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Academic
specialization a priority
Central Michigan University’s master of business administration
program has evolved to meet the needs of a changing global work
environment and to provide students with a flexible curriculum
and real-world business connections. The program has been in place
nearly four decades.
"This is not the
same College of Business Administration or M.B.A. program that
was launched 40 years ago," said John Schleede, former dean.
"The M.B.A. program
has progressively developed to meet the needs of students who
are entering a global marketplace. We have listened to many executives
describe the need to prepare students with real-world experiences
– the kind of experiences that can only be provided by faculty
members who are actively engaged in business, entrepreneurship,
and relevant research and consulting."
Because many of today’s
M.B.A. students enroll to sustain and advance their careers, they
also need the kind of convenience and academic specialization
offered by CMU’s program, said CBA Interim Dean Dan Vetter.
Vetter said the program’s
key draws are the required experiential learning component, the
choice of concentrations, and CBA’s exceptional faculty.
"Generally our faculty are more business-connected than faculty
at other universities," Vetter said. "They bring a tremendous
amount of business experience and knowledge to the classroom."
Twelve faculty members
are fully committed to the program. Many have earned Ph.D. degrees,
are practicing and consulting members of the business community,
and conduct significant research.
Relevant
real-world programs
A new M.B.A. management consulting concentration is one innovation
among several recently implemented by the College of Business
Administration. The program provides interrelated team-taught
courses. This brings a multidisciplinary approach to the classroom
and provides good background for a required consulting project.
Each student is assigned to a consulting team that works closely
with a Michigan-based company.
"There’s
definitely no other program like it in the region," Vetter
said. "The consulting project is a pretty strong component,
with 12 of the 30 hours focused specifically on this hands-on
activity."
Other programs include
the master of science in information systems (see related sidebar),
master of arts in economics, and M.B.A. concentrations in areas
such as accounting, business information systems, economics, finance,
management, and marketing.
CMU
alums in high places
Since the first graduating class of 1965, hundreds of CMU students
have earned M.B.A. degrees. Working adults and full-time traditional
students have sought out the advantage and competitive edge the
M.B.A. degree provides.
Joseph Rogers, M.B.A.
’65, was one of the first eight students to complete CMU’s
program. He had planned on enrolling in a University of Michigan
program but decided it was too far to drive from his home in Midland.
He remembers taking classes in a Mount Pleasant elementary school
and later at Midland High School.
"There were no
M.B.A. courses being held in the area at the time," said
Rogers, a retired business counselor from Dow Chemical. "Of
the eight of us in the first graduating class, I believe four
were working for Dow."
At that time, like today, most of the M.B.A. students already
were working. Rogers said this brought many lively perspectives
to classroom discussions.
Rogers credits Dr.
Lyle Willhite (now deceased), the first dean of the M.B.A. program,
for his efforts in getting the program started. He said Willhite
was a jovial sort who helped recruit faculty and even taught some
of the classes himself.
Other M.B.A. graduates
praise the exceptional quality of the professors in the M.B.A.
program and credit the program for adding to their skills and
providing new perspectives.
"Most of our professors
were full-time practitioners of their subject matter, and all
had extensive real-world experience," said Robert Krasa,
’80, now president and chief executive officer of Haworth
Inc.
Advisory
board keeps program relevant
Rogers and a number of other notable alumni serve the college
in an advisory capacity. Rogers appreciates CBA’s progressive
initiatives to develop an M.B.A. program with a clearly relevant,
career-focused curriculum.
Steven Discher, a 1984
graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration,
serves on the Management Consulting Advisory Board – one
of seven active CBA advisory boards. He said he wanted to reconnect
with CMU after serving two decades overseas as a management consultant
for large multinational corporations.
"I think CMU’s
M.B.A. program picked its places very well," Discher said.
"Its unique set of programs in management consulting, finance,
accounting, and other areas is good for the market and good for
the students."
Alumni support of the
M.B.A. program is invaluable.
In addition to advising college administrators, CBA alumni have
generously supported the college’s M.B.A. program through
personal involvement in classrooms, by providing exceptional internship
opportunities, by donating resources, and by partnering with CBA
in development of consulting and research initiatives.
New
offerings and streamlined curriculum
CMU’s M.B.A. program was streamlined in 1996, and a new Midland
center began offering classes in 1999. Instead of 36 hours of
traditional three-credit courses, the M.B.A. now includes:
- Nine two-credit
courses taught in four-hour sessions over eight weeks
- Eight credits taken
from a choice of nine specialized concentrations
- A four credit-hour
M.B.A. capstone consulting project
"Working students
can make a two-month commitment," Vetter said. "Before
there were 12 courses and one research-oriented course. Now there
are fewer lectures and there is more active learning. Students
have more responsibility in the learning process, and faculty
members don’t need to lecture for four hours."
More than 200 students
currently are enrolled in the program. More than 60 graduate each
year. When they first enroll in the program, most of CMU’s
M.B.A. students already have been in careers for an average of
six or seven years and bring a level of work experience to the
program that benefits all students. Many part-time students take
an average of three to four years to complete the program, but
the program’s flexible format also allows full-time students
to complete M.B.A. degrees in 12 months. Vetter said this is particularly
beneficial to international students.
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