Register Now
Save $200 by registering for the Executive MBA Council Conference, set for Oct. 18-21 in San Diego, Calif., by the early bird deadline of Friday, Aug. 28

Don’t miss out on the event of the year for Executive MBA Programs. There are only a few days left to meet the early bird deadline of Friday, Aug. 28, for the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference, set for Oct. 18-21, in San Diego, Calif.

Register by the early bird deadline of Aug. 28, and save $200 in fees. Registration for both the conference and your hotel room is available online at www.emba.org/conference_registration.htm.

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Innovative Solutions
Explore the latest approaches to challenges in the Executive MBA marketplace during conference concurrent sessions

The concurrent sessions at the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference will explore a range of relevant topics – including ways to address challenges in the current economy to insights on leadership and technology. Each session is repeated once in the same day.

Monday, Oct. 19
Helping EMBAs Help Themselves in a Troubled Economy
Tom Perkowski, Southern Methodist University, and Christine Ferrell, University of North Carolina

Twittered Out and Linked In…Here Comes Gen Y!
Luis Casas, Florida International University

Designing a Program to Develop Global Leaders
Gordon Swartz and Mary Anne Waikart, Georgetown University, and Patricia Marcaida, ESADE

Value Innovation During Challenging Times
Laurence Weinzimmer, Bradley University

Leadership Formation: Top 10 Curricular Innovations
Marilyn Gist and Steve Sack, Seattle University

Assessment Center Accelerates Development of Leaders for Challenging Times
Jeff Kudisch and Rob Sheehan, University of Maryland

Rethinking the MBA Administrative Model
Jeff Bieganek and Robyn Blilie, University of Minnesota

Open-Source Technology, Web 2.0 Models, and Executive MBA Education
Barry Eckhouse, St. Mary’s College

Bring on the Challenges in Global Partnerships
Beatrix Dart, University of Toronto, and Penny Oslund, University of North Carolina

Set the Learning Free Using New Approaches to Leadership
Lori Feldman, Purdue Calumet, and Barbara Cheng

Adding Discipline to the Dream
Alex Sevilla, University of Florida, and Colleen Sabatino, CareerBeam

Tuesday, Oct. 20
Career Coaching for Executive MBAs Today: Delivering More with Less
Tonya VanOrder, Michigan State University

Effective Tax and Financial Strategies for EMBA Students
Gonzalo Freixes, UCLA

Strengthening EMBA Teams: An Assessment-Based Approach to Team Feedback
Lee Konczak and Kay Henry, Washington University

No-Waste Marketing: Making Every Investment Count
Bill Gangluff, Notre Dame, and Kyle Krueger, Hoffman York

Multimedia Communication:  A New Breakthrough for Marketing?
Roberto Dona, Bocconi University

Merging Full-Time and Executive MBA Admissions
Dan McCleary and Liz Riley Hargrove, Duke University

For a complete list of Executive MBA Council Conference offerings and updates, visit
www.emba.org/conference.htm.

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NEW: Webinar on Rankings
The council offers a webinar to better understand and discuss rankings, Sept. 23, with live sessions at 8:30 a.m. or 4 p.m. CST

Rankings are a reality in the MBA marketplace, but understanding them can be challenging. A new 75-minute webinar offering from the council will shed insights into the methodology behind the rankings of three global publications – the Financial Times, Business Week, and U.S. News and World Report.

You can choose between one of two live webinar sessions on Sept. 23: 8:30 a.m. or 4 p.m., both Central Standard Time. The webinar, A Guide to EMBA Rankings, will take a closer look at each ranking, including what the rankings measure, how each publication gathers information for the rankings, the timing of the rankings, and the implications for Executive MBA Programs and their schools.

The webinar features Susan West, chair of the Executive MBA Council Board of Trustees and assistant dean and director of the Executive MBA Program at the University of Alabama Manderson Graduate School of Business. The interactive webinar will encourage discussion among participants as well.

The fee to participate in the webinar is $89. Please note there is limited space in each session. To register for the webinar, visit www.emba.org/courses_webinars.htm.

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Strengthen Your Marketing Strategies
Understand more about what attracts your students to your program by participating in the Student Entry Benchmarking Survey by the Oct. 31 registration deadline

Take advantage of a competitive intelligence tool that will offer you critical information on the effectiveness of your recruitment and marketing efforts. Plan to participate in the Student Entry Benchmarking Survey by the Oct. 31 registration deadline.

The survey will give you insights into the thoughts of your incoming students as they weigh application to your program. You’ll receive feedback on your admissions process, the factors that students rated as the most important in their decision-making, and their comparison of your program to the top competitor programs they considered attending.

The web-based survey offers benchmarking information that is not otherwise available to Executive MBA Programs. You have the option to select six peer programs to develop a competitive benchmark.

For more information or to register by Oct. 31, visit www.embac.org/studententryregister.

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Red Carpet Moments
Start filming now to enter the first-ever Executive MBA Council video contest by the deadline of Sept. 25, 2009

Don’t miss out on a red carpet moment: Be sure to enter the first-ever Executive MBA Council video contest by the deadline of Sept. 25, 2009. You may win an award, and winning videos will appear on the council’s web site and other online media outlets.

The contest helps shine the spotlight on the many merits of the degree, and entering the contest is simple: It starts with you or your students and alumni preparing a two- to three-minute video of your students and/or alumni answering one or more of the following questions:

• What’s the value of the Executive MBA degree?
• Why would they recommend an Executive MBA?
• What’s special about an Executive MBA?

We want the videos to come from you – so we are not accepting professionally produced videos. We also want the videos to focus on the Executive MBA brand, although students and programs will be credited properly.

The council will award one gold winner and two silver winners based on originality and creativity, overall impact and appeal, and adherence to the creative assignment. Videos will be available for viewing at the Executive MBA Council Conference, set for Oct. 18-21, 2009, in San Diego, Calif. In fact, conference participants will select an audience favorite winner.

For information and the submission form, visit the video contest page.

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Regional Meeting Summary
The University of Michigan offers highlights of the USA/Canada Midwest Regional Meeting

The Executive MBA Council USA/Canada Midwest Regional Meeting attracted 44 participants from more than 35 organizations. The University of Michigan hosted the meeting July 14-15 at the new facilities of the Ross School of Business.

After a tour of the new business school facilities on July 14, participants enjoyed an outdoor reception, followed by dinner in the Ross School’s sixth floor glass banquet room, the Colloquium. They continued networking in the social lounges of the newly renovated Executive Residence.

The next morning, Jeff DeGraff, Ross Executive MBA faculty member, presented his competing values framework, which forms a cornerstone of Michigan’s Professional Development Program. Participants learned how to think about their leadership styles, and how they can work better with people who have differing styles.

Presentations in the afternoon included the following:

• Michael Desiderio, executive director of the council, provided updates on council activities
  
  
• Brian Mahoney of Percept Research discussed the survey results
  
  
• Joyce Mueller, the new director of the Executive MBA Program at Michigan, led a dialogue on regional issues, which included the use of social media, the need to increase alumni involvement, admissions numbers, the self-pay trend, and the impact of the self-pay trend on career services.

At the conclusion of the event, some participants remained to enjoy Ann Arbor’s Art Fair, one of the largest juried art fairs in the United States.

“From my perspective, as a new director, the council meeting was a wonderful chance to welcome colleagues to our new facilities,” says Mueller. “The atmosphere of sharing and camaraderie was exceptional from the opening reception to the closing discussion forum. It was a tremendous opportunity to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing all Executive MBA Programs.”

For information about 2009 regional meetings, visit www.emba.org/regional_past_summaries.html.

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New Enhancement to Student Exit Benchmarking Survey
The Competitive Intelligence Report receives a redesign to help administrators quickly determine areas of strength and improvement

The recently improved Competitive Intelligence Report will help Executive MBA Programs that participate in the Student Exit Benchmarking Survey more quickly analyze results, as well as making it easier to tailor and compare results.

This summer, Percept Research, an independent market research firm that administers the survey on behalf of the council, completed significant revisions to the format of the Competitive Intelligence Report, which provides graphical comparative analysis to industry segments and peers as well as trending.

The new Competitive Intelligence Report presents actionable and relevant results in an at-a-glance fashion, with redesigned charts that help administrators of Executive MBA Programs more quickly determine areas of strength and improvement. Additional enhancements include the following:

• More customized reports provide comparisons to the specific industry segment. For example, programs with less than 66 students in all cohorts will have comparisons to the small programs segment only.  
  
  
• Reports will provide comparisons to the geographic region as an important segment for competitive analysis.
  
  
• The report is much shorter in length for better management decisions, approximately one-third of the previous size.  

Percept Research also will provide tables of means for each metric for program administrators who want to delve deeper into the analysis.

The 113 programs that participated in the 2008-09 Student Exit Benchmarking Survey will receive their Competitive Intelligence Reports at the end of August. Percept Research will post a fictional version of this new report on member portals in September for those programs that did not participate in the Student Exit Benchmarking Survey this year.  

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Strong Supporters
Academic and corporate members sponsor a range of 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference activities

Thanks to current 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference sponsors (current as of Aug. 18, 2009), who are supporting events and activities at the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference.

Platinum Sponsors
Berkeley Columbia Executive MBA Program
University of California, Los Angeles
Graduate Management Admission Council
Jesuit Universities’ Executive MBA Programs
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

Gold Sponsors
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Columbia Business School
Executive MBA Program, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School
Intelliworks, Inc.
Jones Graduate School of Business – Rice University
New York University, Stern School of Business
University of Central Florida
University of Utah
University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Silver Sponsors
Theresa S. Falcon Executive MBA at Bradley University
University of Illinois Executive MBA
UC Irvine | The Paul Merage School of Business
University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management
UNC Kenan-Flagler
University of Washington

Bronze Sponsors
Northern Illinois University
SMU – Cox School of Business

In-Kind Sponsors
University of Utah

Corporate Sponsors
Accent Group, a division of WorldStrides
AIH Destination Management
Andromeda Training, Inc.
The Austral Group
Campus Text, Inc.
CareerBeam, LLC
Financial Times
Global Tracks
Harvard Business School Publishing
Intelliworks, Inc.
International Study Programs
Lore International Institute
SS&C Technologies – Zoologic Learning Solutions
The Washington Campus
XanEdu

For information about sponsorship, visit www.emba.org/conference_sponsorship.htm.

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Board Election
Look for information to cast your votes for your favorite two (2) candidates to fill the open positions on the 2009-2010 council Board of Trustees

In July, the Executive MBA Council invited nominations for two open positions on its Board of Trustees. The invitation resulted in a strong group of nominees, and voting is set to begin soon.

According to the council bylaws, only the voting member at schools may participate in the voting. It only takes a moment to vote; please plan to cast your vote when you receive the council e-mail on the election.

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Features

Update
By Michael Desiderio, Executive Director

By now I hope it’s old news for you that our 2009 annual conference is just around the corner, Oct. 18-21, in San Diego, Calif. Soon we will gather, colleagues from throughout the planet, sharing, learning, growing…the energy as always will be palpable! And this year’s conference, perhaps more than previous conferences, will be critical in helping us navigate these unusual times.

The conference is an important milestone in helping our members and our industry grow, but it’s not the only way to contribute to our industry’s continued success. Register for the conference, plan to be there, but also consider doing something else…Be willing to take a bold step.

We announced a video contest in March to increase awareness about the Executive MBA brand. With the start of the typical academic year here, the timing is perfect to leverage your students and alumni to aid in creating your entry. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to consider entering this contest. Look for details at: www.emba.org/protect/formembers_videocontest.htm.

I’m also pleased to announce a new offering: a webinar on rankings, scheduled for Sept. 23. Mark your calendar now and plan to participate in this informative and lively discussion.

Now that we’ve discussed upcoming ways to connect, let’s not forgot the great networking cycle that just closed for this year. This has been a vibrant year for the council and our industry. In 2009 we had the largest number of regional meetings in some time. All Executive MBA Council regional meetings were well-attended and took place in the following diverse locations:

• Madrid, Spain
• Orange, California
• Charlottesville, Virginia
• Palisades, New York
• Austin, Texas
• Ann Arbor, Michigan

I was able to attend four of these six meetings, and I look forward to attending even more next year. If we missed you this year, plan to come next year.

Finally I want to close by thanking you for your continued support of the council. I believe our organization does very important work, but that work is made possible by you the member. Your involvement in our efforts, whether as a sponsor, committee member, presenter, or program participant, enables us to continue to serve you individually while simultaneously serving the cause of our industry.

I look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

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Board Member Profile
Bill Lindsey, Loyola Marymount University

As former manager of business development for a major operating group of Hughes Aircraft Company, Bill Lindsey returned to school in part to enhance his career. During his time in the Executive MBA Program at Claremont Graduate University, he discovered much more.

“At that point, I hadn’t considered education as a career option,” says Lindsey, associate dean and Executive MBA director at Loyola Marymount University.

“In graduate school, I learned that I liked to be in the academic environment. My experience was a defining moment for me – it helped me to discover more about myself and new opportunities.”

That realization ultimately took Lindsey on a new path in a career that was already rich in diverse experiences.

“I started out in the Navy and was a Navy pilot for about nine years,” he says. After leaving the Navy, he joined an international consulting firm, Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, and later moved to California to work at Hughes Aircraft.

After finishing his MBA degree, Lindsey decided to pursue his Ph.D. as well, which he also received from Claremont. When General Motors bought Hughes, Lindsey left to start a consulting business with another colleague and to also teach part time.

“I had enjoyed the consulting practice and I enjoyed teaching and wanted to put these two together,” he says.

At the same time, Loyola Marymount was interested in entering the executive education market and contacted Lindsey to explore the market and develop a business plan. As planning ended, Loyola offered Lindsey an invitation to serve as director of the new Center for Executive Learning.

As associate dean, Lindsey is responsible for executive education, which includes the Executive MBA. He teaches strategic management and project management in the program. He also has taught undergraduates and in the MBA program.

The Executive MBA experience offers much to students, and programs play an important role in strengthening business, he says.

“The Executive MBA bridges theory and practice and that makes it a significant learning opportunity,” he says. “Executive MBA Programs can help students make a difference in their companies, their families, and in society, which helps the American marketplace and society at large to become more productive.”

Lindsey became involved with the Executive MBA Council in his search for resources when Loyola was designing its Executive MBA Program. He then volunteered for several committees, agreed to fill the remainder of a term when a board member resigned, and was elected to the board in 2008. He enjoys his work with the council.

“I think in a nutshell, it’s because I really like being around people with a passion for what they do,” he says. “It’s fun to collaborate with people who like to make a contribution. I find that energizing and refreshing.”

Lindsey also shared the following information with EMBA News.

My hobbies include: “I enjoy reading, walking, traveling, and being with my family.”

My favorite city is: “I tend to like every place I have been, most recently, St. Petersburg. I like Barcelona. I like Hawaii. I like Southeast Asia. I grew up in the Deep South – I like the Southern way of life.”

I’m most proud of: “My children – two daughters and one son. I’m proud of my career and of contributions I have made to help others.”

I’m reading: Hot, Flat & Crowded by Thomas Friedman. I just finished In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neal White.

I’m passionate about: “Life – living and being caring and innovative.”

My next project is: “The next immediate project is to look at sustaining our Executive MBA. My other personal project is planning a longer trip. My wife, Margie, and I really like to travel. We want to pick a place, like Tuscany, and stay there for a month.”

You may not know that: When I was growing up, I had a summer job at Marine Life as a deck hand on the specimen collection boat. I always loved being around the water.”

When I think about the Executive MBA Council I think: “What a great group of people.”

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Corporate Member Profile
Andromeda Training, Inc.

At one table, a team of Executive MBA students contemplates decisions that will increase their cash flow. Nearby, a spirited discussion on the corporate balance sheet leads another student team to explore new strategies.

At the center of each table lies the guide to their work – an oversized game board that engages students while strengthening their understanding of complex financial concepts.

Through the workshops of Executive MBA Council corporate member Andromeda Training, Inc. and its Income/Outcome Business Simulations, graduate business students and industry participants gain a firm foundation in business and finance. It’s the company’s experiential approach during the workshops that gets students and faculty talking. 

At Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business, for example, it all starts in their Executive MBA opening residency, where they have been using the game since 2004. “We use the simulation to provide fun, fast, experiential understanding of the foundations of business, finance, and accounting early in the program,” says Alvin Miles, director of the Executive MBA Program at Coles.  “It's proven to be an interactive tool that helps give our students a rapid start.”

“Many people assume the word ‘computer’ when they hear the word ‘simulation,’ ” says Eliza Helweg-Larsen, owner and chief creative officer at Andromeda.  But the core of Income/Outcome is an actual board game, where competition among teams makes finance and accounting concepts come alive for student participants while building a common base of knowledge. In a typical workshop, five or six teams manage their businesses through moves on their team game boards.

“The workshops last from three hours to three days and cover a variety of industries, but in all cases the competition is cut-throat,” says Helweg-Larsen.

The game board simulation covers financial statements, loans and leverage, budgets, cash flow forecasts, production cycles, and other key decision-making areas. Teams make choices that impact their business results, and they report those results back to the full group.

The Income/Outcome Business Simulations offer students who come with diverse backgrounds a way to reach common ground on finance and accounting topics before starting their programs, as well as an opportunity for students to work together.

“The benefit to using the simulation early in the learning process is that the competition makes business planning and analysis engaging, and thereby overcomes the ‘fear of finance,’ ” says Rodney Alsup, accounting professor and director of International Programs at ASEBUSS in Romania. “This is extremely useful at the Executive MBA level, since the candidates have such a variety of knowledge of basic finance tools such as income statements, balance sheets, and budgets.”

Andromeda first started building the simulation to fit a manufacturing business model, but has expanded into many types of industries – from energy to health care to telecommunications.

It also quickly expanded workshop offerings, including adding the shorter Entrepreneurial Challenge, and Rematch! which refreshes the learning at a higher level. 

Andromeda developed the Rematch! program for use in the second-year residency of the Executive MBA Program at Coles College of Business. 

“This gives the Executive MBA Program an opportunity to introduce elements of international business and to revisit the business acumen foundations from the first-year simulation,” says Helweg-Larsen. “Because there are so many types of activities in the game, the simulation is repeatable. When you go through the experience a second time, you can catch concepts that you may not have been ready for the first time.”

Andromeda Training continues to explore new territories in novel learning techniques. “We have moved into a whole new area which we call business visualization, where we can present real world financial results as a 3D landscape,” she says. The company is currently working on a web-based version of simulations for distance learning applications, as well as developing a product for use in high schools.

The company joined the council because of increasing interest in its products by Executive MBA Programs and other university users, who report improved student satisfaction and learning from the workshops.

“One school has noticed a 40 percent increase in long-term retention of business acumen skills and concepts,” says Helweg-Larsen. Corporate participants also report savings in time and other improvements after workshops.

It’s rewarding to learn about those results and see the corresponding changes in students, such as broadening their understanding of business and knowing that this work will help them be better managers because of the experience, she says. “It’s satisfying to see changes in the way that students respond to finance and business.”

For more information, contact Eliza Helweg-Larsen at eliza@income-outcome.com or 919.933.6555 or visit www.income-outcome.com.

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