CBA initiatives make you stop and Think Again

The College of Business Administration faculty and staff are fully engaged in an exciting academic year marked by outstanding donor support and involvement, innovative program initiatives, and the dynamic Think Again marketing initiative featured in this edition of Exchange.

The message to Think Again was carefully thought out. We want people to think about the fact that CBA produces top-quality, well-prepared students with strong work ethic. Our graduates are everywhere and at all levels of business and finance professions and management. We want them to think, too, about the many consulting and other services CBA centers and faculty experts provide for Michigan's businesses and industries.

The four people featured on the cover of Exchange and in our Think Again campaign - which started with mailings to key business and industry leaders - include successful alumni at all stages of their careers and a professor who embodies the CBA mission to help shape the future with business-connected programs that respond to the needs of the Michigan business community. Each of the stories in this edition of Exchange mirrors our essential commitment to provide:

· Exceptional faculty consultant and business support services

· Highly qualified students to fill professional business internship and employment positions

New initiatives reinforce mission

Our commitment to a learning-centered educational environment is moving forward on several fronts, including our revised Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program and our new residential college.

The revised B.S.B.A. program prepares students with both academic and soft skills, knowledge, and abilities that will make them more successful in their careers. The Business Residential College living and learning community, now in its second year, provides a venue for undergraduate business students to share many experiences and activities while taking business courses together throughout their college career.

For more on these initiatives and a summary of other highlights that have elevated the reputation of CBA, turn to our annual report section beginning on page 24.

Dean search, capital campaign,
reaccreditation visit among CBA priorities

Also ongoing during this academic year are the search for a new dean, the New Vision of Excellence Campaign for Central Michigan University, and a reaccreditation visit.

A committee chaired by E. Gary Shapiro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, is undertaking the dean search. An initial pool of 60 applicants was narrowed to 11 semifinalists, who were called for airport interviews during November. The finalists will be invited to campus during December.  

Our New Vision of Excellence Campaign to raise $6.8 million for CBA has gained exceptional momentum, with more than $3 million raised this year alone. Former Director of Development Amy Silk, who will soon begin a new position at Northern Michigan University (see Amy Silk's column), receives credit for greatly increasing CBA alumni activities and support.

And, finally, preparations are underway for a very important January reaccreditation visit from the AACSB International.

With all this, you can begin to comprehend why we encourage you to Think Again about all that we are accomplishing in the College of Business Administration.

Daniel Vetter
CBA Interim Dean