First week of class and goodbye Dr. Ellstrand

This week has been very busy in the Walton GSB. I wasn't able to finalize fall numbers yet. Surprisingly, I saw several students this week. Typically during the first week of classes, students are settling in to their routine and are not thinking about graduate school. Well, not this year. They came back geared up and ready to go. Hopefully next week I will be able to post the final enrollment numbers for this fall.

I can tell you about the Master of Accountancy program . They enrolled 48 (up from 35 last year); their average GPA is 3.4 and their average GMAT is 583. This class is also 50% female. Early decision deadline for fall 2011 is September 15. Yes, this class just got started and we will be making the first round of admissions decision for next year within the month. Final application deadline is March 1.

Last week we said farewell to our MBA Director, Dr. Alan Ellstrand. Dr. Ellstrand has served as MBA Director for the Walton College for 7 years. He is not leaving us completely but moving on to bigger and better things. He is now the Department Chair for Management. Dr. Ellstrand has been a joy for me to work with and I will miss him. The role of MBA Director will not be filled but will be covered jointly by our new Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs, Dr. Moez Limayem, and the Walton GSB Assistant Dean, Marion Dunagan. Here are some pictures of Alan's reception. The first photo is of Dave Gearhart, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas.


Alan is listening to all the very nice things being said about him and his tenure as MBA Director.

Several faculty and staff members (and even a few current and former MBA students) came to honor Alan.

This is Dr. Moez Limayem. He will be assuming many of the responsibilities of MBA Director. Dr. Limayem was formerly the Department Chair of Information Systems and is now the Walton College's Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs. I am looking forward to working with Dr. Limayem in this new role.

Marion Dunagan is the Walton Graduate School of Business Assistant Dean. She will be sharing the duties of the MBA Director, along with Dr. Limayem.

Annual Block Party

Today was the annual Walton Block Party. This is our "welcome back students" event. It is very popular with students, faculty, and staff. See for yourself. It's always a good time.

Welcome New Walton Graduate Students

Today is the first day of classes, except for the MMBA program which had class on Saturday. I do not have all of the final numbers yet for the incoming classes. I hope to work on them this week and then post by Friday. I will let you know the class sizes, as well as the averages for GMAT, GPA, etc.

It's supposed to be very hot again today but then it will cool off. Tomorrow's high is expected to be nearly 10 degrees cooler than it will be today. I am hoping it does cool off. It has been very hot here for awhile and I am pretty sure we are all ready for a break.

With classes starting, you can definitely tell a difference in Fayetteville. Students are back in town and traffic is much worse. Be sure to allow for plenty of time to get to campus and find parking. Also, watch the crosswalks. The University of Arkansas is expecting a record number of students this year. We won't have official numbers until after the 11th day of class.

PhD inquiries are on the rise and I have even begun to schedule campus visits for these students. These visits are unofficial and designed to give the prospective student the information needed to determine if he/she wants to apply. There is a more official, formal visit after the Departments have reviewed applications. PhD application deadline is January 15; however, I recommend those applying to Walton PhD programs to submit all materials by December 1. The application requirements can be found at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

MBA students are also finalizing their applications for spring 2011. Application deadline is September 15. Even though classes have now begun for fall 2010, the Walton GSB admissions staff is still hard at it. Next year's students will be here before we know. There is a lot to do between now and then.

First Day of School

Area schools in Northwest Arkansas began school today. My children began the first grade and the eighth grade. Here is a picture of them this morning before we left for school.

They'll be getting home soon and I am anxious to hear how it went.

Today was also our last Orientation. Eleven PhD students attended in Information Systems, Management, and Marketing. Total Walton PhD enrollment this fall is 19. Eight went through Orientation in July prior to the Math summer class that was required for new students in Accounting, Economics, and Finance.

Classes at the University of Arkansas begin on Monday, August 23 and our first MMBA class of the semester is on Saturday, August 21.

Master of Accountancy Orientation - Day 2

The second day of MAcc Orientation is winding down. They will soon be dismissed for the day and will then head to the reception at Powerhouse tonight at 5:00. Today, the new students were able to listen to many professionals in the industry offer their words of wisdom and advice. Three different discussion panels presented different topics to our new students.

Here are a few photos from yesterday.

Tomorrow is the Walton Graduate School of Business' last day of Orientation. Our new PhD students in Information Systems, Management, and Marketing will arrive tomorrow.

Photos from MIS Orientation Yesterday

I didn't have a chance to share photos from the Master of Information Systems Orientation in yesterday's post. I want to do that now. This first photo is of Jeff Mullins. Jeff is one of the program coordinators for the Walton full and part-time MIS programs.


These next photos were taken during lunch. It can be challenging to take picture while people are trying to eat. I try to snap in between bites and I try to make sure no one is chewing. I don't always succeed but I do only share the good ones.

This last photo includes Dr. Paul Cronan (on the left). He is the other program coordinator of the Walton MIS programs.

Today is Day 1 of Master of Accountancy Orientation

As this is the week of Orientations, MAcc Orientation is today and tomorrow. Students new to the University of Arkansas started the morning with us at 9:30. Their morning went like this:

9:30 Check in
9:45 Welcome and important Graduate School of Business information
10:00 ISIS Overview (ISIS is the UofA student information system)
10:15 Walton Career Center
10:45 Blackboard Overview (Blackboard is our web based classroom system)
11:00 to Union for student IDs

At 11:30, the MAcc students who attended the University of Arkansas joined Orientation and the afternoon looked like:

11:30 check in
12:00 lunch
12:30 Welcome everyone-Moez Limayem, Associate Director of Research and Graduate Programs, and Marion Dunagan, Assistant Dean for the Graduate School of Business
12:45 MAcc program overview
1:45 Break - very important - walk around, stretch your legs, have a snack
2:00 Razorback Career Link - our online job and resume system
2:30 Team building with me and Jordan Frevert
3:30 Dismissed

Tomorrow the students will have the privilege of observing three discussion panels. These panels are staffed with individuals from Ernst & Young, BKD, Frazer Frost, Hogan Taylor, Walmart, PWC, Conoco Phillips, Erin & Company, JPMS Cox, Tyson, Deloitte, Windstream, S. F. Fiser, and ASPCA. The topics are Professional Office Skills, Managing Time and Assignments, and Career Tracks and Competencies. The day will end with a reception at Powerhouse Seafood and Grill.

I will share pictures of Walton Master of Accoutancy day 1 Orientation tomorrow.

MIS and Professional MIS Orientation is Today

We are welcoming our new full and part-time Master of Information Systems students to the University of Arkansas today. The new Walton full-time students began their day this morning and the part-time students will join us for lunch. The agenda looks like this:

8:00 Breakfast and check-in
8:30 Welcome from Marion Dunagan, Assistant Dean
8:45 Welcome and MIS program overview by Dr. Paul Cronan, Program Director
9:15 Graduate School information - Deb Williams, Associate Director, Graduate Programs and Jordan Frevert, Student Development Specialist
9:30 Career Development Series, Dr. Heather Sprandel, Director of the Walton Career Center
10:00 Fall scheduling and advising, Dr. Paul Cronan
11:00 Technology overview, Sandy Kizer and Will Allred, Walton Technology Center
12:00 Lunch
12:45 Welcome to the MIS Program, Dr. Moez Limayem, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs
1:15 MIS Program overview, Dr. Paul Cronan
2:00 Orientation to online learning, Marion Dunagan, Assistant Dean, and Jim Goodlander and Carolyn Smith - both from Walton's Technology Center
3:15 Technology training and student IDs

The full-time students will have additional sessions Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Master of Accountancy Orientation is tomorrow and Wednesday. This week is very busy for us and it is also very exciting. This is when enrollments are finalized and we know for sure who is attending. This is also when I find out if enrollment goals were met. Fingers crossed.

To follow up on my last post, I had a very nice weekend with my friend from Tulsa. I am also glad to have my daughter back. School starts on Thursday for children in this area. Students were moving in on-campus this weekend. There is chaos and excitement in the air. It is "back to school" time for everyone.

It is Friday the 13th

For many Americans this day invokes fear and trepidation. Hey, it's Friday so I really cannnot complain. It's been very busy in the Walton GSB and I am looking forward to a couple of days of recuperation.

Last weekend was MMBA Orientation. I did take Monday and Tuesday of this week off but I went to visit family in Oklahoma so it was not very relaxing. I drove from Fayetteville to Claremore to Owasso to Bartlesville to Tulsa to Bartlesville to Claremore to Fayetteville. Ugh.

This week has been very busy for all of us. My colleagues in Student Services have been getting ready for more Orientations next week. Monday is Orientation for MIS and Professional MIS. MAcc Orientation is Tuesday and Wednesday and then we wrap it up with PhD Orientation on Thursday.

On the Admissions side of the GSB, student traffic has really picked up. I have been visiting with lots of students regarding graduate school for next year. It seems to have started a little earlier this year. We are also finalizing our admissions for this fall.

MBA application deadline is September 15. The goal is to admit 20 more students. Over the next few weeks I will be "working" these applications. This means I will be going through the files, seeing what is missing, and then notifying students. I want to complete as many folders as possible so that we can review as many applications as possible.

I am also working on my fall schedule - scheduling career fairs and corporate visits as well as classroom visits. It's hard to believe classes start in just over a week (August 23). My children start school on the 19th and I haven't even got school supplies yet. This is very unlike me. I think I have been in denial - summer cannot possibly be over already.

My daughter, Zoey, has been away this week. She has spent some time with my sister in Claremore and a friend, Maddy, in Tulsa. She is coming back tomorrow. My friend, Stephanie (Maddy's mom), is bringing her back home and then will stay overnight. She is bringing Maddy as well. The girls are the same age and Stephanie and I went to school together in Nowata and Tulsa University (my mom also graduated high school with her dad). It's great that our daughters also enjoy each other. I am looking forward to her visit. I think we will go to Hog Haus for dinner tomorrow night and then maybe to Willie D's, a piano bar. I'll report back on Monday.

MMBA Orientation Days Three and Four

As promised, here are some photos of the Social that occurred on day Two, Friday. The Social was held at Powerhouse.

Day three of MMBA Orientation began with a very stimulating lecture by Dr. Moez Limayem. Following this lecture, the class was divided into teams. These teams then worked until 5:00 on a case presentation. Here are some photos of this process.



On day four, the last day of Orientation, the teams compete in a case competition. This first photo is of our illustrious panel of judges.

This next one is of some of the students posing. I ran around with the camera for four days and they wanted to be ready for one.

This last photo is the winning team. Great job!

New Walton Video on YouTube

We have an amazing new video on YouTube. Take a look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP9pdY_NYQg. This is providing a better look at Graduate Student of Business life - in and out of the classroom.

Day 3 and 4 of MMBA Orientation are still to come. I haven't forgotten.

MMBA Orientation - Day two

I tried to post this yesterday and wasn't able to publish. Here is the day 2 account on day 3. Day 3 account to follow.



Today is winding down. The agenda was:

7:30 - breakfast - very importatn
8:00 - class lecture
10:00 - break
10:15 - Walton Career Development Center, see pictures below
10:45 - introduction to fall classes
11:30 - walk to Union for student IDs and lunch
1:00 - class lecture
3:00 - break
3:15 - case overview
4:15 - hand out case for case competition
5:00-7:00 - Networking event at Powerhouse

Here are a few pictures from today.

Breakfast

Dr. Heather Sprandel from the Walton Career Development Center
Renee Clay from the Walton Career Development Center
Working in the classroom




Be sure to come back tomorrow for pictures of the Networking Event

Welcome MMBA Class of 2012

Today kicked off our part-time MBA orientation. This is a four-day orientation where we provide a great deal of information, the students get to know each other, and they take a class worth two credit hours. This morning we had a lot of fun with an ice breaker, our technology department provided info about our method of delivery and assisted with configuring their laptops. During lunch, the new students were able to ask questions of a current and alumni student panel. The day is almost over and then they'll be back again in the morning for day two. Here are a few pictures of the Walton MBA class of 2012.

Walton part-time MBA Orientation kicks off tomorrow

Walton Managerial MBA (MMBA) Orientation is tomorrow through Sunday, August 5-8. This is a four-day event jam packed with fun and some learning, too. Students will get their first two credit hours during this four-day weekend, so there is a classroom component. Orientation serves several purposes. New students get their ID; meet their fellow classmates; and learn about the program, policies, and procedures. There is also an opportunity to have lunch with recent alumni. This four day Orientation is very important. Students in the MMBA attend class one Saturday each month for two years. This four day experience allows them to get to know each other and begin to form the bonds and relationships that are important for retention. I am always excited about Orientation. I am able to meet everyone I have been working with during the application process.

As promised, here is the data about this class.

57 students
26% female
583 = average GMAT
3.27 = average GPA
7.8 = average years of work experience
31 = average age

Fayetteville is green

Fayetteville has been named a green city by Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/04/7-unexpectedly-green-citi_n_667171.html#s121404.