October 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

September was an extremely busy month for us first-year MBAs at Eller. In addition to our class work and group projects, we have made great progress positioning ourselves for summer internships by perfecting our resumes and participating in interview workshops. 

One unique aspect of the Eller MBA program that contributes to the quick pace is the fact that we operate in 8-week terms for our first semester. This format enables us to fully devote ourselves to four classes that last eight weeks, master the subject matter, then move on to four new classes. As you can imagine, these classes require extreme focus, the ability to practice dynamic prioritization, and large levels of caffeine consumption! That said, I really enjoy the tour de force structure because it resembles the fast and constantly changing environment of the business world. I believe that the learning methodology at Eller will fully prepare us for exciting new careers upon graduation.

Another unique aspect of the Eller MBA program is the Business Intelligence Quotient. This 15-week group project enables us to learn the details of a company inside and out while experiencing a variety of different business presentation situations. So far, we have presented a “new employee training session,” and are currently preparing for an intense product launch Q&A session. However, these tasks are not just busy work. Each activity prepares us for a specific managerial challenge that we will face in our careers. If there is one thing that I’ve learned here at the Eller College of Management, it’s that every aspect of our curriculum is guided by an underlying strategy.

>> Learn more about Eller MBA curriculum.
 

Dual-Degree Programs from The University of Arizona

When you join The University of Arizona, you become a part of something bigger than just a great business school.The Eller College of Management also provides the benefits of being a small, nationally-ranked MBA program with the financial and academic support of a large research university. So it’s no surprise that UA grads go on to lead diverse projects ranging from new entrepreneurial start-up businesses to NASA’s Phoenix Mars Mission. 

The Eller College of Management offers a variety of programs and concentrations that suit the diverse backgrounds and interests of its student body.

First year MD/MBA candidate Serena Jain, for example, is eager to combine her passion for the medical profession with a well-rounded understanding of business knowledge. According to Jain, “The Eller MBA program will enable me to use my unique skill set to eventually open my own practice or pursue a career in hospital management.” The University of Arizona’s dual-degree program enables her to attain both degrees with just one additional year of study. 

>> Learn more about Eller MBA dual-degree options.
 

Eller MBA Ranks 2nd in Sony Case Competition

When Ryan Shaw (Eller MBA '09) heard about a Sony Electronics-sponsored case competition at Texas Christian University (TCU), he jumped at the chance to participate. “Sony is a company that I have always dreamed of working for,” he says. “It sounded like an excellent opportunity to network with my dream company.”

The competition had an unusual format: instead of working within an all-Eller team, Shaw was randomly assigned to a team with students from top business schools from around the country. “My team was composed of students from Georgia Tech, TCU, Indiana, and Emory,” he says.

The team tackled a case involving the Sony Reader, a digital book device that uses paper-like e Ink technology instead of a backlit screen. Shaw’s team placed second, beating out teams with members from Harvard, Berkeley, Kellogg, and, MIT. He and his teammates split a $4,000 cash prize, and each received a Sony Reader.
But perhaps most importantly, the case competition gave him a chance to connect with Sony executives. “We had a ton of face time with the Sony execs,” Shaw says. “I was very lucky to have been able to have put my best foot forward.”

>> Learn more about experiential learning at the Eller MBA.
 

Eller College Distinguished Speaker Series

Each year, the Eller College brings outstanding leaders from the private, government, and nonprofit sectors to Tucson for the Distinguished Speaker Series. These leaders address a variety of topics and issues that impact the business and public policy worlds. 

We are excited to welcome Brad Casper, CEO and President of The Dial Corporation to share his marketing insights on October 23, 2008.

>> View all upcoming Distinguished Speaker Series events.
 

Eller Experts Host Roundtable on Recent Financial Markets Activity

In light of the recent economic situation in the United States, representatives from the Finance and Economics departments at the Eller College of Management hosted an informal economic symposium to discuss the U.S. economy — what may happen in the future and how it will affect the average family.

Chris Lamoureux Diamond Professor and Finance Department Head	Paul Portney Halle Chair in Leadership and Eller College Dean	Gerry Swanson Professor and Thomas R. Brown Chair in Economic Education

This free event brought together a diverse mix of students, faculty, and the general public to discuss the U.S. credit crunch, struggling housing market, high gas prices, loss of jobs, and numerous other factors. 

Eller College Dean Paul Portney suggested that this event was of great importance because "the Eller College aspires not only to educate its students, but also to contribute to the community in which it’s located."  Portney, along with Department of Finance head Christopher Lamoureux and bestselling author and economist Gerald J. Swanson, led the open discussion.

>> Watch the Economic and Financial Markets Roundtable 2008 online now.
 

Easy Being Green
Marty Metro : MBA '94
Founder and CEO : UsedCardboardBoxes.com

For Marty Metro, it all started on a road trip. “My wife and I were driving cross-country, and I saw a moving truck and got to thinking about boxes” he says.

His idea to create a business venture around used cardboard boxes meshed with his desire to create a productive, happy work environment. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be selling cardboard boxes, let alone used cardboard boxes,” he says. “Rather than try to change a big company from within, I built my own earth-friendly, socially-responsible, for-profit company that is quickly becoming a household name.”

UsedCardboardBoxes.com, ships pre-package kits of used boxes to customers via UPS. “We started with one distribution center in Los Angeles,” he says. “Now we have ten across North America, servicing every residential address in the U.S.”

Metro’s company brings in used boxes by the truckload from large companies like Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods, packages them with supplies for consumers based on the size of the moving job, and sells them online. “I wanted to build a company that uses my passion for technology, makes money and positively impacts the world,” he says. “It’s quite a bonus that we’re able to do that, and be green. That’s actually the most exciting part to me.”

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

Important Dates

Recruitment Fairs

Catch up with Eller MBA admissions staff at an upcoming Inside the MBA recruitment fair:

• November 10, 2008 : Salt Lake City
• November 12 : Seattle
• November 19 : Phoenix
• November 20 : Las Vegas
• [more info]
  

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