The Walton MBA

This newly designed retail-focused MBA first began in January of 2007. Our second class will be graduating on May 9. I have mentioned that this class is experiencing success in the job market despite the current economic situation. The success of our MBA students is very important to us and it is also important that the program meets their needs - that it is relevant and current. I have also referenced the MBA Advisory Council. The purpose of this council is to bring concerns and issues to the awareness of the GSB.

Another way that we are keeping our finger on the pulse of the program and our students, is that we conduct exit interviews. All graduating students from both programs, full-time and part-time are interviewed just prior to graduation. The first round was done yesterday. I wanted to share with you some of the positive things that these graduating students had to say about the Walton MBA. Keep in mind that this is their chance to tell us everything, good and bad, about the program and their experience. We are very responsive - it is important to constantly update and amend so that we are meeting our students' needs and producing a quality product.

This is what they had to say:
They feel that our office is very open to their problems. The things they liked most were the summer internship experience, the graduate assistantship opportunities, our technology and facilities (specifically the project/small group rooms), our faculty, and the Orientation week.

When asked about the benefits of this program, they had this to say:
The length of the program was a huge selling point.
They think the Walton MBA is a great value - a good deal.
The location is phenomenal - one student said he had no idea of the opportunities located in Northwest Arkansas and that he truly felt that we are located in the center of the retail world.
The small class size was listed as a positive of the program.
They like the diversity of the class and the talent of the class - it's a huge benefit and much is learned from fellow classmates. It adds greatly to their experience.

Overall, I was very happy to hear our graduating students say such positive things about the program. Yes, they did offer suggestions on ways to make it even better and these will all be given due consideration and some will be implemented.