Fiona, for being with us today. My pleasure to be here, thank you. >> Let me start, Fiona, and ask you a question that maybe students in the course would have about the MOOC. You know, they're probably thinking that this would be a course on water and sanitation policy in developing countries. This should be offered at a school of public health or a school of engineering. >> Mm-hm. >> Why offer it at the Manchester Business School? Business School. Well, I'd, I'd like to make two points here. First of all, I think business school and all business schools should be thinking about global challenges that we will confront in the 21st century. So, Manchester Business School, and bs as we refer to it in the shorthand, is interested in those global challenges. And that's why we're proud to be involved in this MOOC around water and sanitation policy in developing societies. Secondly, I'd also like to emphasize in, in educating business leaders to think about some of those challenges, where bringing people together that work across the public and private sector divide. Because people have got to talk to each other, collaborate with each other into thinking about those global challenges. Thinking about how we confront issues and come up with the solutions to them. So, we need business people to talk to people in the public sector world who lead big institutions. Or policymakers understand the world they're operating in, their preoccupations. And then we need people in the public sector world to be understanding the world of business, the issues that they confront, so that people are coming together and finding solutions to those global challenges. >> Thank you. We have students from all over the world on this MOOC. Is there anything else you'd like to tell them about the Manchester Business School? Business School. They may not know much about. Yes, yeah. >> Us here. >> Yeah. Well, Manchester Business School is a famous business school in the UK and also globally. In fact, next year, we'll be celebrating our 50th anniversary. We were set up in 1965. We're one of the oldest business schools in the UK. And have educated a generation of scholars who have now gone out to the rest of the UK and the rest of the world as, as, as educators in, in business education. We offer a, a wide range of courses, thinking about issues of sustainability, of course, but thinking about innovation thinking about economic growth. But also wide ranging issues to do with corporate governments and accountability, social responsibility, business ethics. So, wide range of, of courses are offered on those sorts of topics. Also, what I would say about Manchester Business School which is unique is that we have a set of global centers around the world that offer a global MBA. So, this might be of interest to your students in the future. So, we've got centers in Shanghai, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Miami, and Sao Paolo in Brazil. And, as I say, this is where we offer our global MBA. And we again bring students together from all round the world thinking again about global challenges. >> I'm from the United States, you know? I've really enjoyed my time here at the University of Manchester and, and in the Manchester City. But you know it much better than I do, and our students, they probably never been here. They might not even know where Manchester is. What would you tell them. Yeah. About the University and, and the city? >> Yeah, and the city. So, Manchester the University, I've worked here for 20 years. What's so exciting about working at Manchester University is it's a university with big ambitions. And, and I'm proud to be part of the institution and, and an institution with those ambitions. It has three core goals which are very important to what it's trying to do. So it's very much committed to cutting edge research and, of course, Manchester Business School contributes to that in terms of research. We do around innovation, for example. There's a real commitment, secondly, to excellent teaching and learning. So, we're very committed to the student experience that it's both challenging but enjoyable. And then the institution is very committed to a social responsibility agenda that we've got, commitments to the local community, the city, the region nationally and internationally. And we take those responsibilities very seriously, as well. So, it's a great university in that respect, and then Manchester City is a, is a great city. It's has, of course, this long history coming from the Industrial Revolution right through to the present day. It is a hub of creativity and, and innovation. We have, you know, of course, two bel, Nobel Prize winners for graphene in most recent years. But we have a history of 25 Nobel Prize winners at the university and, and, of course, located in the city. The city itself is a real education hub, so there's over a, a 100,000 students here. So, it makes it a very diverse city, a very cosmopolitan city. It's very lively, but it's also a very friendly place. So, I think if students did think about coming to the university in the city, it's a great place to study, but it's a great place to live, both as individual students but students also with their families. So, we're very happy to welcome more people to Manchester University and the city, for sure. I'll tell you a story. My wife's in a wheelchair. She's a leg amputee. And we travel all over the world. And this is the highest level civil society that we found anyplace. Agree. >> She, everybody treats her so nicely here. >> Good, yeah. >> It's just a wonderful place to. >> Yeah. >> To visit and to live. >> I can believe that, and I'm really happy to hear that, as well. >> Hm, yeah, yeah. Would you like to say anything about the Manchester teaching method, or anything else for our students? >> Just to, to reinforce that it is very important, the, the student experience and you know, we want to offer courses that are challenging to students. You know, that it does test them and really make them think. But through being challenged and working hard that it is enjoyable. And as I say, you're part of a community of students from all around the world. And, and also that you then have these networks of students that, that, hopefully, you'll be in contact with once you leave Manchester. You know, that you are. Mm-hm. Part of a wider family of. Mm-hm. Of this substantial alumni community that we've got within the university, as well. So, I think we've got something like, Manchester Business School itself has got 50,000 alumni scattered over 169 countries. Hm-mm. So, if you come to Manchester, but even if you don't come to Manchester, our global centers MOOC, you're part of this community, and we very much welcome you and hope that you'll, you feel you belong as part of that community, as well. >> Well, thank you so much for spending time with us today. >> Thank you very much. [BLANK_AUDIO]
