Over the summer, we are doing monthly reviews of completed applications for our MBA and MMBA. We've added 2 more to our MBA class bringing our total number to 24. Final application deadline is September 15. We will do one more review before the deadline on August 3. All fully funded graduate assistantships have been awarded. The average GMAT of these 24 students is 645, average GPA is about 3.3, and they average over 4 years of work experience. Our goal is to start a class of 40-45 in January.
We've added 10 more students to the MMBA class that will begin in August bringing that class up to 46. We will continue to accept applications through July 31 and will have the final committee meeting on August 3. Orientation is August 13-16 and is mandatory. Goal for this group is 50-55.
The Walton Summer MBA Open House and Social is next Friday, July 10. This is a great time to come see our facilities and to meet our MBA Director, Dr. Alan Ellstrand. The Open House is at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall and the Social is 6-8 at Powerhouse. Immediately after the Open House we will join the Social. Marion and Deb will have it in full swing by then. The Social gives prospective students a chance to meet current MBA students and to see how the group interacts. You'll get a good "feel" for the programs. If you plan to attend either or both events and haven't RSVP'ed yet, please send an email to gsb@walton.uark.edu. I hope to see you there.
The University is closed tomorrow and I will be out of the office next week for some much needed rest and relaxation. I'll try to update the blog a couple of time while I am out.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
If you love sports and want to get a master's or PhD...
The University of Arkansas finished 25th in the 2008-09 United States Sports Academy’s Directors’ Cup standings, it was announced Monday.
The Directors’ Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the United States Sports Academy, and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country and this year’s standings were announced following the conclusion of the 2009 College World Series when final results were tallied.
For more information about the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, visit their website at: http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/.
It is important to note that the Hogs are HUGE in Arkansas. I am from Oklahoma and in Oklahoma, there are two teams (they will remain nameless in this blog). In Arkansas, there is only one college team and no professional teams. This means the entire state gets behind the Hogs. The University of Arkansas offers a great Collegiate sports experience for students and the 24th ranked public school of business in the nation - the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
So...if you love college sports and want that experience while you go to grad school, the University of Arkansas should be on your short list.
The Directors’ Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the United States Sports Academy, and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country and this year’s standings were announced following the conclusion of the 2009 College World Series when final results were tallied.
For more information about the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, visit their website at: http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/.
It is important to note that the Hogs are HUGE in Arkansas. I am from Oklahoma and in Oklahoma, there are two teams (they will remain nameless in this blog). In Arkansas, there is only one college team and no professional teams. This means the entire state gets behind the Hogs. The University of Arkansas offers a great Collegiate sports experience for students and the 24th ranked public school of business in the nation - the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
So...if you love college sports and want that experience while you go to grad school, the University of Arkansas should be on your short list.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Where has the summer gone?
I can't believe it is already June 30. Today I will be running my year-end reports. This is when I see if all of my hard work has paid off. From my prospective student data base, I will run reports for each of our master's and PhD degree programs. I then compare these numbers with those from last year. In a perfect world, I will see an increase in prospects for all programs. Cross your fingers.
July is around the corner, literally. July 10th we are hosting our second annual Summer MBA Open House and Social. We held this summer event for the first time last year and were pleased with the success. I am hoping it's even better this year. The Open House will be at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. This portion of the evening is for any prospective MBA student. We will explain the admissions process and then go into detail about each of our MBA programs. The Summer Social will be 6-8 at Powerhouse-a great restaurant located just off Dickson, which happens to be just down the street from Willard J. Walker Hall. As soon as we are finished with the Open House, we will join the Social already in progress. The Social is for current, former, new, and prospective MBA students. This is a great chance to get a good "feel" for the Walton College and our MBA. It also gives our current students a chance to hang out and enjoy each other's company away from an academic setting. We will be hosting this event each semester also.
At the end of July and into August we will be conducting all of our new student Orientations. My colleague, Deb Williams, spearheads these events but we all chip in to welcome our new students and to make sure everything runs smoothly. Here is a schedule:
July 30 - Master of Arts in Economics, PhD Accounting, PhD Economics, and PhD Finance
August 10 - Master of Information Systems (full and part-time)
August 13-16 - Managerial MBA
August 18-19 - Master of Accountancy
August 20 - PhD Information Systems, PhD Management, PhD Marketing
Classes begin August 24. It'll be here before we know it.
July is around the corner, literally. July 10th we are hosting our second annual Summer MBA Open House and Social. We held this summer event for the first time last year and were pleased with the success. I am hoping it's even better this year. The Open House will be at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. This portion of the evening is for any prospective MBA student. We will explain the admissions process and then go into detail about each of our MBA programs. The Summer Social will be 6-8 at Powerhouse-a great restaurant located just off Dickson, which happens to be just down the street from Willard J. Walker Hall. As soon as we are finished with the Open House, we will join the Social already in progress. The Social is for current, former, new, and prospective MBA students. This is a great chance to get a good "feel" for the Walton College and our MBA. It also gives our current students a chance to hang out and enjoy each other's company away from an academic setting. We will be hosting this event each semester also.
At the end of July and into August we will be conducting all of our new student Orientations. My colleague, Deb Williams, spearheads these events but we all chip in to welcome our new students and to make sure everything runs smoothly. Here is a schedule:
July 30 - Master of Arts in Economics, PhD Accounting, PhD Economics, and PhD Finance
August 10 - Master of Information Systems (full and part-time)
August 13-16 - Managerial MBA
August 18-19 - Master of Accountancy
August 20 - PhD Information Systems, PhD Management, PhD Marketing
Classes begin August 24. It'll be here before we know it.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tears for Life Wins Again
Tears for Life and their faculty mentor, Carol Reeves, have won the 2009 John A. White Award for Faculty-Student Collaboration. This partnership has won or placed in five business plan competitions across the country, earning more than $85,000.
The team includes three students pursuing a Managerial MBA — Jared Greer, Bessie Williams, and Chris Elizer — and an honors undergraduate student, Jordan Greer.
The students’ company, Tears for Life LLC, is a medical diagnostic equipment company that is licensing technology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Science. The UAMS diagnostic equipment tests for proteins found in tears to detect breast cancer. UAMS Bio Ventures — as well as more than 15 business people — advised the team on its plan.
This spring the Tears of Life team won first place and $25,000 in the Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Cup and $1,000 for graduate elevator pitch in Las Vegas; first runner-up and $5,000 and first place for best presentation in the Superbowl of business plan competitions, the Global Moot Corp Competition at the University of Texas; first place and $10,000 and second place in trade show at University of Cincinnati Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition; first place and $20,000 at Tulane University Business Plan Competition; and first place graduate, $20,000 and $5,000 innovation award at the 2009 Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup.
The team includes three students pursuing a Managerial MBA — Jared Greer, Bessie Williams, and Chris Elizer — and an honors undergraduate student, Jordan Greer.
The students’ company, Tears for Life LLC, is a medical diagnostic equipment company that is licensing technology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Science. The UAMS diagnostic equipment tests for proteins found in tears to detect breast cancer. UAMS Bio Ventures — as well as more than 15 business people — advised the team on its plan.
This spring the Tears of Life team won first place and $25,000 in the Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Cup and $1,000 for graduate elevator pitch in Las Vegas; first runner-up and $5,000 and first place for best presentation in the Superbowl of business plan competitions, the Global Moot Corp Competition at the University of Texas; first place and $10,000 and second place in trade show at University of Cincinnati Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition; first place and $20,000 at Tulane University Business Plan Competition; and first place graduate, $20,000 and $5,000 innovation award at the 2009 Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Follow me on Twitter
As I have mentioned before, Twitter was the next "thing I needed to get started" and that I was hoping to learn more about it and what other MBA programs were doing at the conference last week. Well, it was clear to me - Twitter is "it" right now. So, I took a deep breath and then just jumped in.
You can follow me on Twitter at WaltonMBA. And yes, I am tweeting. I have become a tweeter. You can't say "tweet" without smiling. It's just not possible.
You can follow me on Twitter at WaltonMBA. And yes, I am tweeting. I have become a tweeter. You can't say "tweet" without smiling. It's just not possible.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Walton MBA Summer Internship Update
Over the summer, between their first and second semesters (remember, our MBA program begins in spring), Walton MBA students either study abroad or do an internship. It was much more challenging this year, nationwide, for MBAs to find summer internships. Many companies are laying off and experiencing hiring freezes; they certainly are not hiring interns. I know I keep saying this, but, here in Northwest Arkansas we are very lucky. We do currently have a few students doing unpaid internships but ALL of our students have found placement for the summer. This experience plays a vital role in their success in securing placement upon graduation. The internship component of the Walton MBA curriculum has proven to be quite valuable.
Walton MBAs are studying abroad in Greece, Brazil, and China this summer. Stacy Carty, who is blogging for us, is interning in Dublin, Ireland. Keep up with her adventures - link to the right.
Internship sites include: Hershey, Tyson, CEA, Diodes, Peekaboo, City of Fayetteville, Arkansas World Trade Center, Frito Lay, Foundations Resource Mgt, Applied Sustainability Center-UofA, Wonder State, Destinations, Frost PLLC, JB Hunt, Kellogg, Saatchi & Saatchi X, Dial, Dannon, and Land O'Lakes.
Final application deadline for this amazing MBA, is September 15.
Walton MBAs are studying abroad in Greece, Brazil, and China this summer. Stacy Carty, who is blogging for us, is interning in Dublin, Ireland. Keep up with her adventures - link to the right.
Internship sites include: Hershey, Tyson, CEA, Diodes, Peekaboo, City of Fayetteville, Arkansas World Trade Center, Frito Lay, Foundations Resource Mgt, Applied Sustainability Center-UofA, Wonder State, Destinations, Frost PLLC, JB Hunt, Kellogg, Saatchi & Saatchi X, Dial, Dannon, and Land O'Lakes.
Final application deadline for this amazing MBA, is September 15.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Summer has arrived in Northwest Arkansas
I grew up in Oklahoma and there is a saying there, "if you don't like the weather, stick around for 5 minutes and it will change." Well, the same saying holds true for Arkansas. In this area of the country, we do have a variety of weather. It wasn't that long ago that I was talking about all of the rain we have been getting. In fact, last week when I left for Baltimore it was still relatively cool here - in the 70s and 80s. I am not sure what happened but when I came back from the east coast (where it was raining by the way - maybe it's me), summer had arrived in Fayetteville. Today it is expected to be in the 90s. Just to let you know, it will reach triple digits here - usually the high is about 102 degrees. August is our hottest month with July right behind. We are moving into the part of the summer where we either stay inside where it is cool or we are in the water somewhere - floating one of the many rivers in the area or boating on Beaver Lake. The hottest part of the summer is over then in September so it is short heat wave. We can be thankful that it isn't months and months long.
Along with the heat that summer brings, we also have summer television. For those of you reading this from outside of this country, during the summer the popular television series do not show new episodes. Instead, we get repeats and then quirky, sometimes odd, "summer" TV. These programs only occur over the summer. For instance, America's Got Talent started last night as did Superstars. These are both reality shows and there are several others that are very similar. Most people don't watch much TV in the summer, preferring instead to be outside. I have a confession to make. I LOVE So You Think You Can Dance. I know I have mentioned this before but it is on tonight and I am really looking forward to it. It started a few weeks ago and now it is well into the competition. It is the highlight of awful summer television for me.
So, now you know what summer in Arkansas means to me - heat, the lake, and So You Think You Can Dance. I am not complaining, sounds pretty good to me.
Along with the heat that summer brings, we also have summer television. For those of you reading this from outside of this country, during the summer the popular television series do not show new episodes. Instead, we get repeats and then quirky, sometimes odd, "summer" TV. These programs only occur over the summer. For instance, America's Got Talent started last night as did Superstars. These are both reality shows and there are several others that are very similar. Most people don't watch much TV in the summer, preferring instead to be outside. I have a confession to make. I LOVE So You Think You Can Dance. I know I have mentioned this before but it is on tonight and I am really looking forward to it. It started a few weeks ago and now it is well into the competition. It is the highlight of awful summer television for me.
So, now you know what summer in Arkansas means to me - heat, the lake, and So You Think You Can Dance. I am not complaining, sounds pretty good to me.
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