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.