BLOOMINGTON, Ind., June 19, 2000 - Friends and colleagues of John T. Chambers,president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems, have contributedmore than $1.2 million to establish an endowed chair in his honor atIndiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Among top-tier business schools, the John T. Chambers Chair inInternet Systems is one of a handful of endowed chairs dedicatedexclusively to the study of the Internet and related networking systems.
Chambers, who earned a master of business administration degree infinance and management from IU in 1976, received news of the endowment thisspring at a dinner celebrating his fifth anniversary as Cisco's topexecutive.
"Mr. Chambers' accomplishments are legendary, as his friends andcolleagues have aptly acknowledged. This was a marvelous gift for Mr.Chambers and a greater gift to us," said Dan Dalton, dean of the KelleySchool of Business.
Cisco Systems also is one of the leading high tech companies thathave pledged their information technology engineers and architects toensure that the Kelley School's new $34 million Corporate and Graduate Center willbe at the leading edge of educational and communications technology.
"Higher education is one of John Chambers' passions. He rightlyfeels that the training our young people receive today is directly related to the nextsignificant wave of growth in the technology industry," said JohnMorgridge, Cisco Systems chairman.
"We all share a responsibility to promote first-rate instruction inour nation's great universities. Cisco is proud to further its associationwith the Kelley School in the form of the Chambers Chair in InternetSystems. For us at Cisco, it is an investment in our future as well as afitting tribute to the work and devotion of John Chambers," Morgridgeadded.
Cisco Systems is the worldwide leader of networking for theInternet. Since January 1995, when Chambers became president and CEO, thecompany has grown from $1.2 billion in annual revenues to its currentrun-rate of $17 billion. Today, Cisco is the fastest-growing company in thehistory of the computer industry and is the highest-valued company in theworld, reaching a $500 billion market capitalization quicker than any otherU.S. company.
Chambers has been lauded by government leaders and countlesspublications for his visionary strategy, his ability to drive anentrepreneurial culture, and his warmhearted, straight-talking approach.Widely recognized for his evangelistic style, Chambers is considered one ofthe most innovative and dynamic leaders in global business today. In 1999,Business Week named Chambers "Mr. Internet," as well as one of the top 25executives worldwide for the second time in three years.
ABC's 20/20 program spotlighted Chambers as "The Best Boss inAmerica." Time Digital placed Chambers among the top 10 most influentialleaders shaping technology today, and this spring Worth magazine named himthe No. 1 CEO in America. Recently, the Industry Standard ranked Chambersas one of the most influential people in the Internet economy. The UnitedStates Internet Council honored Chambers with its Internet Industry LeaderAward for 2000.
Fortune lists Cisco as the No. 3 place to work and the No. 4 mostadmired company in America. Network World recently rated Cisco as one ofthe "10 most powerful companies in networking" and John Chambers as "one of the25 most powerful executives" in 1999. In 1998, Forbes ASAP designated Ciscoas the country's most dynamic company.
Chambers joined Cisco in 1991 as senior vice president, worldwidesales and operations. Prior to joining Cisco, Chambers spent eight years atWang Laboratories and six years with IBM. Chambers also holds a J.D. degreeand a B.S./B.A. degree in business from West Virginia University.
The Kelley School of Business, through more than 75 years ofinnovation, continues to maintain its visibility as one of the country'spremier business schools. Its undergraduate program is ranked among the top10 in the country. Its MBA program has been cited in Business Week as oneof the favorites of corporate recruiters looking for general managers,marketing talent and finance graduates.
Other definitive publications, including U.S. News & World Report,Money and Princeton Review, have recognized various Kelley programs asamong the best. The school's doctoral program, which also contributes to overallteaching and research excellence, has sent more than 1,000 doctoralgraduates to key positions in industry and academe.
