University of Pittsburgh: Katz

The Katz Graduate School of Business, also known at the Joseph M Katz Graduate School of Business, is the graduate business school of the University of Pittsburgh.

It was formed in 1960 through the merging of the School of Business Administration and the Graduate School of Retailing, and got its current name in 1987 after a $10 million donation from founder of Papercraft Corporation and alumnus Joseph Katz.

The school was the first in the US to offer an accelerated MBA programme, since 1963. The final thesis for the MBA consists of a course designed to give students a realistic assignment as an executive in a simulated athletic footwear company. Students compete in teams to add values to their companies, and report to an external board of directors who provide approvals and feedback.

Katz is housed in Mervis Hall, which includes a 3,000 square feet financial analysis laboratory that includes a trading room, a ticker, a business library, a student kitchen, and Bottom Line Bistro coffee shop.

Research centres at Katz include the Katz Center for Executive Education, the Center for Health and Care Work, the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, the International Business Center, and the Center for Supply Chain Management.

Katz has connections with higher education institutions around the world, including the European Business School near Frankfurt, Germany; the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria in Valparaiso, Chile; and the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Monterrey, Mexico.

Notable alumni of Katz include member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company Susan Arnold, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, and president of Boeing Shared Services Group Robert Pasterick.