Soaring Swine

Did the title of this post get your attention? Good. We have these amazing, new, beautiful flying pigs that have been placed all over Fayetteville. I wanted to share a couple (okay, 3) with you.

These first two are located on the Fayetteville square.

As you may be able to tell, this one is in front of the Clinton House Museum (located in Bill and Hillary's home while living in Fayetteville and teaching at the UofA Law School).

It has almost become a game for me to look for them around town. They make me smile. Each has a unique paint design. I find them delightfully whimsical and a perfect fit for Fayetteville. Afterall, we are home to the mighty Arkansas Razorbacks. These very cute piggies do not in any way resemble a razorback. We do have a few of those placed strategically around campus as well.

On a side note, we do have a new head hog. The announcement was made yesterday that Wisconsin's head coach, Bret Bielema, will be the new Arkansas Razorback football coach. It has been very interesting listening to the response over the last couple of days. I am cautiously optimistic. He has a very good record. Time will tell.

The University will be closed from Monday, December 24 through Tuesday, January 1 for the Christmas break. We will return to the office on Wednesday, January 2nd. MBA Orientation is January 7-11 and classes will begin on the 14th. I risk sounding like my grandmother by saying this, but where has the time gone? This semester has flown by very quickly. Like my cute pigs.

Fall Is Upon Us

It was a chilly 20 something this morning when I left for work. It's a beautiful 55 degrees and sunny now. The trees are red, yellow, and orange. It is fall in the Ozarks. Winter will be shortly upon us.

I have finished my fall travels. Last week I visited University of the Ozarks and University of Central Arkansas. The busy season is winding down. We are still finishing up the next MBA class to begin in January. Applications will be accepted through the end of the month. The University will be closed December 24-January 2. The MBA class will be finalized before we leave for the Holiday break.

There are some new PhD deadlines approaching. Accounting and Marketing deadline is December 1 and Supply Chain Management is December 15. For a complete list of application requirements, visit http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. January 15 is the deadline for all other PhD programs. 

Next Friday, November 23 the Razorbacks will host rival, LSU. This is going to be a very tough game. Fingers crossed that the Hogs can pull it off.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Walton Wins Supply Chain Challenge at Michigan State

Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business held its third annual Bowersox Graduate Supply Chain challenge Oct. 25–26 at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development. The competition involved a supply chain simulation — the Supply Chain Operations Decision Environment (SCODE) — developed at the Broad College in cooperation with several major corporations including Chrysler, Dow Chemical, Flextronics, IBM, and Motorola.

Teams from nine of the 15 top–ranked schools in supply chain management travelled to MSU to take on the challenge. On day one, teams received a simulation overview and training by Stanley Griffis, associate professor of supply chain management. The next day, teams took on the simulation and made numerous supply chain decisions ranging from modes of transportation to production schedules and order fulfillment, among many other factors. Teams were then ranked based on total revenue, order fulfillment, inventory turns, and a profit the Broad College calls “supply chain contribution.”

Competitors searched for a winning combination as they reflected on the lessons learned. Several mentioned the importance of paying attention to deadlines and good teamwork. Others acknowledged the value of forecasting demand and being responsive. In the end, first place went to the University of Arkansas, followed by Ohio State University in second, and MSU in third. 

Participating schools included: Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Arkansas, University of Tennessee, and University of Wisconsin.

Upcoming Opportunities

There will be an Information Session tonight at the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers at 5:30 for the part-time MBA (MMBA). Dr. Vikas Anand, MBA program director, will be in attendance.

Next week, Thursday, November 1, we will host an Open House for all Walton Master's degrees at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. The program directors will be in attendance.

These two events will give you the opportunity to learn more about your program of interest and to meet the program director.

Immediately following the Open House on November 1, we are hosting a Social at Powerhouse Seafood and Grill. The Social is for current, former, and prospective Walton master's students. Faculty will also be in attendance. The Social provides prospective students the opportunity to meet current students and it allows our alumni to come back and catch up with each other as well as their faculty members.

If you are in Northwest Arkansas and are interested in a Walton master's degree, I hope you are able to attend one of these opportunities. There will be similar events in the spring. Stay tuned.

On the Road Again

October is a very busy month in graduate admissions. I have made recruiting trips to the University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. On October 31, Halloween, I will be at Arkansas Tech University.

I was also able to go to the part-time MBA conference in Atlanta. It was very nice to reconnect with colleagues from other institutions.

This Thursday, October 25 we will host an information session in Rogers at the Arkansas World Trade Center at 5:30. The focus will be Walton's part-time MBA and the program director will be in attendance.

An Open House will be held on Thursday, November 1 at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall on the University of Arkansas campus. This event is for all those interested in a master's degree at the Walton College. Program directors will be in attendance. The Open House will be followed by a Social. The Social is for all current, former, and prospective Walton grad students. Faculty are also invited to attend. The Social gives our prospective students the opportunity to meet current students. It also gives our alumni a chance to catch up with each other and chat with their old (as in former and not in age) faculty members.

This is the time corporate recruiting begins as well. Corporate visits are made to recruit for the two Walton part-time programs - MBA and MIS. Walmart's ISD was visited last week. In two weeks I'll be visiting Unilever. I am also in the process of scheduling a visit it UAMS in Little Rock.

The fall semester is really flying by. I can't believe it'll be November next week. There is still so much to do before we leave for the holiday break.

We are still accepting domestic applications for the MBA program that will begin in January. Please visit http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp for the complete list of our application requirements. We currently have 8-10 seats still available.

Email any questions to gsb@walton.uark.edu.

Walton Career Fair

The Walton Career Fair was held on Tuesday, September 25th. Here are some of the companies who were present:

ABF Freight System
Acosta
Acxiom
Amazon.com
Arvest
BNSF Logistics
Campbell Soup
Cargill
Cintas Corporation
Colgate Palmolive
ConAgra
ConocoPhillips
Dillard's
Enterprise
Ernst & Young, LLP
FedEx
Firestone
Frito Lay
General Mills
Hertz
Hewlett Packard
Hilti
JB Hunt
JC Penney
Johnson & Johnson
Kraft Foods
Lowe's
Mutual of Omaha
Nestle
Nielsen
Northwestern Mutual
Pepsi
P & G
Reckitt Benckiser
Saatchi & Saatchi X
SC Johnson
Sherwin-Williams
Southwestern Energy
Target
Transplace
Tyson
Unilever
USA Truck
Verizon
Walgreens
Walmart
Windstream

And here are some photos of the event.

 Sampath is an alumnus from our full-time MBA. He is in the blue shirt.

 Angie is in the Walton part-time MBA. She is with Tyson.

 Courtney has just started the Walton part-time MBA. She is with Johnson & Johnson.

Marion is the Assistant Dean for the Graduate School of Business. She is chatting with a prospective student about the Walton MBA.

 Caitlyn is in our full-time program now and will graduate in May.

 Alex is an alumnus from the Walton full-time program. He is now with Nielsen.

Amazing Opportunities Provided by Walton

I have written many times about the amazing success of Walton's small business plan teams. They have racked up many victories over the years. A new team, Picassolar, went to the Solar Power International conference in Orlando last month. As you can see, they met a rather well-known individual while there. He was quite impressed that a group from Arkansas was working on such exciting solar technology.

Pictured are: Michael Miller (MAcc), Trish Flanagan (MBA), Bill Clinton, Matthew Young (MicroEP PhD), Seth Shumate (MicroEP PhD). 

Stay tuned for updates on Picassolar and the other Walton teams. They will compete in the spring.  

Professional Development

A unique component to the Walton MBA is professional development. The curriculum includes 5 hours of professional development. These hours are fulfilled through a variety of activities. It is very important that our students do not leave Walton only academically prepared; students will leave us as well-rounded and polished professionals. Students will work with the Career Center throughout the three-semester program. Resumes will be fine-tuned and mock interviews will be held. Another option is to meet with an image consultant.

For more information, visit: http://gsb.uark.edu/profdev.asp.

Here is the list of topics for this semester:

Seeking a full-time job post graduation
Negotiating for a competitive advantage: Leveraging conflict best practices
Diversity in the workplace
Etiquette dinner
Microsoft 2010 advanced powerpoint
Microsoft 2010 advanced excel
Six Sigma

The Latest and Greatest from Fayetteville

Those of you who have not visited Fayetteville, AR are truly missing out. I am not a native Arkansan so I feel as though I offer an unbiased opinion. I was born in Coffeyville, KS and raised in Oklahoma. I have also lived in Alaska, Colorado, and Missouri. Fayetteville is a unique community. Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afe7yaBRzRU&feature=youtu.be

Fayetteville's Farmers' Market was recently voted as America's favorite - http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2012/09/07/fayetteville-wins-2012-americas-favorite-farmers-market-contest/.

US News & World report just released their undergraduate business school rankings. Walton College ranks #26 among public schools of business - http://newswire.uark.edu/article.aspx?id=19138.

The University of Arkansas has an all-time high student population of 24,000+ this year. Parking is challenging and traffic is frustrating. Scooters have become a popular mode of transportation. This parking lot is right beside our building. I had to share this pic.

On sunny days, students enjoy lounging on the fountain in the Shollmier Plaza. The Plaza lies in between our building and the other business building. I am envious when I walk by the window and see this:

My Fall Travel Schedule

Fall has arrived in the Ozarks, thank goodness. We have had unseasonably hot temperatures this summer with many days hitting 100+ degrees. Today is beautiful, sunny, and much cooler. We are expecting a high in the low 80's. The trees will soon start to turn colors. This is truly a wonderful time to be in Fayetteville. I'll post pictures of the fall foliage soon.

My travel schedule this semester is as follows:

September 12, 9:00-11:00-UofA Law School - I have seen increasing interest in the JD/MBA joint degree programs. I will be recruiting at the Law School. I hope to generate even more interest.

September 19 - Career Fair - Tulsa University

September 20 - Career Fair - Oklahoma State University

September 24 - Career Fair - Missouri State University

September 25 - Career Fair - UofA Walton College

September 26 - Career Fair - Missouri Southern State University

September 27, 9:00-11:00-UofA Law School

October 3 - Career Fair - UofA - Pine Bluff

October 4 - Career Fair - UofA

October 17 - Corporate Visit - Walmart's ISD

October 18 - Career Fair - UofA - Fort Smith

October 25 - Information Session - Rogers

October 31 - Career Fair - Arkansas Tech

November 1 - Open House and Social - UofA Walton College

November 6 - Career Fair - University of the Ozarks

November 7 - Career Fair - UCA

Be sure to come see me if I am in your neighborhood. Email questions to gsb@walton.uark.edu.

And Let the New Semester Begin

Classes started on Monday. The month of August is intense in the Walton Graduate School of Business. We are finalizing our fall classes and conducting all of the new student orientations. Deb and I also made a quick trip to Las Vegas last week to attend the ALPFA conference. Today was the annual fall welcome back Block Party. This is a fun event where students can grab a bite to eat and talk to staff and students from many organizations on campus.

Final application deadline for the Walton MBA is September 15. This program begins each January and is completed in 3 semesters and 16 months. Learn more at http://gsb.uark.edu/mba and our application requirements are at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

Teams at Work

New Walton MMBA students are working in teams today during orientation. Tomorrow they will compete in a case competition.

 

MMBA Orientation

We are in Day Three of our part-time MBA program orientation. This program is designed for very busy working professionals. It is completed in two years by taking six hours a semester for six semesters. Students are in class in Fayetteville only one Saturday each month. You can learn more about this opportunity as well as see the schedule for the upcoming academic year at http://gsb.uark.edu/mmba.

The Walton MMBA starts each August with a four day orientation. This year's schedule looks like this:

Thursday, August 2
7:45-breakfast and pictures for meetbook
8:15-welcome by Dean Eli Jones
8:30-introduction of GSB staff by MBA Director Vikas Anand
8:40-icebreaker
10:30-break
10:45-technology training
12:00-lunch with current students and alumni
1:30-program overview
2:00-orientation to online learning
2:30-break
2:45-lecture-introduction to value chain-Dr. Vikas Anand
3:30-lecture-continue topic-Dr. Jeff Murray
5:00-dismiss

Friday-August 3
7:30-breakfast
8:00-lecture-continue topic-Dr. Chris Hofer
10:00-break
10:15-Walton Career Center
10:45-introduction of fall professors
11:30-lunch at Union and student ID's
1:00-lecture-continue topic-Dr. Jason Arentz
3:00-break
3:15-case overview-Dr. Chris Hofer
4:00-hand out competition case
4:30-dismiss
5:00-7:00-networking event at Powerhouse Seafoof & Grill

Saturday, August 4
7:45-breakfast
8:00-case competition rules and team assignments
8:15-case preparation
12:00-lunch
5:00-case presentations due

Sunday, August 5
8:00-breakfast and presentation order revealed
8:30-heat 1
9:10-heat 2
9:50-heat 3
10:30-heat 4
11:10-judges deliberate
11:30-lunch and judges decision revealed
12:30-final round of competition
2:00-judges deliberate and winner announced

This class consists of 55 outstanding students. They work at Walmart, Tyson, JB Hunt, Sam's Club, Coke, Nielsen, Nabholz Construction, ABF, Pfizer, Cobb-Vantress, Kimberly Clark, Johnson&Johnson, Arkansas Electric, the US Military, Fastenal, Fidelity National, and many more.

They attended college at The Ohio State University, BYU, Texas A&M, UofA, Oklahoma State, Miami Univ, SMU, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, Villanova, Texas Christian, Westpoint, and many more.

If you want to become a part of the next class, early application deadline is April 1, 2013 and final deadline is July 1, 2013. Application requirements can be found at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. Email questions to gsb@walton.uark.edu.

World-Class Entrepreneurs

This article -

 http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=131869&page=1#.T_2Q7rdn84o.email

gives a thorough summary of Walton College's success in small business plan competitions nationwide, including this year's unprecedented Moot Corp showing. Three Walton teams were accepted into 2012 Moot Corp. "Having three teams from the same school making the international field of 36 was a feat never before accomplished in the event's 29-year history. The 36-team field included teams from some of the United States' most prestigious universities - MIT, Johns Hopkins, the University of Chicago - as well as countries spanning the globe." And three teams from Arkansas!


There are many more examples of the amazing entrepreneurial successes of Walton students. Many of these competition teams have gone on to put their plans into action. Be sure to read their stories.

Open House and Social Tonight!

Join us for our annual Summer MBA Open House, tonight, 5:30, 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. This is your opportunity to learn more about the full and part-time MBA.

A Social will follow at Powerhouse. Details will be provided at the Open House.

If you can't make it to the Open House, view these YouTube clips that were filmed at a past event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9DZiCpcy9g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5aK3qn1mVE&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7HX2sZacgg&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlylM4gHh0I&feature=relmfu

And to see our fabulous campus and facilities, be sure to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9zF695CGlo&feature=relmfu

Amazing Student Bloggers

Be sure to keep up with Saif, Tammy, and Patricia, our MBA student bloggers. Saif is interning with Mr. Price in South Africa. His blog is very entertaining as well as detailed about his daily activities and his amazing experiences. Tammy studied abroad in China and is interning at Kellogg. She is also participating in a couple of other activities which she details in her blog. Patricia is traveling quite a bit and writing about her journeys.

Saif's blog provides a summary of what a few of his Walton MBA classmates are doing this summer. These summer opportunities are quite unique to Walton and have proven to be quite valuable regarding our impressive employment statistics. Walton MBA students continue to do extremely well in the job market. In 2010, they were 83% employed at graduation, which was the best in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. In 2011, they were 86% employed and were second in the nation. In 2012, the number is even higher. I don't know if I can release this info yet, so I'll hold onto it until I know it's safe.

Final application deadline for the Walton MBA is September 15. You can find our application requirements at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. All funding has been awarded. In order to be eligible for funding, apply by April 1, 2013, for the class that will begin in January of 2014.

Read the student blogs to learn more about the Walton MBA and to determine if this would be a good fit for you.

Let's Catch Up

Since my last post, quite a bit has happened. I attended the GMAC annual industry conference held in Chicago June 20-22. This is my opportunity to catch up on the latest trends in MBA programs and see old friends. As soon as I got back from this quick trip, my family headed off to the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. As we headed south, Debby was blowing of the coast. It was quite nerve wracking, not knowing what we would find when we arrived. We were very fortunate as Debby moved east. Unfortunately, those in Florida were not so lucky. I had a fantastic vacation. Here are a few pictures of beautiful Gulf Shores.

Upon my return to the office after the 4th of July Holiday, we immediately got to work processing MMBA applications. The admissions committee will meet this Friday to make decisions for the part-time MBA program. Over 40 applications will be reviewed. In April, 25 offers of admission were made. Our enrollment goal is 55. Anything over this number, is icing on the cake. Applications will continue to be received through the end of the month. Orientation is August 2-5 and is mandatory. The first class will be held August 25th.

IMAcc (Integrated Master of Accountancy) applications are also being processed. I am expecting decisions will be made next week. This program is for University of Arkansas students only and is designed to ease their transition into the Master of Accountancy.

The next few weeks will be very busy. The Orientation schedule is as follows:
MMBA-August 2-5
MIS/Professional MIS-August 13
MAcc-August 14-15
IMAcc/PhD-August 16

Classes begin on August 20th. I will also be traveling to Las Vegas August 14-16 to attend the ALPFA conference.

I also want to welcome our new Dean, Eli Jones. Dean Jones come to us from LSU. The Walton College is very excited about this new era. Great things are anticipated.

BiologicsMD Signs Agreement to Make It's Osteoporosis Medication

In 2010, BiologicsMD had significant success in small-business plan competitions. This Walton team won at Moot Corp and Rice University, never before done by the same team in the same year. They continue to enjoy success as they have just signed an agreement with an Oklahoma company to produce its osteoporosis medication. Read more at http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?zone=AB%255FDailyReport%255FTuesday&lID=&sID=&ms=&cID=Z&aID=131784.54928.143910&utm_source=DailyReport&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=6122012.

Saif is Interning in South Africa

Be sure to read Saif's blog. He is currently interning with Mr. Price in South Africa. He is loving life right now. His apartment, which he shares with the other interns (1 more from Walton and 1 from Harvard) is on the beach. Follow his adventures at: http://playitlikesaif.blogspot.com/.

Our Beautiful Campus

It is so unbelievably beautiful in Fayetteville right now that I decided to go snap some pictures to share.

This is right outside of Willard J. Walker Hall, Walton GSB's home.

Fayetteville Public Library as seen from the 4th floor of our building.

View from the 4th floor.

This is funny. It's summer so there are plenty of scooters on campus.

View from our building.

Beautiful mountain view from our building.

Very picturesque.

World-famous Dickson street.

The front of Willard J. Walker Hall.

Shollmier Plaza-in between our building and the other business building.

The financial trading center.

A study area on the 4th floor and a great view from the balcony.

 

A Safari Right Here in Arkansas

On Monday I spent the day with my 8-year old son, Jack, and his 2nd grade class at the Gentry Wildlife Safari. I had never been before and was pleasantly surprised. Gentry is about 45 minutes northwest of Fayetteville. Here are some of their animals.

This is Jack in the petting zoo.

 

Jack is feeding the little goats. They were so cute.

This momma is carrying her baby, who is taking advantage of the position and eating, too. 

Northwest Arkansas has many hidden gems. I recommend visiting the Gentry Wildlife Safari.