March 2008

Welcome to It's All About You : News from the Eller MBA, sharing highlights and insights of the Eller MBA program at The University of Arizona.
 

Eller College Honors 2008 Executive of the Year

The Eller College of Management honored Warren Hellman for his significant accomplishments in business and philanthropy at The University of Arizona's annual Executive of the Year Luncheon on March 7th.

A lifelong financier, Hellman co-founded the private equity investment firm Hellman & Friedman in 1984. Respected for its distinctive investment philosophy and approach, Hellman & Friedman has raised and managed more than $16 billion of committed capital and has invested in more than 50 companies during its 23-year history.

UA 2008 Executive of the Year Warren Hellman. Photo by Liz Hafalia / San Francisco Chronicle.

Hellman is a director of various public and private companies including Levi Strauss & Co., D.N. & E. Walter & Co., and the Sugar Bowl Corp., and has made an extraordinary commitment to higher education. Through a series of funds that offer major support to promising assistant professors at a number of colleges and universities, Hellman has invested in young faculty.

The Eller of College of Management National Board of Advisors established the Executive of the Year Award in 1983 to honor individuals who exemplify executive qualities in private enterprise and public service.

Past award recipients have included James E. Press, Toyota Motor Sales; Robert A. Eckert, Mattel Inc.; Andy Grove, Intel; Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix Suns; Donald Rumsfeld, G.D. Searle & Co; and R.E. “Ted” Turner, Turner Broadcasting Company.

Learn more about the UA Executive of the Year.
 

Mattel CEO Robert Eckert Talks About Crises Communication

	Mattel CEO Robert Eckert.

Robert A. Eckert, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Mattel, Inc., visited Eller to share his experience with Mattel’s recent toy recall crisis. Over 10.5 million toys were recalled, including popular toys such as Barbie and Polly Pocket. He spoke to students and guests about how he, as CEO, handled the crisis and what it is like to be the center of media frenzy. 

Mattel is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toys with approximately $6 billion in annual sales. Eckert joined Mattel in May 2000 from Kraft Foods, Inc., the largest U.S.-based packaged food company.

Eckert received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from The University of Arizona in 1976 and an MBA in marketing and finance from Northwestern University in 1977.

To hear a Podcast interview with Eckert go to http://uanews.org/node/18672.

Learn more about the Eller College Distinguished Speaker Series.
 

UA Strikes Landmark Agreement as Academic Service Provider for New Chinese University

The University of Arizona has entered into a landmark agreement with China’s Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education to serve as the primary academic service provider for a new university in China. Under the agreement, the UA will provide all of the intellectual content for certain degree programs at the yet-to-be-built Nanjing International University, or NIU, which is expected to reach enrollment of up to 10,000 students within its first 10 years of operation. This agreement eventually will provide students the opportunity to obtain a degree from the UA — in select majors — while attending NIU in China.

NIU will compensate the UA for providing all of the academic content for degree programs that will be mutually agreed upon by the two institutions on a major-by-major basis. NIU will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees with an emphasis on applied programs in science, engineering, and technology.

Learn more about new UA - NIU agreement.
 

Eller Scores High in Financial Times Rankings

The 2008 Financial Times rankings are out, and the Eller College ranks high in entrepreneurship and information technology (IT), coming in at #6 and #9 worldwide, respectively. The Eller full-time MBA program is ranked #27 nationwide.

In its February-March issue, WOMEN 3.0 magazine also recognized the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship in its listing of the top 50 MBA programs for entrepreneurship. The Eller Executive MBA was highlighted in the magazine’s listing of 50 best programs for working professionals.

Learn more about experiential learning as part of the Eller MBA.
  

Edward Long : MBA '94

Edward Long, MBA '94.

Edward Long began at IBM as an engineer, and as he moved through his career, he realized that he enjoyed the math, but didn’t want to be an engineer. He enrolled in the Eller MBA program to find a way to apply math in the world of business and settled into a concentration in finance. 

After earning his MBA in 1994, Long was accepted into Merrill Lynch’s training program and officially began his Wall Street career. During his six years with Merrill Lynch, Long helped to create the company’s first institutional asset management group. He then accepted a vice president and portfolio manager position with Lazard Freres and Co., LLC in New York, where he co-managed the firm’s $7 billion domestic equity portfolio. In 2005, he joined investment firm Gillespie, Robinson & Grimm in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Long worked as a graduate teaching assistant during his time at Eller, and used the MBA program as a springboard to change careers. Last year, Long decided to give back to his alma mater by establishing an MBA scholarship. This is the second year that Long’s scholarship fund has benefited Eller MBAs, but funding is only one way he helps out — he also talks to students when possible to offer career advice and a bit of Wall Street wisdom. “I can offer general guidance and explain how the industry works,” he says. “I can also help them think of unconventional ways of getting into this business.

Learn more about the Eller MBA alumni community.
  

By Nicole Akporiaye : MBA '09

	Nicole Akporiaye, MBA '09, closes out the first term of the Eller MBA program.

Spring has arrived in Tucson and along with the beautiful weather, many things have been happening in the MBA program. I finished two core classes and was once again busy studying for finals. This semester I am also taking a few electives and have begun classes for my concentration in finance. 

Outside of the classroom, my team and I are in the middle of our field project, an experiential learning opportunity where students work with companies in a consulting capacity. My project involves working with the local transit authority to assess the economic impact of a streetcar that will be implemented in Tucson. Looking forward to the summer, most of the second year students have already secured a job and many of the first-years have locked in their internships. I am very excited about my internship with Nike, and am looking forward to exploring Portland over the summer.

Our Habitat for Humanity project is well underway, and we had an excellent fundraising event, called the Faculty Auction. At the event, students bid on items donated by faculty and local businesses. I bid on several items and won salsa dancing with my MIS professor, sushi and baseball with my accounting professor, and dinner with the associate dean of the College. Everyone is looking forward to start building the house next year. 

See you next month with more updates on the life of an Eller MBA!
 

Articles of Interest

View videos of industry leaders who are a part of the Eller College Distinguished Speaker Series
 

Important Dates

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Apply for Eller MBA admission now.
 

• mba@eller.arizona.edu
• 1.888.Eller.MBA