The Krannert Executive Forum is a management class (MGMT 401) that features top-level corporate executives sharing their experiences with students. It has been a unique and valuable addition to Krannert's management curriculum since 1973.

The Forum is designed to provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas and  discussion of topics and issues facing business and management education between students and executives who have achieved high levels of success and recognition. These exchanges are directed toward an understanding of problems and solutions, opportunities and the need for educational preparation of future business leaders. Dialogue develops that gives the students, faculty, and business leaders a better understanding of themselves, their responsibilities and their relationships with each other.

This one-hour class meets each Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the Rawls Hall Forum (room 1086). The class offers undergraduate management seniors, as well as students from engineering and other schools on campus, a practical business and management perspective seldom found in other courses. Master's degree students and faculty are also encouraged to attend, and the Forum is open to the public as seating permits.

Students in the Forum are expected to familiarize themselves with the firms the speakers represent and to participate in class discussions. Students also submit written critiques on the presentations during the semester.

A typical itinerary for a visiting executive includes breakfast on Friday morning with Forum students, brief meetings with graduate students and faculty members before the Forum, and an informal luncheon with 20 to 30 students after the Forum. If the schedule permits, the visiting executive also meets with senior Purdue and Krannert administrators, tours the Purdue campus, and participates in graduate classes and other activities during the day.

For many top executives, this is their first introduction to Purdue University and the Krannert School, its students, and programs. Many of these speakers continue their relationship with Purdue and Krannert as advisers, recruiters of management students, and supporters of our programs. A state governor, three editors of national magazines, a United States cabinet member, and over 350 nationally or internationally-known companies have been represented in the Krannert Executive Forum.

The Krannert Executive Forum continues to be a meeting place for the exchange of ideas and thus an excellent vehicle for improved understanding between the executive suite and the academic classroom. When you visit Purdue, please plan to include the Krannert Executive Forum to hear one of our many great speakers.