For an in-depth look into the life of an MBA...

If you want to know exactly what it is like to be a Walton MBA student doing an internship over the summer, Alana Hale's blog is a must read. Visit it at: http://mbagirlsguide.blogspot.com/. Alana provides wonderful detail into the daily life of a summer intern. Check it out.

MBA/MMBA Admissions Update

It is nearing the home stretch for MMBA admissions. Official application deadline was April 1. We accept applications throughout the summer as space is available. We are currently expecting 44 students for the Walton Managerial MBA to begin in August. I am working with several students who are finishing the application process this month. Our goal is to enroll 55-60. Completed applications for this program are down this year. This is due to several factors. Among them is the fear of committing to a two year program during this current economic climate. Also, many employers have changed or discontinued their tuition assistance program. I am hoping we are able to admit 10-12 more this month. No pressure.

For the full-time MBA, admission was offered to 27 students in April. Twenty three students accepted our offer. Average GMAT for this class is currently 662. I anticipate this number will go down somewhat when we admit the rest of our class. For the last three years, the average has been right at 630. The goal for the MBA class that will begin in January is to admit 20 more students with hopes of having a class of 40. Final deadline is September 15.

If you are interested in the Walton MBA and need funding, apply by April 1, 2011 for the class that will begin in January 2012.

The 4th of July is right around the corner. The University is closed on Monday in observance and many will make it a four day weekend by either taking tomorrow or Tuesday off. I will be here since others in the office will be out. Northwest Arkansas is absolutely beautiful right now. Temperatures aren't too bad today. It was only 80 degrees when I was out for lunch. Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Third Annual MBA Summer Social

The Graduate School of Business will host its third annual MBA Summer Social on Friday, July 9, 6:00-8:00 at Powerhouse. Just prior to the Social, an Open House will be held at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. These are wonderful opportunities to tour our beautiful, state-of-the-art facilities, meet the MBA Director, and talk to current students.

The Open House is specifically for those interested in learning more about the Walton MBAs. We have two options: full and part-time. The Social is for prospective, former, and current MBA students. Our students truly do provide the best information about the realities of the programs. Prospective students should plan to attend the Open House and then afterwards, the Social. Be sure to take advantage of these opportunities.

Hello, San Diego

Deb and I have safely arrived in San Diego for the GMAC annual industry conference. This is our chance to learn what is new in the MBA world. We get our batteries recharged and come back with some great ideas.

I have never been to San Diego and it is a beautiful city. When we left Fayetteville, we were experiencing a heat wave - tempertures in the 90's. In San Diego, it is in the 70's. This is the view from the balcony of my room. Yes, my room has a balcony. I am not sure how I ranked this but I am not complaining. You can see the sail boat bobbing by. It just doesn't get any better than this.



Here is another view from my balcony. I may never leave. Talk about small world. When we arrived at our hotel, as we were checking in, a large group walked by. They were with a different conference. Amazingly, I saw one of our MBA graduates from 2007. What are the odds? And even more bizarre, he's actually from Northwest Arkansas. We just ended up on the West coast in the same hotel at the same time. Twilight Zone moment.

The conference gets kicked off tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends and to gaining some new insights.

Let's Talk MBA and MMBA

We are still accepting applications to the part-time MBA program. This program starts this fall with a mandatory Orientation August 5-8. Applications will be accepted through July 31. The next admissions committee will meet the week of June 28th. Application requirements can be found at http://gsb.uark.edu/admissions.asp.

Final deadline for the full-time MBA is September 15. All funding for the class to begin in January 2011 has been awarded. If you are interested in the Walton MBA and need funding, apply by April 1, 2011 for the class that will begin in January 2012. I cannot believe I am talking about 2012 already.

Today Regena and I worked on our annual report. We were crunching application numbers for this fiscal year. I'll be sure to post the final results but so far, we have seen a very nice increase over last year's numbers.

I will be out of the office for the rest of the week. Tomorrow is my 19th wedding anniversary. I know, I know, I can't possibly be that old. Unfortunately, I am. Wednesday through Saturday, Deb and I are attending the GMAC Annual Industry Conference in San Diego. It's a tough job but someone has to do it.

Before I know it, it'll be fall and I'll be hitting the road, recruiting. Keep a close eye on our website - http://gsb.uark.edu/ for my travel schedule.

We are hosting an MBA Open House on Friday, July 9 at 5:30 in 403 Willard J. Walker Hall. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the full and part-time MBA programs, meet the Director, and visit Walker Hall.

I AM BACK!

Today is my first day back in the office since Thursday, June 3. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Here are a few pics.


This is a water fall in Yellowstone.

Here are buffalo walking down the road in front of our car.

This is a pretty good sized black bear. This was very exciting. Many people will got to Yellowstone many times and never see a bear.

Devil's Tower - Eastern Wyoming.

If you ever get the chance to visit Mount Rushmore, go at night. They light it up at 9:00. Very beautiful. The kids did well and we all survived. Good times. Now it's back to my summer chores. That is, once I get caught up on my email.

I Am Getting Ready For Vacation

It's been awhile since my last post; I do try to post several times a week. This past week I have been getting ready for vacation. A "for real" vacation this time, not just time at home away from the office where I am still working. I am loading up the kids tomorrow after work and we will head to my mom's in Bartlesville, OK. We'll then leave from there, with my mom, on Friday morning. Day one will be spent driving to Nebraska. On day two we will pull into my cousin's cabin in Ryan Park, WY. My mom talked to my aunt and they still have quite a bit of snow up there. We'll be going from 90 degrees to snow. My kids'll love it. From my cousin's, we then go to Jackson Hole, WY. The Grand Tetons are absolutely amazing. We'll spend a day in Yellowstone and then we head east toward Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore. It will be a very eventful trip - especially traveling with a 6-year old with a broken collarbone. He has been doing exceptionally well but this means no swimming on the trip. Bummer for him. I will be out of the office from Friday, June 4 through Monday, June 14. I'll be sure to share pics from the trip when I get back.