November 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.

The 2008-2009 MBA application season is officially here and the Eller MBA online application is now available. As you continue to make important decisions regarding your business school career, take a look at these insights from Eller students, past and present. 

For more information on the Eller MBA program, visit us at www.ellermba.arizona.edu.
 
 
  

1st Year Perspective by Justin Hart, MBA '10

October was hands-down my favorite month since moving to Tucson last August. The weather during the day is gorgeous and the nights are even a little cool!  However, I must admit that fall in the Sonoran Desert is a little different than the fall foliage that I’ve grown accustomed to in northeast Ohio. 

The academic year is flying by at breakneck speed. I can hardly believe that I’ve already interviewed for summer internships, completed a set of eight-week classes, and met the CEO of a Fortune 500 company — all before Thanksgiving. 

The current set of classes in which I’m enrolled is significantly different than the previous eight-week round that we just completed. In the first term, we gained the core skills required of a business manager, including accounting, statistics, and economics. During this term, we apply many of these concepts to various cases studies to analyze business strategy and marketing principles. So far, this is my favorite part of the curriculum. The daily case reading, constant group meetings, and application of lessons learned from past experience and the classroom is what b-school is all about. As I strategize which classes I will take during my remaining three semesters here, I was thrilled to learn that the vast majority of our second year is self-selected elective courses. This should give me plenty of time to take advantage of the advanced strategy and management classes offered through the program.

>> Learn more about Eller MBA curriculum.
 

International Business Working Group Dinner Attracts Big Crowd

The 2008 International Dinner hosted by the International Business Working Group attracted over 200 participants representing 25 different countries. The main draw to the event was the exquisite international cuisine prepared by Eller MBA students. The evening also featured a number of student performances, including a Bollywood dance performance, renditions of popular Chinese and Indian songs, and traditional Mexican Folklorico dancing. 

First-year MBA Pandian Paulswamy says, “With so much diversity in the Eller MBA community, the International Dinner is the ideal way for domestic and international students to expand their knowledge of unique cultures. The scale of participation and sheer volume of food prepared for this event speaks to the outstanding enthusiasm that Eller has towards diversity.”

In addition to the performances and food, a number of students and faculty also dressed in the traditional attire of their native countries and shared stories of their own international travel.

>> Learn more about Eller MBA global perspectives.
 

Third Annual Eller MBA Networking Event is a Hit

In late October, the Eller MBA program hosted its third annual Eller MBA Networking Event. Eller MBA Alumni, local recruiters, and Tucson professionals all enjoyed an evening of networking with current Eller MBA students. 

First-year MBA Forrest Branch says, “The event was a great opportunity to meet the extended Eller network and a fun excuse to get dressed up in our business professional attire.” 

Before the event, the first-year MBAs also received some helpful networking tips from image management consultant Jill Brener. Brener provided her insights on everything from how to dress for success, to how to effectively work a room, to how to manage a plate of hors d’oeuvres and a glass of win, and still manage to shake hands with new acquaintances. The event offered students an immediate avenue to network and to refine the soft skills critical to success in the business world.

>> Learn more about the Eller community.
 

Technology and Management Awards Luncheon Recognizes Eller Alumni

Technology and Management Award presenters and recipients (left to right):
UA president Robert Shelton, Donald Kennedy, Robert Guerrieri, Douglas Silver,
Alicia Coleman, Jay Geldmacher, Eller dean Paul Portney,
Engineering dean Tom Peterson, and Chris Lewicki.

Students, alumni, and corporate partners joined the Eller College of Management and the College of Engineering in Phoenix on October 10th for the tenth anniversary of The University of Arizona Technology and Management Awards Luncheon.

Stanford University professor and president emeritus Donald Kennedy, former editor-in-chief of Science magazine, delivered the keynote address. Kennedy also met with students prior to the talk, in which he discussed new, promising, and political advances in science. 

Among the recipients was Eller College alumnus Jay Geldmacher, who heads Emerson Network Power’s Embedded Computing and Power Group.  Geldmacher received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to developing a competitive advantage resulting from collaboration between engineering and business.

Roberto Guerrieri and Alicia Coleman accepted the Shaping the Future Award for their innovative start-up company Incentive Logic. The College of Engineering recognized Douglas Silver, founder of International Royalty Company, and Chris Lewicki, manager of the Phoenix Mars Mission for Jet Propulsion Laboratories.  Congratulations to all award recipients. 

>> View Eller MBA alumni profiles.
 

Distinguished Speaker Series: Brad Casper, President and CEO, The Dial Corporation

On October 23rd, Brad Casper visited the Eller College of Management to share his insights on career development and answer questions from Eller business students. During his presentation, he shared highlights from his career as he rose through the ranks at Procter and Gamble, and later joined the executive team at Church & Dwight (makers of ARM & HAMMER® household goods). In addition to being a highly engaging and entertaining presenter, Casper effectively demonstrated the rewards of pushing yourself to leave your comfort zone and achieve new heights in your career. 

Before his presentation, a small group of students also had the opportunity to sit and talk with Casper in a more informal setting. First-year MBA student Matt Kennedy says, “It’s not every day that you gain the opportunity to meet with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I was particularly impressed with Mr. Casper’s balance of accessibility, conversational tone, and outstanding business acumen.” Discussion topics ranged from the current state of the U.S. economy and how it impacts the sale of consumer packaged goods to dealing with the challenges of living and working in a foreign country.

>> View all upcoming Distinguished Speaker Series events.
 

Entrepreneurial Heritage
Arvin Poole : MBA '01
Marketing Manager : IBM

For Arvin Poole, the entrepreneurial seed was planted young. His father was an entrepreneur, but passed away when Poole was seven. His uncle took over the family business and kept it going.

When Poole was 19, his uncle passed away. "I took some time off from school to soul-search," he says. He joined the Air Force, serving for ten years, and earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Out of college in 1998, he joined IBM in Tucson.

"I came into IBM as an engineer with the hardware storage business," he says. "After nine months, IBM funded me to go back for my MBA, which, coming in as a new hire, was difficult to do." Poole completed the Eller Evening MBA program in 2001 and participated in IBM's Extreme Blue program, a competitive, high-level internship. Poole also participated in an elite IBM leadership program, working with the vice president of storage software. "After that, I took my first management post," he says. He led a team in developing a go-to-market strategy in partnership with a competitor. Then he returned to Extreme Blue as the manager of the incubator program, which gave him the chance to recruit current MBA student Susan Ebbert for summer 2008. Being back in the startup environment inspired him to re-ignite his consultancy practice that he started as a capstone project, SHAARP Ventures LLC.

Through his consultancy, Poole is launching a startup business incubator aimed at black-owned tech companies in central Texas. "I feel that I have built the skills for this and am now able to create something to help others attract investor support for marketable technologies," he says.

>> Learn more about career development at the Eller MBA program.
 

Important Dates

Application Deadlines

 
Be sure to get your application in on time:
  
  

>> Apply for Eller MBA admission now.
 

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