Goodbye, all

It is with mixed feelings that I write this last post to the GSB Admissions Blog. After over 6 1/2 years, tomorrow, July 3rd, will be my last day with the Walton GSB. I began this incredible journey on December 1, 2006. It's been the ride of a lifetime.

I have accepted a new position on campus. My daughter, Zoey, and I will be heading off on an adventure, and then upon my return, I'll begin my new role on July 22nd. I am looking forward to the new challenge.

If you were to ask me, "Where do you want to go more than anyplace in the world?" My response would have been, "ITALY!". On July 9th, Zoey and I are off to Rome. From Rome, we'll go to Venice and then to Florence. While we're in Florence, we'll visit the Tuscan region, Pisa, and the Cinque Terre. To say that I am excited doesn't do justice to what I am feeling.

I have thoroughly loved working with prospective graduate students over the last few years. I believe strongly in higher education, and it has been a  privilege to play a role in this process.

Please continue to direct questions to gsb@walton.uark.edu. I wish you all the best with your future endeavors.

PICASOLAR WINS AT MIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell that I am excited?! The Boston Globe writes:

Picasolar, a start-up from the University of Arkansas, on Monday won the MIT Clean Energy Prize for developing a technology that could improve the efficiency of solar panels and make them cheaper to produce, said the Boston utility NStar, one of the annual competition’s sponsors.

Roughly 56 teams from 38 schools entered the national competition, which was founded in 2008 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Department of Energy, and NStar to promote the development of alternative energy and energy efficiency technologies. The Picasolar team beat more than a dozen other semifinalists for the top prize of $150,000. Picasolar won an additional $100,000 from the Department of Energy.

Trish Flanagan, president of Picasolar and a University of Arkansas graduate student, said the company’s technology fixes electron-absorbing flaws in the surfaces of silicon solar cells, helping to make the solar panel components about 15 percent more efficient, while also decreasing their cost. The technology was invented by Picasolar’s chief technology officer, Seth Shumate, also an Arkansas graduate student.

“This has been a really fun competition for us, and we’ve made some extraordinary contacts,” Flanagan said.

Bill Aulet, a senior lecturer on entrepreneurship at MIT, said he was particularly impressed by this year’s entrants, who, he said, not only presented interesting technologies but also had a clearer understanding of how they might tackle the challenges of commercializing their products.

“A lot of it is much more business savvy,” Aulet said. “Now it’s like, ‘Here’s our market and here’s how we can deal with the regulatory risk.’ ”

New MBA Student Bloggers

We have two new MBA student bloggers. Be sure to check them out; their links are to the right. These two students just started the Walton MBA in January.

Mai Nguyen is from Vietnam. Read about her experiences at:

http://mai53waltonmba.wordpress.com/

And Carmen Williamson is originally from Arkansas and finished her undergraduate degree at Washington University. Follow her at:

http://thelifeofawaltonmbagrad.wordpress.com/

To remind you, the new Walton MBA class started in January with 34 students. Here are their stats:

GMAT = 655
GPA = 3.5
Age = 25.4
Work experience = 3.1 years
Countries represented are: China, India, Brazil, Bolivia, France, and Vietnam  

Spring Has Arrived in the Ozarks

As the title for this post says, Spring is upon us. In Fayetteville, this means we are gifted with constant change. The day may start with cool temperatures and then warm up to a very nice 60-70 degrees. It may also mean rain and cooler temperatures. Regardless, I am vastly relieved that the cold temperatures are behind us. Now that I have said that, it'll probably drop back down into the 30's and 40's. Each year, as I get older and older, I have come to accept the fact that I truly do not value cold weather. In fact, I dislike it tremendously. Ironically, I do not hate the snow. I find it beautiful and I appreciate it, when it happens once or twice a year. Now that we are entering April, we will experience rain, mixed with beautiful, sunny days. I love Spring - trees turn green and flowers bloom. Also, the Fayetteville Farmer's Market will get going again soon. This is a wonderful Fayetteville tradition. Visit http://www.fayettevillefarmersmarket.org/ to learn more about this unique opportunity to experience local fruits and vegetables as well as art and music. This season is brief in this part of the country. Before we know it, summer will be upon us. I try to enjoy every bit of Spring in the Ozarks.

We're #1! We're #1!

The Walton MBA is once again #1 in employment at graduation. In 2010, we were 83% employed at graduation. This was #1 in the nation. In 2011, Walton MBA's were 86% employed at graduation and we fell to #2 (behind Georgia Tech). In 2012, at graduation, we were 91% employed. According to U.S. News, we are again #1. Other top schools are as follows:

1 - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS (WALTON)
2 - Duke (Fuqua)
3 - Emory (Goizueta)
4 - Dartmouth (Tuck)
5 - MIT (Sloan)
6 - Chicago (Booth)
7 - Minnesota (Carlson)
8 - Cornell (Johnson)
9 - Virginia (Darden)
      BYU (Marriott)
11 - UT-Austin (McCombs)
12 - Washington (Foster)
13 - Pennsylvania (Wharton)
       Missouri (Trulaske)
15 - NYU (Stern)

Alumni Reconnect Weekend

Hello Walton MBA Alumni……we are very excited let you know about the first annual Walton MBA Alumni Reconnect Weekend on April 26-27, 2013.  When you reflect on your experience at the University of Arkansas, we hope that you remember the many ways that the Walton MBA program prepared you for the future and helped to move you forward in your careers.  More importantly, the Walton MBA helped to connect and develop friendships that will last a lifetime. 

We want to invite each of you back to campus for Alumni Reconnect Day, April 26-27 to reconnect with your fellow classmates, the Graduate School of Business staff and faculty.  We have an exciting weekend planned that includes a few receptions, some professional development and plenty of time to reconnect. The following link will provide you with more information about the weekend and a registration link to sign-up: 

http://gsb.uark.edu/Alumni_Reconnect.asp

 

Please forward this to fellow alumni that you are connected to.  We would love to see all of our alumni return for this event.

19th Annual Business Forecast Luncheon

Every year Walton's Center for Business and Economic Research hosts a luncheon at which panelists discuss the current economy as well as forecast what they foresee happening over the next year at the local, national, and international levels. This year's event was held on Friday, February 8th and was attended by nearly 1,000 guests. Dean Eli Jones welcomed everyone and introduced the moderator, John Roberts, CEO of JB Hunt.

There were several Walton MBA students in attendance:

Videos of past events can be found at: http://cber.uark.edu/383.asp.

 

Walton's students have many opportunities to network with our corporate partners. On Thursday, the Supply Chain Management Research Center held a networking event. Here are some of our MBA students taking advantage of this opportunity.

Recruiting season is ramping up for GSB Admissions. On Thursday of this week I will be attending a Career Fair at Oklahoma State University. Next Thursday, February 21st, we are hosting an MBA Information Session in Rogers at the Arkansas World Trade Center at 5:30. I will post my full travel schedule in a few days. 

Save the Date!

The GSB will host its Spring Open House and Social on Thursday, March 7. The Open House will begin at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. Program directors will be in attendance. This event is for all prospective master's degree students. As soon as the Open House is finished, we'll join the Social.

The Social will be 6:00-8:00 at Powerhouse Seafood and Grill in Fayetteville. The Social is for current, former, and prospective Walton graduate students. Faculty will also be in attendance. This is a very good opportunity for our alumni to come back and say hi. It also gives our current students a chance to socialize outside of the classroom. For our prospective students, they are able to mix and mingle with current students.

These events are hosted three times a year. If you are unable to attend this spring, our summer Open House and Social will be in either June or July.

Where does the time go?

I have been meaning to share pictures of Walton MBA Orientation for a couple of weeks now. Better late than never, right?

Day 1 we are very busy providing information to students. We kicked off the week by having the students do a fun icebreaker. They then got a program overview followed by an important discussion on developing their personal brand. Technology training was then done and the GSB discussed graduate assistantships. We wrapped up the day with Vikas Anand's topic, "Maximizing your MBA Experience, Going Beyond the Classroom" and a Career Center overview. That evening we hosted a mixer where an alumni panel spoke to the class.

Day 2 began with a study abroad overview. Dr. Gary Peters went over the China trip and then Dr. Vikas Anand and Dr. Alan Ellstrand discussed India. 

The class then spent the rest of the day in a very fun team building exercise.

Day 3 was retail immersion day. The day started at JB Hunt where Walton alumni, John Roberts, CEO, spoke to us.


Then next stop of the day was a tour of a Walmart distribution center. We then had lunch at the Arkansas World Trade Center. The afternoon was spent at a local Walmart where teams were formed and an assignment was completed.

Day 4 was spent preparing for a case competition.

Day 5 is case competition day. Dina Howell, Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi X, was our guest speaker at lunch.

Here is Dean Eli Jones speaking to the class while the judges are deliberating.

And the winner is...Team H - Marsha Shaw, Jenna Gladney, and Andrew Mainer.

And finally, may I present to you the Walton MBA class of 2014.

National Science Foundation Awards Grant to CycleWood Solutions

CycleWood Solutions, a start-up founded by Walton MBA alumni, Nhiem Cao and Kevin Oden, has recently been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation.

http://newswire.uark.edu/article.aspx?id=19906

Also, today is the application deadline for the Walton Economics, Finance, Information Systems, and Management PhD programs. Marketing, Accounting, and Supply Chain Management had deadlines in December.

 I will provide more detail later this week about the amazing MBA Orientation that occurred last week.

 Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/waltoncollegemba?ref=ts&fref=ts and on Twitter, @WaltonMBA.

Hello 2013!

Walton will welcome its new MBA class on Monday. Orientation will be January 7-11 and classes start on the 14th. I will be sure to post pictures throughout the week.

Here are the stats for the class of 2014:

Class size = 34
GMAT = 655
Women = 50%
International = 30%
Age = 25.5
States represented are: Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Alabama, Colorado, South Carolina, and Washington DC.
Countries represented are: Bolivia, China, India, Vietnam, France, and Brazil
Undergraduate institutions are: UofA, Univ of Kansas, Clemson, Univ of Colorado, Univ of Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, Georgetown, SMU, and Washington Univ.

Before we get started on the new year, I need to wrap up 2012. December was a very busy month. On December 7 we held our first meeting of our new MBA Alumni Advisory Board. Here are some pictures of that meeting:

Our students also spent December studying for and taking finals. Here are some shots I took in the building as the semester came to a close.

Come back next week to see how MBA Orientation is going.

To join the Walton MBA class of 2015, submit your application materials by April 1, 2013. Our application requirements can be found at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp. This class will begin in January of 2014.

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.