From INSEAD professors to INSEAD partners

In recent years, Laurence Capron has observed a cultural shift at INSEAD. “We’ve developed a culture of giving in our community, especially among faculty members,” says the Dean of Faculty and Professor of Strategy.

This culture of giving grew stronger in 2020. Shortly after the Covid-19 crisis forced INSEAD to take dramatic action — temporarily closing campuses, cancelling events and placing staff on reduced work schedules — many faculty members began asking how they could help. While many peer schools were managing their financial challenges by furloughing staff or cutting research budgets, “we thought we could work together to come up with better solutions,” says Capron. “As faculty members, we wanted to express a sense of partnership with the school and send a strong message that we’re all in this together.”

To formalise the effort, Capron recruited five faculty members from the Singapore and Fontainebleau campuses to establish the INSEAD Faculty Strategic Advisory Committee (FSAC). The committee developed a pro-bono teaching scheme where faculty were invited to teach the equivalent of 5% of their annual teaching load for free. Although the scheme was voluntary, 99% of faculty agreed to participate. In addition, some offered pro-bono coaching and online events.

The FSAC also established a fundraising initiative, the Faculty Fund, and asked faculty members to donate if they could. The response was overwhelmingly positive. In total, 130 faculty members—80%—gave to the fund, raising €1.95 million for INSEAD. Altogether, with the pro-bono teaching plan, faculty members have donated €2.7 million to the Dean’s Fund, scholarships and research.

“We were blown away by their generosity,” says Capron. “We were also really proud that this was a faculty-led initiative; it was collectively decided and collectively driven. It really shows that INSEAD faculty feel strongly about their school.”