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Your royal highnesses crown prince Frederik and crown princess Mary,
CBS board and management,
Students of CBS,
Ladies and gentlemen!
It is great to be here. I have not been here before. I hope at least in this post to have more than 1 year and 6 months. So I hope to be back.
CBS was founded by a fellow named Marius Vibæk. He was a special man. And I kind of associate with him. Not because he founded CBS. But because to put it bluntly – he was a nerd. In a field practically as far away from money and business as you can possibly get:
As a young man he started studying history. At the age of 23, he won the University of Copenhagen’s gold medallion for a thesis on German language history. The last part of his 20’s he spent studying filology.
Then he went on to systemising school books in the German language.
I will get back to Vibæk’s story in a few moments, but for now, let us just say: He was not really the type of entrepreneurial, young businessman I think most of us would have pictured as the founder of CBS back in 1917.
Vibæk’s turn in career path is not the only radical shift of the year 1917. This was the year of the Russian Revolution. The USA entered First World War. Denmark sells off the Danish West Indies to the USA. And Copenhagen’s last horse-drawn bus stops running. CBS was in other words founded in a time of change.
And change seems to have been the only constant in the first 100 years of CBS. From a school of commerce offering evening classes and a limited course catalogue. To the colourful rebel among the Danish universities.
And on to the modern, international business school considered among the best, which we now see.
The first 100 years: From merchant’s school to modern, international business school
Earlier this month, Quacquarelli Symonds placed CBS at number 13 on their list of the best Business & Management Studies – in the world.
If I were to list all of CBS’ merits in rankings, I’m afraid I would exceed my speaking time. So let me just say they are impressive. They document what anyone who has been in touch with CBS people already know: That our CBS is among the very best in the world.
CBS’ graduates are popular. I think this is linked to the CBS ability to combine three factors:
First of all, the perspective of a CBS education is international. And I state this not lightly, in the time we are living in. CBS has a vast network of contacts and teaches the students to navigate in business all over the world.
Secondly, CBS understands the demands from the business sector through strong partnerships with commercial companies.
And thirdly, CBS has an impressive ability to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship in the students. Most obviously at the CBS school of entrepreneurship’s incubator where students are supported in transforming their ideas into business.
What could happen in the next 100 years?
As “minister of the future”, which I’ve dubbed myself – I can’t help wondering: What will studying at CBS be like in the future? Do you not wonder about that?
Just like much has happened over the course of CBS’ first 100 years – doubtlessly – much will happen over the course of the next 100.
A virtual business school
Maybe the physical CBS as we know it will disappear in the next 100 years? Picture a truly virtual business school. Perhaps something like the Star Wars 3D-hologram phone. Allowing students from all over the world to participate in CBS classes through online solutions.
Picture if you as a student had the possibility of following courses at any school in the world?
Picture if lectures by the world’s leading experts were accessible to everybody, spreading their knowledge all over the world?
I think it likely that we will see some degree of virtual classrooms. CBS has already taken the first steps, offering students all over the world online courses with video lectures et cetera on the Coursera Platform.
But a completely virtual CBS? I doubt it.
Because education is so much more than curriculum.
It is also teaching students to debate, present themselves and, not least, being able to connect with other people.
So some sort of physical presence will always be required of the students.
Enter the robots
Does that also count for the teachers, you might ask? Or will we see robots taking over?
I can see a few of you CBS professors flinching a little bit. But the annual CBS parties might get a bit boring. What is their drink, anyway? A screwdriver or something …?
Seriously: Picture if you had a robot teaching you. Who would not like their own, private R2-D2 hanging around?
You could get one-on-one classes with a flawless teacher, programmed with the mind of the world’s most brilliant experts.
Teaching specifically designed for your individual needs. And a thorough feedback on your work, making sure you understood how to improve it.
What I hope will happen in the next 100 years
Anyway – predictions are difficult. Especially when they are about the future.I will not be the first – or the last – to get it wrong.
All I know is that change is certain to come. And here is what I hope will happen:
I hope CBS will maintain – and fortify – its academic level. The international perspective. The close cooperation with the business sector. The savviness as to preparing the students for the labour market. The ability to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship.
I hope CBS will maintain its position as an excellent, international business school.
And excellence is built on perspective. So another thing I hope is that CBS will make sure to build perspective into the educational programme.
I hope CBS will fortify its efforts to give all the students the basics in philosophy, history, ethics. To inspire “buildung” – or what we Danes call “dannelse”.
So that students will develop a critical approach. A critical approach to so-called facts. Or “alternative facts”. So they are capable of writing and understanding the language and presenting themselves. So they question. Question and find out what is right.
As Aristotle said: “Educating the mind without educating the heart, is no education at all.”
And that is a fact not least in these time that we live through. To question – and to answer – what is right that is something, I doubt robots will ever completely master. Algorithms may tell us what statistics say is smart. But they cannot tell us what our hearts say is right.
Such decisions take more than knowledge: It takes true wisdom.
Conclusion
And here is the point where I return to Marius Vibæk – the founding father:
When Vibæk was done systemising school books, he got a job at the Copenhagen School of Commerce and at Niels Brock's business college. Here, he saw the need of business school.
And I do not think he would have seen it, if it was not for his broad, international academic experience.
If he had not been this over-educated German teacher.
And I do not say this lightly to you. Not least in my position. But the thing is, we cannot foresee what is in the cards for someone. But we can deal our students a good hand. And then it is up to them to play it well.
And a good hand is not just about aces of spades and kings of clubs. It’s also about the 2’s of heart, runs and wild cards. Today, CBS has been dealing great hands for a hundred years.
And I have no doubt CBS will deal at least just as good in the years to come.
Thank you.