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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Good news - our MBA graduates are getting jobs!

My return trip from Baltimore went beautifully on Saturday. I had no difficulties whatsoever. I was out of the office yesterday, recovering from the trip, enjoying my kids, and celebrating my 18th wedding anniversary. I am back in the office today and frantically working through emails and seeing students. Being away is great, but it is so hard to get caught back up again.

I wanted to share with you the latest data from the Walton Career Development Center.

• At graduation, the MBA class of 2009 had a placement percentage of 72%-up from 68% last year.
• 80% were employed one month post graduation.
• When compared to students’ original salaries upon entry into the MBA program, the class average increase in salary, of employed students at graduation, is $28,218 – 84% average increase in salary.

When you are choosing your MBA program, placement is extremely important. Here is further evidence that a Walton MBA is a wise investment:

CAREER FAIR ATTENDEES
· ABF Freight System, Inc.
· Acosta Sales and Marketing
· Acxiom
· Aetna
· Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield
· Arkansas Department of Information Systems
· Arkansas State Bank Department
· Arvest Bank
· AT&T Mobility
· Baldor
· Becker CPA Review
· BNSF Logistics / BNSF Railway
· BOSC, Inc.
· Bridgestone/Firestone
· Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals
· BTX Air
· Buckle, Inc.
· C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.
· Campbell Soup Company
· Carlton-Bates
· CaseStack, Inc.
· CED
· Cherokee Nation Enterprises
· Cintas Corp.
· Colgate - Palmolive
· ConAgra Foods
· ConocoPhillips
· CROSSMARK
· Data-Tronics Corp.
· Defense Contract Audit Agency
· Deloitte Consulting
· Deltic Timber Corporation
· Dillard's
· Dillard's - Fayetteville
· Eli Lilly & Co
· Enterprise Rent-A-Car
· Epes Carriers, Inc.
· Fairkeep Products
· Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
· FedEx Freight
· Firestone Complete Autocare
· Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
· GDH Consulting
· General Mills
· Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
· Hallmark
· Hershey Company
· Hilti, Inc.
· Internal Revenue Service
· International Paper Company
· J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.
· JCPenney
· Johnson and Johnson
· Kellogg Company
· Kimberly-Clark
· Knight Transportation
· LinkAmerica Corporation
· Lowe's
· Marine Corps Officer Selection
· Marshalltown Tools
· Marten Transport Ltd.
· Maverick Transportation, LLC
· Melton Truck Lines
· Mission Data International
· Murphy Oil
· Nebraska Book Company
· Nestle Purina PetCare
· Nestle USA
· Nielsen Company
· Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
· Nucor-Yamato Steel
· Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
· Pepsi
· Rockfish Interactive
· Saatchi & Saatchi X
· Sam's Club
· Sears Holdings Corporation
· Sherwin-Williams
· Southeastern Freight Lines
· Southwestern Energy Company
· State Farm Insurance
· Target Distribution
· Target Stores
· Teradata
· Thrivent Financial
· Tower Loan
· Transplace
· Tyson Foods, Inc.
· U of A Operations Management Program
· U.S. Border Patrol
· Unilever
· University Directories
· University of Arkansas at Little Rock
· USA Truck, Inc.
· Walgreens
· Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
· Walton College Graduate School of Business
· Webster University
· Wells Fargo Financial
· WESCO Distribution, Inc.
· Wyeth Consumer Healthcare

ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS
Fall 2008
· Nucor-Yamato Steel
· Wal-Mart
· Beall Barclay
· Goodyear
· Tyson
· Colgate Palmolive
· C.H. Robinson Worldwide
· Ernst & Young
· Nestle Purina
· Deloitte
· Kimberly Clark
· BKD
· MBA Mock Interview
· Data-Tronics
· Conoco Phillips
· Hilti
· JPMS
· Pepsi
· Office of the Comptroller of Currency
· M.S. Frost
· PriceWaterhouseCoopers
· ABF Freight
· Erwin & Co
· ABF-Econ
· Saatchi
· Walgreens
· Sherwin Williams
· Grant Thornton
· KPMG
· Stephens
· Rubbermaid
· Hallmark
· The Nielsen Company
· Rubbermaid
· Crane Worldwide Logistics
· Sears Holding
· General Mills
· Wal-Mart-Meghan
· Windstream
· AT&T Mobility
· International Paper
· Wal-Mart Internal Audit
· J.B. Hunt
· NPD
· Enterprise
· S.F. Fiser
· Acxiom
· Cintas
· CED
· Target
· FedEX Freight
· Transplace
· Chainalytics

Spring 2009
· Dial Corp
· Hershey
· Tyson
· Saatchi & Saatchi X
· Land O'Lakes
· Applied Sustainability Center
· Hersheys
· Dannon
· Crane
· U.S. Marine Corp
· Southwestern Energy
· AT&T Mobility
· University Directories
· Southwestern Energy
· Dial
· Wal-Mart-Megan Howard
· Target Stores
· ISNetworld
· Graduate School of Business
· Nestle USA
· ABF Freight
· Hewlett Packard
· State Farm
· Sherwin Williams
· Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
· Sears Holding
· CED
· Acosta
· JB Hunt
· Grant Thornton
· Procter & Gamble
· BKD
· Defense Contract Audit Agency
· JB Hunt
· Kellogg
· Belford Group
· Frito-Lay
· Transplace
· Colgate-Palmolive

Final application deadline for the Walton MBA is September 15. Very few assistantships are left. While other programs are struggling to place their MBA graduates, Walton College is succeeding.

Hogs make it to final 4 in College World Series

Greetings from Baltimore. The conference has come to a close and I decided that I was having "blog" withdrawal so I hunted up the business center so that I could write a post.

The University of Arkansas Razorbacks did make it to the final 4 in the College World Series. Their season came to an end yesterday courtesy of LSU. The final 2 are now Texas and LSU. The Razorbacks had an amazing season. I am not much of a baseball fan, but even I recognize the significance of a final 4 finish. Next up, football. I am all about football.

It is currently raining in Baltimore and I have to admit that I am a little worried about getting out of here later this afternoon. I am really hoping that 1) my flight does not get cancelled, 2) that my flight is not delayed indefinitely, and 3) that I do not sit on the tarmac for hours waiting for takeoff. Please direct all of your positive thoughts toward Maryland as I attempt to fly out of here at 4:45 EST.

I will return to the office on Tuesday. But knowing me, you'll probably hear from me before then - hopefully not from the airport tonight or tomorrow.

Forbes ranks Fayetteville area 2nd among "The Best Cities for Recession Recovery"

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area ranks second among "The Best Cities for Recession Recovery," compiled by Forbes magazine last week.

The region includes Benton, Washington and Madison counties in Arkansas and McDonald County in Missouri. It ranks high for its relatively low unemployment rating, potential growth of gross domestic product, housing affordability and the presence of major employer Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Topping the list was the Austin-Round Rock region of Texas, which boasts computer giant Dell and a diverse group of other employers.

For the complete story, go to:
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/262123/

As I mentioned yesterday, I will be out of the office beginning tomorrow and I will return next Tuesday, June 23. I am sure I will have much to talk about when I get back. Tune in then.

Getting ready to leave town

As of Wednesday morning at 8:50 CST, I will be on an airplane leaving XNA (our airport in Northwest Arkansas) and heading for Baltimore. In between Fayetteville and Baltimore, I am hoping for a very unexciting, dull layover in Dallas, and I am also hoping that my flight out of Dallas will be on time. One more wish - I wish for good weather, too.

Marion (GSB Assistant Dean), Deb (the other Assistant Director), and I will be attending the annual conference for GMAC, parent company of the GMAT. This conference is for all of us working in MBA programs. This conference will have all of the latest and greatest info for those of us in recruiting and admissions (me), administration (Marion), and student services (Deb). So, this is a great chance for us to go get our batteries recharged and to come back pumped up, excited, and loaded up with new ideas.

The only problem is that we will be away from the office for several days. This means that the days leading up the conference are CRAZY. Today has been madness. I am only in the office part of the day tomorrow so I have been trying frantically to get as much done today as has been humanly possible. Right now I must say that I am looking forward to the time when I am sitting on the plane and it is lifting off the ground. From that point on, I will be in "conference mode."

A bonus for us, the conference is at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I am very excited and I am looking forward to mixing a little pleasure with business by shopping and checking out some fun local hot spots.

I'll try to post tomorrow but I am not making any promises since I am sure tomorrow will be even more crazy than today. You may have to wait until I get back in the office next Tuesday, June 23 and then I'll tell you all about the conference and Baltimore.

Our Next Open House...

Last year we held our first summer MBA Open House and Social. It was a success and we'll be doing it again this summer on Friday, July 10. The event will begin with an Open House in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall at 5:30. The Open House is for our prospective MBA (both full and part-time) students. The Summer Social will be 6-8 at Powerhouse Seafood and Grill. As soon as we get finished with the Open House, we'll join the Social which will already be in progress.

The Summer Social is for prospective, new, current, and former Walton MBA students. Faculty will also be present. This is a great opportunity to get a feel for the program and to get to talk to current students as well as alumni. You can also check out our faculty members. Not all will be there due to the fact that it is summer and many travel during this time.

If you are thinking about making a trip to Fayetteville or if you are in the area and want to visit the Walton College, this is a great time. Not only is it informative, but we also have a lot of fun too.

To RSVP to either the Open House, the Summer Social, or both, please send an email to gsb@walton.uark.edu. The Summer Social is catered so we do need to know how many to expect. Please bring a guest. If you know someone who may be interested in an MBA, bring them along.

Walton PhD Programs

In the Walton College, we offer PhD's in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Information Systems, Management, and Marketing. Our programs are full-time and do require a minimum of four years to complete. Application deadline is January 15. Late applications are accepted as space is available.

Most of our students do receive funding which includes a tuition waiver, a Graduate Assistantship (GA) worth $17,000, and then a fellowship worth either $10,000 or $20,000 for a total of either $17,000; $27,000; or $37,000. For more info regarding these funding opportunities, please visit: http://gsb.uark.edu/620.asp. Students on GA work 20 hours a week teaching and/or conducting research.

We are no longer accepting applications for any of our PhD programs for fall 2009. Here are our final numbers for fall 2009:

Program, total # of applications this year, last year
Accounting, 32, 24
Economics, 14, 14
Finance, 24, 25
Information Systems, 16, 10
Management, 43, 29
Marketing, 44, 16

We are expecting the following number of new students this fall: Accounting, 4; Economics, 4; Finance, 3; Information Systems, 3; Management, 1; and Marketing, 4.

Be sure to submit all application materials by January 15. For a complete list, visit: http://gsb.uark.edu/622.asp.

Stacy is going to Ireland!

Our MBA student, Stacy Carty, is preparing to leave for her internship in Dublin. To read about her adventures, visit her blog at: http://stacycarty.blogspot.com/. Stacy is our first MBA student to participate in an internship abroad. As part of a new partnership, each year, beginning this year, an MBA student from the Walton College will be selected to take part in the Global Experience internship. This year, Stacy was the student chosen, and the destination is Dublin. I know I can't wait to read about her experiences.

I also want to share this great news from our Information Systems department.
The team from the University of Arkansas was ranked #1 (out of 41 teams from 20 universities worldwide) in the qualifying round for the 3rd International ERPsim Competition. This team is composed of 3 Professional MIS students who recently completed our ERP Certificate curriculum as part of their graduate degree program. The final competition will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 9:00 AM Central in Montreal, and will be covered live via twitter. For more info go to http://erpsim.hec.ca/competition.

ERP Certificate - Possible Second Summer Session!

Last month, the first class in our new ERP certificate program, ERP Fundamentals, began. This class is going very well and we have received enough additional interest that we are considering offering another ERP Fundamentals class beginning in July!

If you are interested in starting the ERP Certificate program this summer, there is still time to apply - if we receive enough applications, we will be able to repeat the first class so that you can continue in the fall and spring with the next ERP courses.

You can apply online at: https://www.waltoncollege.uark.edu/qp/gsb_app.asp. Please submit your application ASAP to be considered for the summer class, and help us spread the word to others who may be interested. To learn more about the program, visit: http://gsb.uark.edu/944.asp.

Walmart was in the house

This week, Walmart held their annual shareholders convention on the University of Arkansas campus. Our building, Willard J. Walker Hall was used during this event. Yesterday, groups met by country. From my window, I was able to see Puerto Rico, China, Chile, and others walk by. The attached picture is of Puerto Rico posing at the Shollmier Fountain. This is right outside our front door. As the groups walked around, they had songs and chants that they did. It was fun to watch.

The convention is over today. This is a huge event and there is lots of entertainment. I don't know all of the acts that performed but I can tell you that Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Foreigner, and Daughtry were among them. During this week, the population of Fayetteville swells by several thousands.

This afternoon it'll be back to our normal 72,000 and it is supposed to be a beautiful weekend. I will be at the ball park tonight with my son. After next week, T-ball will be done. He has had so much fun and I have to say, it hasn't been so bad for me. I am not a baseball fan, so for me to survive the season is a major accomplishment. Right now he is playing soccer and T-ball. This upcoming fall, he will be old enough to play flag football at the Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club. This is a beautiful facility (http://fayettevillekids.org/). In fact, my 12 year old daughter is there right now. I am relieved that my daughter only plays basketball but at 12, she is doing plenty of other things that are keeping me busy. Fayetteville is a wonderful town and there is so much to do.

My husband is going camping and canoeing this weekend. I'll be staying home with the kids. We were able to rent some equipment from the Outdoor Recreation Center here on campus. They have bikes, canoes, camping equipment - just all kinds of stuff. Another great resource. Check them out at http://imrs.uark.edu/2841.htm.

There is no shortage of things to do in Northwest Arkansas. I'll try to share new info about the area frequently.

Small Business Plan Competitions

I know that I have mentioned the Walton MBA student success in small business plan competitions this year quite a bit. I wanted to share this very concise summary. It outlines all of the teams and their journeys. Please visit: http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/15147.htm.

Our students' success has been nothing short of extraordinary. If you are interested in entrepreneurship, innovation, new venture development and are looking for a small MBA program located in the retail capital of the world, we should be top on your list.

Visit gsb.uark.edu for more information about the Walton MBA. Admissions info can be found here also. Check us out!

To twitter or not to twitter

I guess Twitter is about as far away as it is possible to get from Shakespeare. Anyway, social networking is currently the buzz in the world of admissions. What is social networking? It is a term that is used to label many different ways to communicate via the web. For instance: blogging, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. For many of us in admissions, this can all be overwhelming.

When I was in college, we actually still wrote letters. Email and the world wide web did not exist. College's recruited through the mail. Yes, I said "MAIL." I know, it is hard to believe. Things have changed drastically and quickly. For those of us in this fast-paced, dynamic world of recruiting who are my age, it can be a little hard to keep up.

We now have all of this new technology - ways to communicate with prospective students - and we (admissions folk) have to figure out how to best use it and even if it serves our purpose - is it (whatever "it" is) the best tool to use for us. Just because other recruiters and admissions offices are using it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for us.

So, a lot needs to go into deciding what forms of Social Networking to incorporate into a recruiting plan. I am of the mind that if it eases communication, it is a good thing. If used appropriately - this phrase should be the caveat of all Social Networking tools. If you have implemented a blog yet do not update it, it is not being used effectively. I also am of the belief that if you are going to do something, do it well.

Another issue related to Social Networking in admissions is the fact that most offices are already understaffed an overworked. This makes choosing which strategies to implement that much more important.

Bottom line - our students are neck deep (really they are going under for the third time) in Social Networking. For us to reach them, we have to go where they are. It also helps if we can speak the right language. We (Walton Graduate School of Business) ventured into this arena one year ago. I began this blog in June of last year. I have to say that I have been surprised, amazed, pleased by the feedback from our students. We had MBA students begin blogging last fall semester. This is something that we can maintain and the only thing it is costing us is time.

We also started a Facebook page last fall. An MBA student manages this site. Please check it out and become a friend - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?sid=9f761d8ef3c2077e9b3ef9f951aa7566&id=1496081803&hiq=walton&ref=search. In March, I implemented live chat. Now anyone visiting our website can chat with me live if I am logged on. I try to stay logged on if I am in the office and not with a student. If I am not logged on, you can send me an email using the Chat Live button.

So, I suppose Twitter is next. I will tackle it when I come back from the GMAC conference (the annual industry conference for those of us who work with MBA programs) in a few weeks. I am anxious to hear what other recruiters are doing. Every time I turn around, there is something new - wikis, etc. What will be next? I'll do my best to keep up. Be sure to tell me if I am lagging behind the competition or if there is another communication tool that you would like me to use. Also please keep in mind that we, in admissions, do want to talk to you and we want to talk to you using the format you prefer. Sometimes we just have a hard time figuring out what that is. Be patient with us. Remember, we had to write letters when we were your age.

I'll share one more thing with you that will blow your mind - cell phones were just coming out when I was in college. Can you imagine? I know, hard to believe.

MBA Admissions

While the "official" application deadline for our part-time, Managerial MBA (MMBA) program was April 1, we will accept applications through July 31. For a complete list of application requirements, visit: http://gsb.uark.edu/622.asp.

This program begins each August and is designed for full-time working professionals with busy lives. You will take 6 hours a semester for 6 semesters and attend class on campus only one Saturday each month. For a complete list of class dates for the 09-10 academic year, please visit: http://gsb.uark.edu/751.asp.

The final application deadline for the full-time MBA is September 15. This program begins in January of each year and is completed in 3 semesters. Students choose a focus from the following: retail marketing, supply chain management, finance, and entrepreneurship.

Since we do have a steady flow of application coming into the Graduate School of Business (GSB), we will review all applications and make admissions decisions for both programs at the end of each month.

For the full-time program, our May review resulted in an offer of admission to 5 more students making our total offers 27. Thus far we have received 4 declines. Students who apply early are considering other programs that begin in the fall. These students have several options on the table and have tough choices to make. Our goal for January 2010 is 42-45 students.

Two additional students have been added to the MMBA program to start in August. This adds our total number of admits to 34. We have received 2 declines to date. Our enrollment goal for this fall is 50.

Applications will be reviewed again at the end of June. Be sure to submit all application materials by June 26 if you would like your file sent to committee in the next round. For the MMBA, ALL applications must be submitted by July 31 in order to be considered for this fall. MBA applications will be accepted through September 15.

Walton College Wins Again in Tri-State Business Plan Competition

Last Wednesday, May 27, Walton team, Tears for Life, went to Las Vegas to participate in the tri-state Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup Small Business Plan Competition. Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Nevada participated in this event. The top 2 winners from each state advanced to this competition and Tears for Life won FIRST place in the graduate division. First place was $25,000. They also won the elevator pitch worth $1,000.

Walton teams have been incredibly successful this year in small business plan competitions.

Here is a summary:
University of Louisville Competition-Tears for Life (Winner, fast pitch competition)
University of Cincinnati-Tears for Life – 1st place
Tulane-Tears for Life – 1st place
Donald W. Reynolds Governors Cup, Arkansas-Tears for Life - 1st place
Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup, Tri-state-Tears for Life - 1st place
Moot Corp-Tears for Life - 2nd place

University of Oregon-Lightning Round Winner-Ground UP Biosolutions
Walmart Better Living Business Plan Contest-Ground Up Biosolutions – 1st place

University of San Francisco International Business Plan Competition-Silicon Solar Solutions- 3rd place (tie)

There were many other notable accomplishments, where teams were finalists and/or semi-finalists. I only listed those teams that placed. It's been a great year.