INSEAD entered the 1980s with a highly regarded MBA programme, an impressive faculty body, a robust infrastructure, a reputation for excellent teaching and credibility that spanned European and US business communities.
The next challenge was to evolve from a ground-breaking business school into a world-changing, comprehensive management institution. Such a challenge raised several questions.
How would INSEAD balance teaching and research while continually generating relevance to business? How would INSEAD continue to spread knowledge while becoming a leading-edge creator of that knowledge? How would INSEAD grow in a world that was increasingly connected?
The solutions were distinctively INSEAD.
These solutions required structural change. Joint executive responsibility was given to two co-deans, integrating academics and financial decision making. Tenure was introduced to attract and retain talented faculty.
The addition of the second intake for the MBA programme in 1983 helped the school grow and provided distinct benefits. Potential students had more choice, professors had more flexibility, and class size was able to scale up to meet demand.
In 1984, President of France François Mitterrand hosted the European Summit at the Château de Fontainebleau. Mitterrand asked INSEAD to host the press corps and the school agreed, offering facilities for press conferences and events. At a press conference in Amphi A, leaders announced the date for the Single European Market and unveiled the first European passport. This put a spotlight on growth in Europe and generated significant interest in INSEAD.
Throughout the decade, the connection to Asia grew stronger. INSEAD decided to erect a new building for the Euro-Asia Centre, which became a base of operations for expanding executive education in Asia.
Demand for company-specific executive education also exploded, increasing the number of case studies produced and positioning INSEAD as a leader in research on multinational companies.
In 1988, the INSEAD Board of Directors voted to launch a doctoral programme and the first six PhD candidates, each representing a different nationality, enrolled the following year.
Investment in infrastructure and innovation was a commitment to diversity and internationalism. The changes paralleled a shifting identity of INSEAD – from a European school with an international outlook to an international school with a European emphasis.
1980
Heinz Thanheiser MBA’64 (left) joins Claude Rameau as co-Dean, seeking to broaden the school’s expertise beyond Europe and strengthen the community
First scholarship recipients admitted to the MBA programme following a campaign by Uwe Kitzinger to bring more women to the school
Euro-Asia Centre opens, bridging business and cultural differences
1981
Introduction of Faculty Tenure
1982
Claude Janssen appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors
Prominence is given to the world in the logo, showing a focus on working out Europe’s position in the global economy
At the cutting edge of management education, the school innovated computer-aided learning tools
1983
Chairman of the Board Claude Janssen speaks to the MBA’83J class, when dual intake established July and December graduations
Micheline Dehelly (right) was a key figure in running the school, working closely with the founders in the early years and assisting every dean from Berry to Borges
1984
INSEAD hosts world leaders and journalists for European Summit press conference
1985
First second-generation graduate joins alumni community
Inauguration of Euro-Asia Centre building in Fontainebleau, a base of operations for programmes across Asia
1986
Intake applications grow to three times the 1980 intake
Philippe Naert (left) appointed Co-Dean alongside Claude Rameau, determined to launch an INSEAD-style PhD programme
1987
National advisory boards (formerly councils) grow to 13
Number of MBAs graduating in 1980s equals total for the 1960s and 1970s combined
Fundação Dom Cabral Partnership launches two programmes for Brazilian executives
1988
INSEAD intake expands from 320 to 420
INSEAD faculty publish 30 case studies, 25 more than previous year
INSEAD featured on the cover of the May 1988 Fortune International
Launch of PhD programme based on the US model but with an international twist
1989
First doctoral candidates arrive
Students collaborate on a class project
The fall of the Berlin Wall shifted focus to globalisation at INSEAD and around the world
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