Conference 2009: Request for Proposals
Plan to share your best practices with council members at the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference in San Diego, Calif., by submitting a proposal to present a concurrent session

Difficult economic times make it even more important than ever to strengthen networking and share best practices. With its theme of Leading Through Challenging Times, the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference, Oct. 18-21 in San Diego, Calif., offers an opportunity to learn the latest from programs throughout the world.

Plan now to present a concurrent session at the conference by preparing your proposal. Examples of proposal topic areas include admissions and marketing initiatives, curriculum innovations, programming and services, financial and economic solutions, and global partnerships.

The RFP form and instructions are available online at www.emba.org/conference_rfp.htm. The deadline to submit proposals is April 17, 2009

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Sponsorship Opportunities
Choose from a number of opportunities to sponsor events and activities at the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference

By sponsoring an event or activity at the 2009 Executive MBA Council Conference, member schools can both lend their support to the work of the council and receive recognition for their contributions. Conference sponsors will be acknowledged throughout the conference and on conference materials and the council web site.

Visit www.emba.org/conference_sponsorship.htm for information about sponsorship categories. To participate as a sponsor, just complete the Event Sponsorship Commitment Form.

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NEW: Offering for European Market
Designed especially for programs in the European market, the new Marketing and Admission Program – Europe is scheduled for April 28-29, 2009, at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, London campus

In response to our growing international membership, the Executive MBA Council, with the support of the Graduate Management Admissions Council, has developed a program that is tailored for member programs in the European market.

The Marketing and Admissions Program – Europe will take place April 28-29, 2009, at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business on its London campus. The program includes case studies that relate directly to Executive MBA Programs in Europe and sessions that will help participants identify more effective approaches to marketing and positioning their programs in a competitive marketplace.

Two faculty experts will lead the session:  Dianne Bevelander, associate dean, MBA programs, at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, and Leyland Pitt, professor of marketing, Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Registration remains open until the program fills. For information and to register, visit www.emba.org/courses_marketing_admissions_europe.html.

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In the News
The Executive MBA Council contributes to stories about the degree

The Executive MBA Council is extending its reach and sharing key information about the value of the Executive MBA degree through its diverse media activities, including press releases and media interviews.

The council’s press release on its Membership Program Survey results appeared online in the following outlets:

• Forbes.com
• Reuters.com
• Investors.com
• biz.yahoo.com
• CNBC.com
• Centredaily.com
• Streetinsider.com
• PR-inside.com
• Riskcenter.com
• Zimbiocom/MBA news
• Morningstar.com
• About.com
• Trading-house.net
• MBAbookspy.com
• GMAC.com
• Collegeeducationweekly.com
• Business.buytohome.com
• Earthtimes.com
• Marketwatch.com
• Quote.com
• Findarticles.com
• Euroinvestor.co.uk
• managementparadise.com
• Markets.hpcwire.com
• Newstin.co.uk
• UPI.com
• IECA.net
• Research.scottrade.com
• Finance.com
• Digital.com
• TDCanada.com

The press release on Student Exit Benchmarking Survey results appeared online in the following outlets:

• Biz.yahoo.com (U.S.)
• Biz.yahoo.com (Canada)
• CNBC.com
• CNNmoney.com
• Marketwatch.com
• San Jose Mercury News.com
• Euroinvestor.co.uk
• Centredaily.com
• Earthtimes.com
• Morningstar.com
• economicnews.ca
• Digital.com

Other media appearances included the following:

• “Executive MBA Rankings”
  Wall Street Journal (special section), Sept. 30, 2008
  
  “ ‘Some programs have a huge leadership component, others spend more time in practical case studies,’ says Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council in Orange, Calif. ‘There are unique pieces to these programs, but the global E.M.B.A., as the E.M.B.A. in general, has a set format and at the end of the day is the same degree.’ ”
  
  
• “Executive education can be a wise strategy for self-investment”
  Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dec. 4, 2008
  
  “ ‘ Of late, we’ve experienced growth in programs worldwide,’ said Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council, which champions program standards and provides resources to EMBA program in the United States and beyond.”
  
  
• “More Programs Focus on Specific Fields”
  Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2008
  
  “Only 7 percent of executive business programs currently offer specialized degrees, but that number has begun to grow by about one percentage point a year, according to data from the Executive MBA Council, after several years of little growth.”
  
  
• “Ranking the Returns on Executive M.B.A.s”
  Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2008
  
  “As companies pull back on education spending, students are increasingly paying their own way – making cost-benefit calculations even more important. ‘When someone else was paying for it, that wasn’t the big factor,’ says Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council in Orange, Calif. Only 32 % of executives are fully sponsored by their companies, he adds.”
  
  
• “An MBA Dream Deferred”
  BusinessWeek online, Jan. 8, 2009
  
  “EMBA Council Executive Director Michael Desiderio thinks applications will stay strong, even among those students who are paying on their own. But even he admits that in this increasingly precarious financial landscape there are few guarantees. ‘ I think smart people will generally invest in themselves….The question we don’t know is, how far can you stretch in this uncertain time?’ ”
  
  
• “A Female Face on Executive M.B.A.s”
  Wall Street Journal (special section), Jan. 21, 2009
  
  “While 32 % of E.M.B.A. students are fully funded by their companies, about 36 % are partially funded, according to the EMBA Council, a membership group that serves executive programs.”
  
  
• “Directions in Executive Education”
  Graduate Management News, January 2009
  
  “The current economic turmoil affects executive education as much as it does the rest of graduate management education. Yet ‘despite all the craziness, there’s still a lot of energy in the executive education space,’ Desiderio says. For example, he says, EMBA Council’s members reported that applications for 2008 were up about 33 percent compared with Council data for 2005.”

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Regional Meeting Slate
Council regional meetings begin in March and April

The 2009 slate of Executive MBA Council Regional Meetings kicked off with the March 16 European Regional Meeting at the IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. Upcoming regional meetings include:

USA/Canada Western Regional Meeting
April 5-7, 2009
Chapman University, Orange, California

USA/Southeast Regional Meeting
April 5-7, 2009
University of Virginia, Charlottesville,

USA/Canada Northeast Regional Meeting
April 20-21, 2009
Cornell University, IBM Palisades Executive Conference Center, Palisades, New York

USA/Canada Midwest Regional Meeting
July 14 - 15, 2009
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

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

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Competitive Advantage
Participation in council research offerings provides valuable data for programs

The Student Exit Benchmarking Survey and the Student Entry Benchmarking Survey offer Executive MBA Programs data that can help them target their marketing efforts and improve their efficiency and their programs.

The Executive MBA Council offers the Student Exit Benchmarking Survey to give member programs a deeper understanding of student opinions and to provide a snapshot into industry trends. More programs than ever – 123 in total – took part in the 2007-08 Student Entry Benchmarking Survey. For general and registration information, visit www.embac.org/studentexitregister.

Be sure to take advantage of the Student Entry Benchmarking Survey as well. The entry survey offers programs a cost-effective way to measure the perceptions and expectations of newly admitted students, gauge the effectiveness of marketing and admissions efforts, and compare results against those of similar programs. Fifty-four programs participated in 2008.. For information and to register, visit www.embac.org/studententryregister.

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Welcome to New Members
The council welcomes new or reinstated members who joined in 2008

The council welcomed the following new members in 2008:

• University of Auckland
• Babson College
• City University
• Euromed-Marseille
• FIA
• University of Hawaii
• University of Idaho
• IMD
• University of Melbourne
• National University of Singapore
• Southern Nazarene University
• University of St. Gallen
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
• Washington State University
• University of West Indies

The council also streamlined its membership process in 2008. Information on council membership and applications for academic and corporate membership are available at www.emba.org/about_membership.html.

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Last Call
Registration remains open for the 2009 Marketing and Admissions Program, set for March 22-25, at Villa Graziadio Executive Center in Malibu, California

Registration remains open for the 2009 program, set for March 22-25, 2009, at Villa Graziadio Executive Center in Malibu, California.

The Executive MBA Council, in collaboration with the Graduate Management Admission Council, sponsors this unique professional development opportunity. Designed for professionals who are involved in recruiting and admitting Executive MBA students, the program explores the complexity of the admissions process, the nuances of positioning and branding your program, must-know legal issues, and research to support strategic marketing and help you make your case.

To register, visit www.embac.org/courses_marketing_admissions.htm.

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Membership Directory 
Download a PDF of the 2009 Executive MBA Council membership directory

Interested in connecting with your peers? Need to find the name of a contact at a program?

The Executive MBA Council offers its members two resources to connect with fellow members. Information in the online Member Search is based on the most recent data from programs. Updated annually, the membership directory PDF allows you to search and print contact information.

In March, the council posted the recently updated membership directory PDF. Both the membership directory PDF and the member search are available in the For Members area of the council web site at www.emba.org/formembers.htm.

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Features

Update
By Michael Desiderio, Executive Director

With the first quarter of 2009 rapidly disappearing, it’s hard to believe we’ll soon be talking about this year’s Marketing and Admissions Program taking place in Malibu California in the past tense.

Thankfully, the excitement won’t end with that program as this year we unveil the Marketing & Admissions Program – Europe, set for April 28-29 in London. I look forward to updating you on the outcomes of both of these programs in one of my future messages. My guess is that these programs will pay even bigger dividends for participants this year because of the rather unusual times we find ourselves experiencing at the moment.
 
Speaking of unusual times, I recently was interviewed for a story in Crain’s Chicago Business. The reporter asked some questions that showed she understood what an Executive MBA Program was and is! Hopefully, through our unprecedented media interactions we will continue to educate the marketplace about the amazing value associated with the Executive MBA experience. Our press releases have garnered broad exposure in recent months through many major media outlets. We’re even getting some exposure through less well-known outlets. For example, a video webcast – “The OC Metro Minute” – included one of our press releases as part of a Jan. 26 on-air segment.

The council will continue to leverage conventional outlets, as well as look for other creative ways to help spread the word about the value of the Executive MBA degree and experience. For a look at the media mentions, visit the council’s press room at www.emba.org/pressroom_main.html.

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Board Member Profile
Maria-Eugenia Marin

When Maria-Eugenia Marin moved with her family from Bolivia to the United States, she took the one of the first steps in her international journey.

Her experience in an American classroom, where at the time, she knew Spanish and her teachers and fellow students spoke only English, helped shape a strong commitment to and passion for education.

Throughout her diverse career, which includes private and public sector experiences, Marin has interwoven these global and educational themes in her work. Now as director of international relations at IE Business School, she combines both those interests as she helps launch and oversee many global partnerships for the school.

“Education has always been important to me,” says Marin, “especially education that raises global awareness and understanding of other cultures.”

Marin received her bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and her master’s degree in politics of the world economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Her time at Harvard paved the way for an opportunity to support bilingual education in America and to view national politics up close. She served as a bilingual aide for the campaign office of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, who as chair of the Senate’s Labor, Education, and Human Resources Committee was advocating for improved early childhood education and bilingual education.

The job involved projects on and off the campaign, including assisting with the confirmation of the first Hispanic cabinet member. She returned to Harvard to complete her degree, bolstered by the exposure to politics. “I highly value these hands-on experiences,” she says.

The lure of international relations led her to England, where she studied international political economics, and following graduation joined the Institute for European-Latin American Relations (IRELA), a Madrid-based think tank focusing on Latin America, but from a European perspective. As a research associate and coordinator of external relations, she explored Latin American economics, politics, and events and their impact on Europe. When funding for the think tank expired, she joined IE.

“It is a very global school in terms of student body, faculty, partnerships, and approach,” she says. Her job involves facilitating and coordinating diverse international activities with other schools, organizations, and businesses, which include Executive MBA initiatives.

She attended her first Executive MBA Council Conference in 2004, but became more involved the next year, when Barcelona, Spain served as the conference site. IE joined the council as a member, and Marin volunteered for the conference planning committee. True to form, she was attracted by the possibilities of further developing international ties and began helping the council with its membership initiatives. In 2007, she was elected to the Executive MBA Council Board of Trustees.

“I had a great experience with my first conference,” says Marin. “There was an emphasis on the part of the council to be more international, and I was interested in being part of that. I continue to work on that front as member of the Board of Trustees.”

Marin also shared the following information with EMBA News:

My hobbies include: “I’m an avid reader of all types of books in Spanish and English. I write poetry and short stories. I love languages and learning and teaching about other cultures.”

My favorite city is: Madrid, Spain

I’m most proud of: “My two incredible daughters, Alexandra, 10, and Carolina, 13. They are really growing up to be global citizens with global perspectives. They make me very proud.”

I’m reading: 266 by Roberto Bolaño

I’m passionate about: “International education. I think I’m passionate about being a bridge. We need global bridges.”

My next project is: “I’d love to write a book of poetry and short stories in English and Spanish, and am working on it.”

You may not know that: “I worked as a DJ at a blues station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”

When I think about the Executive MBA Council, I think: “Of great, talented, and committed professionals. I attend a lot of international conferences, and I don’t think I have seen as much passion as I have in the members of the council. I feel the same about the board and the Executive MBA Council staff.”

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Corporate Member Profile
Intelliworks

In the last decade, the explosion of technology has resulted in a host of new options for Executive MBA Programs to market and strengthen relationships with students, alumni, and business leaders.

Executive MBA Council corporate member Intelliworks was born from the desire to apply the latest technology tools in helping educational institutions enhance their relationships and improve their efficiency. “Our mission is to make it possible for departments, colleges, and universities to connect with their customers,” says Todd Gibby, president and CEO of Intelliworks.

Building on the foundation of customer relationship management (CRM) techniques, the firm develops and implements technology-driven solutions for the higher education market, including Executive MBA Programs. CRM involves taking a comprehensive approach to managing relationships between an organization and its stakeholders. “That really is deep in our DNA,” says Gibby.

The firm’s DNA translates into services that focus on making it easier and more efficient for programs to manage contacts with prospective students, students, alumni, and corporate representatives, to conduct e-mail marketing and outreach, to automate aspects of event management, and to measure the success of online initiatives. The applications also extend to aspects of program management, such as course registration and billing.

“In this world, competition in any business is only a click away,” says Gibby. “We want to make it very easy for programs to stay in the forefront with their constituents.”

While technology is key to effective CRM, it is not the only important element, he says.

“The first step that we take in any situation is to listen,” says Gibby. “We want to understand the strategic objectives of the institution.”

Working closely with their customers allows Intelliworks to craft the kind of custom solutions that help a program, department, college, or university deliver on its value proposition.

“To me, putting the objective first is important,” says Gibby. “We are engaged in helping institutions achieve their goals.”

To that end, each case is different, he says.

“There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all system. We work with organizations to develop the most appropriate solution, including solutions that fully integrate with existing systems.”

The software-as-a-service solution allows the flexibility to adapt the technology on a small, medium, or large scale, depending on the situation, as well as to work with other existing technology.

Those adaptable solutions are helping to produce results for programs, such as Sacramento State, whose executive education
e-mail campaign drew a 40 percent response rate.

Intelliworks has worked with Executive MBA Programs for several years and learned about the Executive MBA Council from a member school. “They recommended that we get involved,” says Gibby. “We jumped at the chance to become a corporate member.”

Intelliworks joined the council in 2008 and attended the conference in Chicago. “The reception that we received was outstanding.”

In these challenging economic times, technology will continue to play an ever-expanding role, says Gibby. The growth of social networks and multiple channels opens new avenues to reach constituencies and support ongoing relationships. Building and maintaining relationships among prospective students, students, alumni, and corporate supporters as efficiently and effectively as possible only will increase in importance, he says.

“The focus in the immediate term is on operating in a challenging economy,” Gibby says. “Our focus is providing solutions that will help in this regard.”

For more information about Intelliworks, visit www.intelliworks.com, or contact Dan Obregon, director of marketing, at dan.obregon@intelliworks.com or 240.238.3232.

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