2025 Drucker School Year in Review

Peter Drucker believed that useful insights come from paying close attention to the world as it actually is. In 2025, that way of looking at the world came through across the Drucker School of Management’s work in meaningful and often unexpected ways. These moments were shaped not only by ideas, but also by our people, alumni returning to campus from around the world, students applying management principles in new contexts, and partners engaging with Drucker’s thinking in a wide range of settings.

CGU’s Centennial amplified many of these connections. The anniversary drew our community back to Claremont and highlighted the reach of Drucker’s influence. One of the standout moments came from Bill Gates, who shared how Drucker helped shape his approach to leadership and responsibility. His comments, part of the Centennial celebrations, were a reminder that Drucker’s ideas continue to guide leaders navigating complex decisions today.

The Centennial also brought people together in ways that reflected the intellectual culture of CGU. As part of the festivities, Professor Jay Prag delivered a standing-room-only Lecture Lounge talk on “Useful Game Theory” at Mozwell, drawing alumni, students, and community members into a conversation about strategy and decision-making. It was a moment that captured some of the energy and curiosity that define the Drucker School community.

These gatherings, large and small, helped set the tone for a year shaped by connection, inquiry, and the practical application of Drucker’s ideas.

Programs and Innovation

Across 2025, the Drucker School continued to advance programs that help leaders understand organizations through clarity, responsibility, and a recognition that management is, at its core, a human practice.

The year marked the launch of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), developed in partnership with EHL Hospitality Business School.

The DBA offers experienced practitioners a structured way to investigate leadership and organizational challenges through applied research. Alongside the School’s long-standing and recently re-introduced Executive PhD program, these doctoral offerings provide a base for the Drucker School’s reputation as a home for advanced, practice-focused scholarship. Together, they support leaders who want to deepen their understanding of how organizations function — and how they can function better.

Finding the Future in Food, launched earlier this year with an international partner and invited participants to explore the human and cultural dimensions of the American food system. The program offers an immersive introduction to food, community, and systems thinking that make Southern California’s food scene so vibrant. The program’s approach echoes Drucker’s insistence on observing how people actually live and work to drive management action.

The Flex MBA received recognition as one of Southern California’s top part-time MBA programs, underscoring ongoing interest in management education for working professionals.

Impact Through Students and Alumni

Throughout the year, we saw Drucker’s ideas take shape through the work of our students and alumni — often in ways that speak directly to the needs and realities of the moment. Their contributions show how management, when practiced with intention, can support stronger organizations and more resilient communities. 

• Mathew Ng explored a more human-centered approach to financial work.
• Kaitlin Kiesel blended scientific thinking with purpose-driven leadership.
• Priyanka Neupane navigated creativity and management at Warner Music Group.
• Junro Ito was appointed chairman of 7 & i Holdings.
• Romarilyn Ralston continued her management education work inside California prisons.

These stories remind us that Drucker’s ideas are not confined to traditional management roles, they show up wherever people gather to learn, lead, and make decisions that matter.

Advancing the Drucker Legacy

The School’s role as steward of Peter Drucker’s work and ideas remained a central focus in 2025. A key milestone was the appointment of Trevor Anthony as Executive Director of the Drucker House Museum, signaling a renewed commitment to making Drucker’s writing and context accessible to students, scholars, and visitors. The museum welcomed visitors from around the world.

The School also launched the Peter Drucker Oral History Project, an initiative inviting those who knew Drucker personally to share and document their experiences with him. These conversations, from former students to longtime colleagues, are helping build a living archive that captures the human side of Drucker’s influence. The stories collected through this project will preserve not only what Drucker wrote, but how he taught, listened, questioned, and encouraged others to think differently.

The School also explored Drucker’s thinking in new ways through several narrative pieces published throughout the year. One examined what Drucker saw in baseball, using the sport to illuminate teamwork and performance. Another revisited a set of Drucker’s insights on navigating uncertainty, offering readers practical grounding in a year defined by rapid change. These stories deepened public understanding not by celebrating Drucker’s reputation, but by showing how his observations remain useful.

These pieces illustrated how Drucker drew insight from close observation of everyday life, and how those insights still continue to help leaders make sense of uncertainty today.

Global Engagement Grounded in Shared Purpose

Across 2025, the School strengthened relationships with partners around the world, building on shared interests in leadership development and practical management education.

At the 2025 Phoenix Financial Forum in Guangzhou, Michael Kelly delivered a keynote connecting Drucker’s principles to current economic challenges.

“In times of volatility, Drucker reminds us to look beyond the noise and pay attention to what’s actually happening. Organizations succeed when leaders understand people, purpose, and the conditions that allow both to thrive.” — Michael Kelly, Phoenix Forum Keynote

Another clear expression of the global community came during our August gathering in Shanghai, where alumni, students, and partners came together to reflect on the School’s work. That evening, the phrase “The Future of Management” appeared across the skyline, illuminated on the Citigroup Tower, as a visible reminder of the reach of Drucker’s ideas and the strength of the of the school’s connections in the region.

Dean David Sprott also met with alumni, universities, and organizations across China, Japan, and Korea to explore executive education partnerships and applied learning opportunities. These conversations highlighted the relevance of Drucker’s ideas for leaders navigating complexity across industries and cultures.

These activities reinforced something consistent across regions: leaders everywhere are working through similar questions about purpose, complexity, and responsibility, and Drucker’s ideas continue to offer useful frameworks.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The work of 2025 underscored the role the Drucker School plays in shaping thoughtful, responsible leaders. From Centennial gatherings to program innovations, from alumni achievements to global partnerships, this year reflected a school rooted in its history, attentive to the needs of the present, and planting seeds for the future.

As we move into 2026, we remain focused on preparing leaders who see management as a human practice, one grounded in purpose, clarity, and an understanding of the impact decisions have on people and society.

That commitment remains at the heart of the Drucker School, and it continues to guide our work.