I Can't Believe Another Year is Nearly Over

I can remember when I was a little girl, hearing my grandmother lament about the passage of time. I often heard, "Where has the time gone?" Or, "I can't believe it's time to put up the Christmas lights again." I never really understood what she meant. As a child, time marches along fairly slowly - summer vacation is forever away and the days before Christmas seem to last 48 rather than 24 hours. As we age, we start to use the phrases of our parents and grandparents. I now find myself saying, with alarming regularity, "I can't believe another semester is almost over."

The University is closed for the Winter Holiday beginning on Friday, December 23. We return to the office on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. YES, 2012! Wasn't it just yesterday that we were storing water and batteries in preparation for world chaos to reign on January 1, 2000?

MBA Orientation is Monday, January 9 through Friday, January 13 and then the spring semester begins on Tuesday, January 17. On Monday, January 16, the University will be closed in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

PhD application deadline is January 15; however, I do recommend submitting all materials as soon as possible. Many departments will begin reviewing files before this published deadline. First round offers will go out mid-February. We do keep a small waiting list while we wait to hear back from this first group. Second round offers are then made if necessary.

MIS application deadline is February 1. You can find a complete list of all application requirements at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

At this time of year, students are anxious to learn the status of their files. We, in admissions, answer these queries as quickly as possible. As the spring semester begins, we have back to back application deadlines. We will process PhD and MAECON, then move on to MIS, then to MAcc, Professional MIS, and finally to MBA and MMBA. I review all files prior to each deadline and inform students of any missing documents. Please be patient with us as we do have a small admissions staff and we are receiving more and more applications each year. This is an excellent problem to have.

Happy Holidays!

Catching Up

I have been trying to write on the blog all week. I am not sure what happened but I haven't been able to get it to save and publish. I split up what I wrote and am posting it in two separate posts and for some reason, it's working. Ah, technical difficulties.

I have been off the radar. Where have I been? I have had Disney on the brain. My family went to Disney World over Thanksgiving break. We surprised the kids and did not tell them until the day we left. It was a fabulous trip. If you have not been, I highly recommend it.

The kids and I visited the Lights of the Ozarks on the Fayetteville Square earlier this week. This is an annual Holiday tradition for many.

We are in our final stages of admissions for the MBA program to begin in January. We currently have 40 students who will start next month. I have four more complete files for committee review and I am expecting two more to be finished by the end of the month. Average GMAT is 632, average GPA is 3.25, and average age is currently 25. These numbers will change as we finalize this class.

For those who are planning on starting the Walton MBA in January of 2013, now is the perfect time to get started. To be eligible for funding, all material must be submitted by April 1. See our complete list at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. Book your first GMAT for February. This way, if you need to retest, you can do so in March. Book it now! February fills up. Start studying! You need these two months to prepare adequately for the test.

Those most competitive for admission will have a 620+ on the GMAT, two years of work experience, and a 3.3 on their last 60 hours. These are NOT minimums. It does not mean that someone with a 660 and one year are not admissible and it does not meant that someone with a 580 and seven years of work experience are not admissible. The committee selects the best 40-45 of the pool. The pool varies from year to year.

Be sure to email gsb@walton.uark.edu with any questions about the Walton Master's or PhD degree programs.

MBA Update and Misc.

Of that list of 10 applicants that were sent to committee for the MBA program, six were offered admission. That brings our total possible to 41. We are unable to accept any more international applications due to the time left before the start of the program. It would be hard for me to turn down a highly qualified domestic applicant right now. This offer is open through the end of November. To find the complete list of our application requirements, visit, http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. The ideal candidate, at this last stage, would have a 620+ on the GMAT, two years of work experience, and a 3.0+ on his/her last 60 hours of degree credit. If you meet these criteria, you can apply at http://gsb.uark.edu.

For those looking to start the Walton MBA in January 2013, be sure to submit all materials by April 1, 2012 to be considered for funding opportunities.

PhD application deadline is January 15. First round of decisions will go out early to mid-February. I do not know yet how many seats each Department is looking to fill. It is usually 2-4. No specifics yet. More to come later.

This Saturday the Lights of the Ozarks will be turned on. I am not a huge fan of the cold but I do love this time of year. The Lights of the Ozarks are located on Fayetteville's historic square. From November 19 through the New Year, the lights will come on each night. This is a very popular destination for families and visitors. It is complete with pony rides, carolers, and even a camel or two.



I will be out of the office next week. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Last Week of Travel

This will be the last week that I am on the road. On Wednesday, I will be in Conway at the University of Central Arkansas. That evening I am meeting a group of prospective students in Little Rock for dinner. On Thursday, I am back in Conway and I will be at Hendrix. I'll be back in the office on Friday; however, I will be assisting with a workshop and will be away from my desk.

We are sending 10 more files to the MBA admissions committee this week. I believe I'll have one more batch ready for review at the end of the month. That will wrap up our MBA class for January. After this week's meeting, I am expecting to be at 40-42 and I am hoping to be at 45 at the end of the month. There is usually some attrition before the program begins; I am hoping to have 40 in January.

In my last post, I mistakenly wrote that the game this last Saturday was home against South Carolina. Nhiem pointed out my error. The game was in fact at Vandy. This Saturday's game, November 5, is against South Carolina and it is at home. The Razorbacks are ranked #7 and South Carolina is ranked #9. It will be a very exciting game. The Razorbacks like to give us panic attacks and keep us on the edge of their seats. They are fond of coming from behind. I guess this is better than getting an early lead and losing it. There is another big SEC game this weekend - Alabama and LSU will face off as well. We will play LSU on Friday, November 25th.

My daughter, Zoey, ran in the Conference Cross Country meet last Saturday and placed 3rd. She will run next Saturday in the State Cross Country meet. This is very exciting since she is only a freshman. Next weekend will be quite busy.

How Time Flies

A lot has transpired since my last post. This month I have traveled to Joplin (MO), Clarksville, Fort Smith, and Philadelphia. Yes, as in PA. Marion and I attended a part-time MBA conference there. It was nice to see some old friends and get up to date on the latest and greatest regarding this program. Tomorrow I will visit Arkansas Tech in Russellville. Next week will round out my fall recruiting schedule and I'll be in Conway Wednesday and Thursday - UCA on Wednesday and Hendrix on Thursday. Wednesday evening I will be meeting Kellen Utecht, an MBA/MPS student, and some prospective MBA students in Little Rock. Kellen is helping us recruit at the Clinton School. We offer a joint degree with the Master of Public Service, offered at the Clinton School. It's a great option for those looking at going into non-profit.

As far as what else I've been up to: Jack's last football game was this last Saturday. This was his first year of tackle football. He played 6 games, all on Saturdays. He also played a mini (4 week) session of basketball, also on Saturdays. That is over as well. Thank goodness. Mom is worn out.

Zoey is running cross country. This is her first year and I think she's done great. She's run in 5 meets and has placed in 3 (in order: 5th, 1st, and 14th). The Conference meet is this Saturday.

This Saturday is also a home game against South Carolina. Go HOGS!

Oh, I almost forgot. We also held our Fall Open House and Social last week. We had a great turnout. The next event will be in February. I can't believe it's already the end of October. The semester will be over before I know it which means MBA Orientation is around the corner (January 9-13). The current class has 35 students. We will wrap up admissions the end of November. Our goal is 40 and I am confident we'll reach it.

So much to write about...

Where to begin. Our very own Dr. Carol Reeves is featured in Fortune: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/smallbusiness/1109/gallery.most_powerful_women_entrepreneurs.fortune/9.html. She is the amazing advisor for Walton GSB small business plan teams. Be sure to check out this article.

There is also an elevator pitch competition coming up on October 27. This is what the flier says:
THIS IS A GREAT NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY FOR INVESTORS, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND ENTREPRENEURS.
WHAT IS AN ELEVATOR PITCH?
AN "ELEVATOR PITCH" IS A CAREFULLY CRAFTED MESSAGE DESIGNED TO EXPLAIN A BUSINESS TO A POTENTIAL INVESTOR. THE CATCH — IT MUST BE GIVEN IN THE TIME THAT IT TAKES TO RIDE UP AN ELEVATOR.
200+ ATTENDEES WERE AT THE LAST EVENT!
WHERE: BUCK NEKKID BBQ
3825 NORTH SHILOH DRIVE
FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72703
WHEN: OCTOBER 27, 2011 AT 6 PM
R.S.V.P. ATTEND, SPONSOR, OR COMPETE
WWW.NWAEA.NET

We also had another MBA admissions committee meeting this week. Official letters will go out tomorrow. Prior to the meeting, we had 21 in our class that will begin in January. We will make 15-17 more offers based on this meeting. The number is not set in stone because we are still waiting on an item or two from a couple of students in order to finalize the decision.

WE WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE CLASS THAT WILL BEGIN IN JANUARY 2012. This is due to the processing involved and the time remaining until Orientation (January 9-13).

Domestic applications will continue to be accepted through November as space is available. Our goal is 40 students. Email gsb@walton.uark.edu with questions.

I'm back - for now

This has been a very busy week for the Walton Graduate School of Business. While I was out running around in three different states, my colleagues have been hosting a group of visiting Panamanians. Our visitors have had a fun-filled, jam-packed schedule that included: the Arkansas World Trade Center, Pinnacle Mall, Walmart Distribution Center, a visit to Sam Walton's first store in Bentonville, a networking event, lunch with current Walton MBA students, a trip to Eureka Springs, a visit to Procter and Gamble, and a trip to our RFID lab, just to name a few of the items on their agenda.

My week included a trip to Missouri State University in Springfield on Tuesday, Tulsa University on Wednesday, and then Oklahoma State University on Thursday. I met many wonderful new prospective students. It is important that our students come from many different institutions and have a variety of academic majors. This adds to the experience of everyone in the program.

Monday is our MBA admissions committee meeting. We currently have about 20 students in the class and we are hoping for a class of 40. We'll continue to accept applications through November as space is available. I'll post the results of the meeting on Tuesday and on Monday afternoon, I will email the students the committee's decisions.

Tomorrow the Razorbacks face a daunting challenge. We are going up against #3 Alabama (AP Poll). Last year this game was played in Fayetteville. Alabama was then #1 and we were #10. It was the first time 2 top 10 teams had played in Fayetteville since the 60's or 70's. It was insane. We led through the entire game and then lost it in the 4th quarter. It was tough. This year proves to be another tough one for the Hogs. We are ranked #14. On the USA Today poll, we are #2 and #12, respectively. This year the game is in Alabama. Come on Hogs.

It doesn't get any easier for the Hogs. That's part of being in the SEC. The rest of our schedule includes Texas A&M, Auburn, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Tennessee, and LSU. There are 5 SEC teams in the top 15. So, we need all the cheering we can get. All together now, GO HOGS!

Fall Travel Schedule

It is that time of year again. I will be hitting the road, shaking the trees for graduate students. My schedule looks like this:

September 15 - UofA Engineering Expo
September 20 - Missouri State University Business Career Fair
September 21 - Tulsa University Business Career Fair
September 22 - Oklahoma State University Career Fair
October 5 - Missouri Southern State University Career Fair
October 6 - UofA Career Fair
October 19 - University of the Ozarks Career Fair
October 20 - UAFS Career Fair
October 26 - Arkansas Tech University Career Fair
November 2 - University of Central Arkansas Career Fair
November 3 - Hendrix Career Fair

The application deadline for the next MBA class is September 15. The admissions committee is meeting on September 26th. Applications are accepted after this date on a space available basis. Early decision deadline and to apply for funding for the class that will begin in January 2013 is April 1, 2012. Email gsb@walton.uark.edu with questions.

Block Party

The Annual Walton College Block Party was this last Wednesday. We do this each fall to welcome our students back to campus. There was pizza, hot dogs, watermelon, cookies, Shake's frozen custard, and lots of Coke. Here are a few pics of our MBA students. As you can see, it's a good time.

And another year begins

Today is the first day of class here at the University of Arkansas. The UofA is expecting another record-breaking freshman class. Last year's University population was about 21,500. This year's expected enrollment is over 23,000. Official numbers are not released until after the 11th day of class. I am anxious to see them.

The GSB did survive another round of Orientations. You may think admissions can now take a break. Well, that would be an incorrect assumption. Final deadline for MBA is September 15. We need to wrap this class up and believe it or not, applications are already coming in for 2012. PhD deadline is January 15. If you are applying to a Walton PhD program, I recommend applying by December 1. This facilitates the process for the Departments and the GSB.

Whereas application numbers started out slowly for the Walton MMBA (part-time MBA), we ended up with record breaking numbers. I do not have any final numbers yet for this fall. I will work on these next week. Preliminary counts for the MMBA show that we received over 130 applications (compared with 109 and 110 for the last two years). This class did end up with 68 new students as a result.

On the home front, I now have a child in high school. This doesn't seem possible. My daughter, Zoey, started 9th grade this year. She is running cross country right now. This will be her first year doing this sport and we are hopful that she will have a little success at her meets. She is also doing karate and just tested for her yellow belt two weeks ago. She was very glad to get rid of that white belt.

Jack is in second grade this year and so far so good. My kids started school last Monday. This will be his first year of tackle football and he is very excited.

The Razorbacks will kick off their football schedule with a home game against Missouri State on Saturday, September 3. I love football.

The summer was pretty busy for the GSB. We'll need to ramp it up because now that school's started, we'll get even busier. I start traveling next month, too. I guess that's why I love admissions, never a dull moment.

Tis the Season

For Orientation, that is. Today was the beginning of eight days of Orientation. We began this stretch with MMBA, which will go today through Sunday. Monday will be MIS and Professional MIS, Tuesday and Wednesday will be MAcc, and Thursday is PhD.

The MMBA program is kicking off with 68 students this year. This is a little larger than usual. We did see an increase in applications for this program (unofficial count is 136 compared to 109 from last year). Average GMAT is 568, average GPA is 3.29, average age is 30 and average work experience is 7 years.

This group has degress from BYU, Texas Tech, UNC-Chapel Hill, George Washington, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Michigan State, Arizona State, Case Western, as well as UofA and many others. They represent companies such as Walmart, JB Hunt, Tyson, Smucker, Kraft, Hershey, Nestle, ABF Freight, General Mills, Bayer, SC Johnson, Dr Pepper Snapple, Sam's Club, and many more.

During this four day Orientation, they will take their first two-hour class, An Introduction to the Value Chain. Their first class will be August 27. This program is completed in two years by taking one class each month. You can see this year's schedule at http://gsb.uark.edu/mmba.asp.

Early decision deadline is April 1 and our application requirements are at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

Admissions Update

The Walton Graduate School of Business has implemented a new program for University of Arkansas students - the Integrated Master of Accountancy (IMAcc). Accounting students who want to join the Master of Accountancy (MAcc)can now apply a year early. Criteria are: 90 hours, 3.0 GPA, and specific accounting prerequisites. If these are met and they complete the application process, students can be admitted into the IMAcc prior to their senior year. They will finish their senior year and will go directly into their MAcc. This locks their seat a year early and for those who receive an out-of-stat tuition waiver, they get to keep this award which is a significant savings.

The deadline for this new program was July 1. It looks like we'll have approximately 20 new IMAcc students this first year. I am very pleased with this result. This means we already have 20 students in the MAcc for fall 2012. This leaves 30 seats available. Everyone else will apply for the MAcc for fall 2012 by March 1. This program does usually receive about 100 applications. This number will be down since 20 students have already applied and been accepted. It also means the other 75 or so will be competing for 30 seats. Very exciting.

In other news, we are wrapping up the MMBA program. I sent another round of files to the committee today. I am hoping for results early next week. I anticipate one more round at the end of the month and then I have a few stragglers who will finish the first week of August. Orientation is August 11-14 and is mandatory. We can't accept applications past August 5. My goal is to have 50-55 and I do anticipate meeting this number.

Projected enrollments for fall are as follows:

MAcc - 40
IMAcc - 20
MAEcon - 2
MIS - 12
Professional MIS - 10
Certificate students - 10
MMBA - 55

Two MBA Students Intern in South Africa

Alex Kieslich and Jason Wu are interning this summer in South Africa. Alex is a 2011 graduate of the Walton MBA and Jason will graduate in 2012. To learn more, visit http://newswire.uark.edu/article.aspx?id=16374.

Internship opportunities like this is one way that Walton truly differentiates itself from the competition. MBA students have interned at Walmart, Tyson, Dannon, Hershey, Kellogg, Dial, Dr. Pepper/Snapple, just to name a few. We are very fortunate to have many corporate partners.

The Walton Career Center begins working with our MBA students prior to their arrival, assisting them with their resume so that they are prepared to begin the internship search. These opportunities contribute significantly to the excellent placement of Walton MBA students.

Application deadline for the next class to begin in January is September 15. Visit http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp for a complete list of requirements. Those with a GMAT of 620+, 2 years of work experience, and a GPA of 3.2+ will be most competitive.

Check out Nhiem's blog

He is updating cycleWood's status on the competition circuit as well as in the "real world." Nhiem is concentrating all of his efforts in getting this start-up up and running.

Walton has had several successful start-ups come from the small-business plan competitions. Here are a few and their websites:

cycleWood - cyclewood.com
Silicon Solar Solutions - siliconsolarsolutions.com
BiologicsMD - biologicsmd.com
Merchant View - mvretail.com
TiFiber - tifiber.com

I had a great week off last week. This week I have been catching up on email and working on the new MBA brochure. Next week I will focus on my annual report and getting files ready for Integrated MAcc committee review. These files will go to the Department either Friday, July 8 or Monday, July 11.

Yippee for vacation

It is late Friday afternoon and I am off next week. Can you tell I am excited? One would think that things slow down in a university office during the summer and one would be wrong. We have been very busy. This summer I am working on redoing our brochures. Four to be exact. The goal is to have them done by September 1. I am not alone; my Assistant Dean, Marion, is in this mess with me.

My other "must do" this summer is to finish the MMBA class. Orientation is August 11-14. By August 5, I need 15 more students. Files are pouring in and these must be processed and taken to committee.

You may wonder what my plans are for next week. I hate to disappoint, but I am staying home, for the most part. Next Wednesday, June 22, is my 20th wedding anniversary. We are planning a big to-do. Afterwards, my kids will visit friends and family in Oklahoma while mom and dad enjoy a little alone time. I'll head over to pick them up on the 25th.

I have one more meeting today before I can officially be "off." This is a little humorous, or not depending on how you look at it, but I am never very far away or disconnected; if I didn't keep caught up with my email, I'd go stark raving mad when I got back.

I'll try to do something entertaining so that I have a great story to recount. More when I return.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

I know it's been awhile. I had a family emergency last week and was out of the office. This time off wasn't planned and I have been playing catch up this week. It has been very busy.

We are hosting an MBA Open House this Friday, June 10th at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. This is an ideal opportunity to learn more about our full and part-time MBA programs.

Applications are being accepted for the part-time MBA (MMBA) through July 31. A complete list of requirements can be found at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. Orientation for this program is August 11-14 and it is mandatory.

Deadline for the full-time program is September 15. This program only starts in January and is three semesters long.

New Blogger

Meet our new blogger, Kellen Utecht. Kellen is from North Dakota. He has worked with Small Business Development Centers and volunteered in the Peace Corps. Kellen is now completing the dual program - MBA and MPS. For those of you who don't know what the MPS is, it is the Master of Public Service offered by the Clinton School in Little Rock. Visit them at http://www.clintonschool.uasys.edu/. The link to Kellen's blog is located on the right of this page. Be sure to follow his journey as he pursues this dual program.

Commencement was last Saturday. I have great pictures to share of the graduation party and commencement. I'll post them on Monday. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Wrapping up the semester

Finals began on Saturday and will end Friday, May 13th. Hopefully our students are not overly superstitious. The University Commencement will be held Saturday, May 14. Walton Commencement is that afternoon, at 12:30. This is a busy week for our students. The Graduate School of Business hosts a graduation party on Friday, May 13th. I enjoy these end of year festivities. The students are giddy with excitement and their families are pretty happy too.

In other news, our two teams competing in small business plan competitions this semester are featured in the May 23 issue of Fortune magazine. cycleWood finished 4th at the Rice University competition and TiFiber finished 6th. A record 510 plans were submitted this year. Forty two are then selected to compete. Two Walton teams finished in the top 6!

Walton MBA #1 in the nation

The Walton MBA is number one in the nation in placement at graduation. For the full story, visit

http://poetsandquants.com/2011/04/25/best-b-schools-for-getting-a-job/.

Pay particularly close attention to the comments at the bottom comparing our cost of living to that of New York.

The Great Flood of 2011

This week has been one for the record books. On Monday, the University closed at 3:30 due to flooding streets. This is my 13th year with the University and it's never closed for rain. Several area streets were closed due to high water. All of the rivers had overflowed their banks. My children were stuck at school. Their buses didn't run and my husband had to go pick them up. When we got home, we had water in our basement. Not bad but he had to get outside and redirect the flowing water that was coming down the hill behind our house. Many, many people had significant damage. Northwest Arkansas made the national news and we were on the Today show on Tuesday morning. It was quite dangerous; many rescues had to be made either due to flooded homes or cars that became stalled while trying to drive through water that was too high.

This is the field across the road from my house. I have never been able to see the river from my house. It is out of eye sight. However, on Monday night it looked like I lived across the road from a lake. Here are before and after pictures.






Tornadoes also tore through the south this week. Significant damage and several fatalities have resulted in Arkansas and Alabama. However, today is beautiful. The sun is shining and it's about 70 degrees right now. My son has a baseball game tonight. It's his first game; all of his games last week and earlier this week were cancelled because of the rain.

Tomorrow is my daughter's 14th birthday. I can't believe it; time goes by so fast. She wants our family to go to Fast Lanes in Rogers. They have laser tag, bowling, go carts, video games, etc. It should be a lot of fun.

Dominating the Governor's Cup - AGAIN

As you may remember, the Walton graduate teams swept (winning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) the Donald W. Reynolds Small Business Plan Competition last year. We learned this year's results yesterday and once again, we did very well. Here is the governor.


cycleWood Solutions, LLC won the elevator pitch (they are undefeated in this category), won the agricultural award, and took first place. To learn more, read Nhiem's blog.



Our other team, TiFiber, LLC placed second.





Both teams will advance to the tri-state competition in Las Vegas in May. The top two finishers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Nevada will face off to determine the regional winner.

cycleWood Solutions, LLC and TiFiber, LLC competed earlier this week at the Rice University Business plan competition.

cycleWood Solutions won fourth place taking home $9,000 with prizes from Murphree Venture Partners, $2500 Best Sales and Marketing Award from ContentActive / Houston Business Journal and Austin Ventures best elevator pitch for $1000. cycleWood is developing a lignin-based plastic, XyloBag, which functions like a regular plastic bag but decomposes within 150 days of exposure to bacteria found in natural environments.

TiFiber took home sixth place overall for $18,500 with $3000 from Fulbright & Jaworski as well as the $15,000 Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Trust Prize. TiFiber holds an exclusive license to prepare Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) into nano-fibers for use in filtration systems, aerospace, thermoplastics, textiles, and medical applications.

These two teams beat teams from Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, BYU, University of Chicago, Georgia Institute of Technology, London Business School, and the list goes on. For more information, visit:
http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=128.

The Walton College truly dominates the field of business plan competitions.

First Round MBA decisions

The MBA admissions committee met on Monday. Results are as follows:

MBA
55 applications were reviewed
24 were offered admission
average GMAT = 652
average GPA = 3.38
average age = 26

Letters are going out tomorrow. Final application deadline is September 15 and this class will be 35-40. Application requirements can be found at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. ALL FUNDING HAS BEEN AWARDED FOR THE MBA CLASS THAT WILL BEGIN IN JANUARY 2012!

MMBA
42 applications were reviewed
31 were offered admission
average GMAT = 590
average GPA = 3.28
average age = 31

Applications will be received through July 1. This class will be 55-60.

Briefly Back in the Office

I was in the office on Monday, April 4. Then on the 5th I was in Arkadelphia for a career fair at Henderson State and OBU. On Wednesday I was off to Pine Bluff and then on Thursday, it was ATU. Today I am back in the office - briefly. I assisted most of the day with an Open House that was held by the UofA's Grad School. I have also been working on MBA files.

Monday is our MBA admissions committee meeting. The first round of MBA offers will go out, hopefully by Friday, April 15th. The first round of offers will also be made for the Walton Managerial MBA (MMBA). Applications are being accepted for MMBA through July. Class size will be 55-60. Final deadline for MBA is September 15. Those who are wondering what the results are on Monday can email me for the committee's decision. I will try to answer all emails that afternoon but it will depend on how long the committee meeting runs. It may be Tuesday before you receive an email from me.

My traveling is done for the year; well, at least until September when the fall career fairs will begin. This semester is nearly over. I cannot believe it.

New US News Rankings

The latest US News Rankings came out last week. The full-time MBA is still ranked #25 among public MBA programs. The part-time or Managerial MBA (MMBA) is ranked #29 among publics and #50 overall. The Walton Supply Chain program was also ranked. They climbed from #23 overall last year to a tie with Georgia Institute of Technology at #14 overall. Among publics, we are tied at # 9. The Walton College is forming a new Supply Chain Department. This is very exciting and we are hoping it assists us further in the rankings.

I have been very sporadic in my posting lately and I thought I should explain why. Here is my schedule for March and April:

March 2 - Career Fair at University of Central Arkansas
March 3 - Career Fair at University of Arkansas as Fort Smith
March 10 - Open House and Social
March 16 - Corporate Visit to Walmart's ISD
March 17 - Career Fair at University of the Ozarks
March 17 - Information session in Rogers
March 22 - Career Fair at Philander Smith
March 30 - Corporate Visit to Tyson
April 5 - Career Fair at Henderson State University
April 5 - Career Fair at Ouachita Baptist University
April 6 - Career Fair at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
April 7 - Career Fair at Arkansas Tech University
April 8 - Grad School Open House
April 11 - Admissions committee meeting for MBA and MMBA

It's a pretty busy time of year for us. Graduation is May 14 and we'll host a graduation party on Friday, May 13. This week is the University's Spring Break. I am in the office today and Wednesday. The University is closed on Friday and I am taking Thursday off so that I can spend some time with my kids. By then they'll be geared up and ready to get out of the house. We did visit friends in Tulsa this last weekend but now they are home. I am sure they will run me ragged this weekend. I'll be hearing, "Hey mom, can we go...?" I am hoping the weather cooperates so that we can get outside.

Spring Open House and Social

We held the Spring Open House and Social last night. Both were a resounding success. Twenty-two potential Walton master's students attended the Open House. The purpose of this event is to explain the application process and to discuss each master's degree offered by the Walton College.

Following the Open House, we headed down to Powerhouse for the Spring Social. This is a very popular event held every semester for all current, former, prospective Walton GSB students, and faculty. Over 100 attendees signed in. The Social is a great opportunity for our current and former students to mix and mingle and it gives our prospective students a chance to ask them questions about their programs of interest.

Next week we begin processing MBA and MMBA applications. Deadline is April 1 and the committee will meet the week of April 11. Decisions will be sent out the end of that week.

Admissions update

We are in the midst of admission season. Here is what is going on.

- PhD decisions have been made and letters are going out as I write. First round offers are being made and denials are being sent. We do have a waiting list. Depending on the results of the first round offers, those on the waiting list will then either receive denials or an offer of admission. For reference, Accounting received over 30 applications and expects to enroll 3 students. Average GMAT of these three is 703. Economics received nearly 30 applications. They plan to enroll four. Their average GRE score is 1330. Finance received approximately 30 applications. Two offers of admission were extended. Average GMAT is 735. Information Systems received over 20 applications and has offered admission to three students. Their average GMAT is 653. Management intends to enroll three students this fall. Offers have been extended and their average GMAT is 725. Marketing has not made all admissions decisions yet. They did receive over 30 applications.

- Master of Information Systems deadline was February 1. The Department has made their decisions. They received nearly 70 applications and will extend offers to 10. Their average GMAT is over 600 and average GRE is over 1250. Letters are being done now. They have a very high qualified waiting list. Depending on the results of the first round offers, those on the waiting list will then either be offered admission or will be sent a notification of denial.

- Master of Accountancy deadline is March 1. We expect decisions mid-March and then letters will go out mid-to-late March.

- MBA early decision deadline is April 1. All funding will be awarded to those who apply by this date. The committee will meet mid-April and then decision letters will be sent mid-to-late April.

Great Fayetteville Video

Check out this wonderful video about Fayetteville, Arkansas.

http://accessfayetteville.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1164

Women in the Workplace

The Northwest Arkansas Young Professionals are holding an event Thursday, February 24, 6:00-7:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall on the University of Arkansas campus.

Here is a line-up of the speakers:
1. Dina Howell, Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X
2. Machelle Gifford-Selbe, Senior Manager, Member Program Development, Sam’s Club
Marketing Chair, Walmart Women's Resource Council
Walmart 100 Member, and Regional Co-Secretary, Network of Executive Women
3. Stephanie Clawson, General Mills Director for Walmart Perishable
4. Susan Van Hosen, Vice President, Retail Business Development - Walmart & Sam's Club Team, Disney Consumer Products


This will be a wonderful opportunity to network with other professionals and to gain some valuable information too.

Snow, snow, and more snow

The University of Arkansas is closed today due to the unbelievable amount of snow falling in Arkansas right now. I heard on the news this morning that we received around 25 inches last year. This was a record breaking year. We may receive over 2 feet with this storm. This year's snow totals will obliterate last year's. This area of the country is not equipped for this type of weather. We do not have the plows to keep up with the snow fall. Everyone is encouraged to stay home. Roads are currently impassable in may areas. Most often, it will snow and then melt away the next day. Temperatures have been staying cold enough that the snow is accumulating and occurring on top of what we had last week. In northern areas of the US, this is normal. It is not typical in this part of the country. Next week we are expecting 50-60 degree temperatures. Tomorrow it is supposed to be below zero in the morning. Until it warms up, we are stuck.

It is a beautiful snow, though. The snow is expected to continue until this afternoon or evening. It's not finished yet. I have tried to upload photos but it is not currently working. I'll try again later.

Crazy weather

The University of Arkansas was closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. We opened today at 9:30 and will close at 4:00. The snow is really coming down right now. This episode is supposed to produce 3 to 6 inches. Another storm is coming in on either Sunday or Monday.

If you have been trying to reach us, be patient. The weather is putting a serious kink in our daily operations.

First round offers for PhD will hopefully go out mid-to-late February. The MIS application deadline was February 1. We have not been in the office to process these applications. Again, please be patient with us as we work through this trying time. The Department hopes to make decisions the week of February 14. All files will be prepped for departmental review next week. As we do this, we will notify applicants of missing documents. As long as materials are received prior to committee review, they will be treated as completed on time.

Email gsb@walton.uark.edu with any questions. I appreciate your understanding.

Walton ranked in CCH Public Accounting Report

In their 29th annual professor's survey, the University of Arkansas' accounting program was ranked #11 (and #9 among publics) among undergraduate programs-Category II. Among graduate programs-Category II, we were ranked #18 overall and #13 among public institutions.

The Master of Accountancy application deadline is March 1. For a complete list of our application requirements, visit http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

Day 4 & 5 of MBA Orientation

I am a little behind. Okay, more than a little behind. The application deadline for PhD was January 15. After a deadline, we scramble frantically matching incoming documents (transcripts and letters of recommendation) to files. We then need to get these files to committee for review. For some reason, this admission deadline seems to be the most challenging in our office. The Walton College has 6 PhD programs. Many of these students are eligible for fellowships offered through the University. That deadline is February 1, so the month of January can be a little crazy. To learn more about the fellowships, visit http://gsb.uark.edu/finaid.asp.

So now that I have explained my lack of blogging, let's play catch up. Day 4 of MBA Orientation consists of a case competitions. The MBA class is divided into 9 teams. Three teams compete in one of three rooms. Each room has a winner and these 3 advance to the finals. Here is a photo of the winning team.

Bethany Haefner, Creed Tumlinson, Senthil Raman, and Bryan Boone.

Day 5 was Retail Immersion Day. The class piled onto a tour bus early that morning and headed off for the day. The morning was spent touring a Walmart Distribution Center. Lunch was then held at P&G. The afternoon was spent touring stores.

As you can see from the schedule for this week, it is a well rounded experience designed to prepare our new MBA students for an intensive 16-month program. We introduce concepts and begin to clearly outline expectations. This week gives them a chance to get to know each other and they are led through this process by our year 2 students. This is important component - mentoring can make a big difference during that first semester of an MBA program.

Classes began last Tuesday, the 18th. Northwest Arkansas was then hit with a winter storm and the campus closed on Thursday the 20th at 9:30. We are back in the office on Friday but campus didn't open until 10. Many of us are now playing catch up.

February 1 is the Walton Master of Information Systems deadline. The next deadline is March 1 - Master of Accountancy. We'll have a bit of a break between these two so hopefully we'll get our feet back beneath us.

Even though the MBA program just started, early decision deadline for January 2012 is April 1. If you are planning to apply, be sure all materials are submitted by this date.

I am ready for spring. It has been cold and I do not particularly enjoy cold weather. I must admit that we have had much less snow so far this year than we have for the last two so I should stop complaining. I will give it my best shot.

Walton MBA is mentioned in US News article

The Walton MBA receives some attention in US News & World Report. Check it out at:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-business-schools/articles/2011/01/14/mba-programs-go-global

I'll wrap up MBA Orientation tomorrow. It's been very busy in the office this week. Spring classes began on Tuesday and PhD application deadline was Saturday. There has been a pretty steady stream of students in the office and we are working to prepare PhD files for committee review. We expect decisions by mid February. That is when letters will be sent.

Day 2 & 3, MBA Orientation

Yesterday was day 2 of Walton MBA Orientation. The schedule had to be amended due to weather but it still went off without a hitch. This day was spent doing team activities and also gaining presentation tips as well as learning how to present a case.

Today is day 3 and our new MBA students are working in their teams on their case. Tomorrow they will compete in a case competition. This is what today looks like. Don't let them fool you; they are eaten up with excitement and their competitive juices are flowing.

Day 1, MBA Orientation

We welcomed 31 new Walton MBA students to campus today for Orientation. Their agenda looked like this:

8:00 - Check in and breakfast

8:20 - Welcome and announcements

8:30 - Icebreaker

10:00 - Break - very important

10:10 - Program overview

10:45 - Image Consulting - Elise Mitchell from Mitchell Communications Group spoke to the new class about their brand. Image consulting is part of the Walton MBA program.

11:45 - Students met with their mentors (from the MBA class that will graduate in May) and had lunch.

1:30 - Technology training and laptop configuration - the Walton Tech Center makes sure that all new MBA students have what they need on their laptops and that everything is working smoothly.

2:20 - Break

2:30 - GA paperwork

3:00 - Career Services overview

4:00 - Dismissed for the day

An overnight experience was scheduled for tonight at Mount Sequoyah. We received some snow last night and we are expecting more later today. Mount Sequoyah is closed, so we have had to cancel this component of Orientation. Tomorrow's team building activities, which were supposed to take place at Mount Sequoyah, will now take place in Willard J. Walker Hall. I'll provide tomorrow's agenda tomorrow.

Here are some pics of this morning's activities.

Hello, 2011

It's been awhile since my last post. Let's recap what has happened over the last few weeks. The University was closed for the holidays December 24-31. I took a few extra days off since my kids were home. I also needed to finish the Christmas shopping and wrapping. I had a very nice break and I am happy to report that neither of my children broke anything. If you have been following me for awhile, you know this is a major cause for celebration.

We spent Christmas at home. My husband and I were up before the kids on Christmas day. There is something wrong with that. After they finally got up and opened their gifts, we piled on the couch and watched A Christmas Story. I love this movie and we watch it every year. Zoey and Jack spent the day playing with their new gifts. I like spending this day at home. On Sunday we loaded up and visited my family in Oklahoma.

The week between Christmas and New Year's went by very quickly. The kids and I spent some time with friends in Oklahoma. On New Year's Eve we went to the movies to see True Grit. We watched the ball drop in Times Square that night and then headed to bed. No late night festivities for me this year.

I was back in the office on Monday. This is an exceptionally busy time of year for us in the Graduate School of Business. My colleagues on the Student Affairs side of the office are getting ready for MBA Orientation, which is next week. Those of us in GSB Admissions, Regena and I and our part-time help (without whom we would lose our sanity), are processing piles and piles of applications.

PhD application deadline is January 15. When we return from the holiday break, we spend the next three weeks preparing PhD files for committee review. This means filing all the information that came in while the office was closed. It usually takes us a while to get caught up. This is a crazy time for us. Following right after the PhD application deadline is the MIS deadline, February 1. The MAcc deadline is March 1 and then both MBA programs have an April 1 deadline. There is no rest for the wicked. I am not sure what that says about me and Regena because for the next few weeks, we will be moving at a pretty quick pace.

Our new MBA class arrives on Monday. I will post their Orientation schedule later. After working with these students for months, I am always very excited for them to arrive. Be sure to check back in next week to see how their Orientation is going.

Our Hogs lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl last night. It was a tough game. This was Arkansas' first trip to a BCS Bowl and I am proud of them. Hopefully, it was only the first of many. They had a great year.