[INTERVIEW]

Chief executive officer at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), Joy Jones, said global business schools are “innovatively” embracing AI technology as their priority to nurture future business leaders — including Korean students — who can ethically handle the technology while simultaneously pursuing financial growth.

"Business educators are incorporating AI technology into their curricula based on the anticipation that students who understand the dynamic between humans and AI will make strategic and agile decisions," Jones said on Wednesday as she sat for an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Four Seasons Hotel in central Seoul.

The Virginia-based GMAC, an academic association of business schools worldwide, administers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Candidates aspiring to earn their master’s in business management take the test, with around 100,000 test-takers globally each year.

Around 78 percent of schools offering graduate management programs have integrated AI into their curricula and learning experiences, according to an application trend survey conducted by GMAC last year. A total of 297 business schools across the globe participated in the survey.

Her agency is extending AI technology into the preadmission stage. On Wednesday, GMAC unveiled its new AI-powered platform for aspiring students, called “Advancery.” The platform — available globally — aims to curate the schools and academic programs best suited to the candidates’ aspirations and backgrounds.

Calling Korea a "vibrant" education environment, Jones said the first generation of Koreans who completed their graduate management education overseas are now empowering their juniors to expand their academic horizons. Jones also assured that international students — including Koreans who might have been concerned about changes in U.S. immigration policy — could pursue their studies as the commitment from schools and her agency to find the best talent globally remains unchanged.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order to dismantle the Department of Education. How do schools and your agency cope with the ramifications of federal education policy changes?

A. It is a very dynamic and fluid situation. The current administration has only been in office for a couple of months. So, the entire picture is not clear yet.

While the educational policies of the current administration are likely to affect federal funding available to universities, programs offered by our member schools remain committed. The schools will continuously strive to entice academic talents and become attractive study destinations despite disruptions at the Department of Education. The schools are trying to assure students with a message that their endeavor to bring the best talent into the classrooms will remain unchanged.

When reasonable support and high-quality education were given to students and graduates who wished to study and stay in the United States, international students were found to be less reactive to federal policy changes than our agency had anticipated. If this pattern persists in the upcoming months and years, the United States will maintain its position as a competitive academic destination for many students.

Our agency, GMAC, is trying to understand concerns and sentiments among perspective learners so we can address them through the tools and resources we have. We are helping international students make wise decisions on their study plans with the latest information.

The Trump administration has backtracked on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and become tougher on immigration. How should highly skilled professionals, including MBA students and graduates, brace for the change?

My supposition is that prepared professionals will be resilient to the policy changes. Highly skilled professionals always seek chances on how they could best support the business objectives of the organization to which they belong. On an academic level, it can mean that schools can move to offer their programs to prepared candidates.

Business schools are especially good at equipping people with critical reasoning skills and a strategic mindset, as well as problem-solving capabilities. These skills learned from high-quality business education will help professionals navigate times of uncertainty and dynamics of policy changes.

AI has made strides in the education sector over the past year. How has AI impacted or changed business schools’ curriculum or students’ academic experiences?

Technology is ushering us into a new era, and I am excited about it. Our agency decided to make use of AI for pre-classroom experiences. GMAC’s AI-powered platform “Advancery” will help students assess their strengths, weaknesses, knowledge skills and career interests and identify their best-matching schools and academic environments where they would thrive.

Business schools are bringing AI into their classrooms in innovative ways to tailor their curriculum to each student’s aspirations and interests. AI has become a new priority for business schools. They are also using AI to boost students’ engagement and amplify experiential learning through various deployments of AI.

Also, corporate recruiters told us they need graduates who understand the nature of partnership between humans and technology. In an AI-affected world, business leaders would be required to use AI ethically and to support financial growth altogether. AI-savvy professionals will make strategic and agile decisions in a timely manner. They would ultimately become strong leaders in business.

In recent years, the number of East Asian students — including Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese — studying in the United States has declined sharply. What are the key factors driving this trend? How has this shift reshaped the global education landscape?

Return on investment has emerged as the most decisive factor in deciding schools to attend. Due to fewer corporate sponsorships available these days, many students are paying tuition fees by themselves with their own financial resources.

We observed that economic challenges will likely persist throughout their studies — particularly, among international students at U.S.-based schools. That said, according to our prospective student survey, the United States and Western European continue to be the prime study-abroad locations for students from these geographies.

Another contributing factor to such a shift is the high quality of graduate management education within Asia. Our agency sees strength in studying within the region. Also, students are heading to non-U.S. schools depending on the types of programs and specific majors that they want to study.

What brought you to Korea? What is your view of the Korean graduate academic sphere?

Korea hosts a GMAC’s global board meeting where board directors from business schools in the United States, Europe and Asia gather to discuss means and objectives to help schools and candidates. And, Seoul is the central location.

Korea has a vibrant and thriving ecosystem for graduate management education with notable student participation. While our institution has two members in Korea — Korea University and KAIST, we look forward to working with other universities like Seoul National University and a few others.

In addition, we also want to explore the corporate environment in Korea and add insights to our corporate recruiter survey, a yearly report detailing the latest employment trends for graduates majoring in business management.

Major Korean companies often sponsored their employees’ overseas MBA programs. From your perspective as GMAC's chief, how has this corporate practice impacted global markets?

In the past, a number of Korean companies sent their professionals to business schools through employer sponsorship. I am confident that the partnership between business education and the Korean market has been successful.

MBA graduates are currently serving in managerial positions in Korean corporations. Their academic experiences elevated their corporations’ reputations and helped those companies become globally recognized brands. Their knowledge also shaped Korean corporations’ import and export strategy in the global market.

I also appreciate that those MBA graduates have become industry leaders who can mentor juniors and advise them to consider business schools as the right next step in their careers. Generational encouragement from Korean MBA graduates exerts a powerful influence.

Correction, April 8: Corrected expression from Jones' answer regarding East Asian students' mobility.





BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]