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.